20 Bible Verses about Caves As Places Of Refuge

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Judges 6:2

The hand of the Midianites prevailed over Israel; because of the presence of the Midianites, the {Israelites} made for themselves hiding places that [were] in the mountains, caves, and strongholds.

1 Samuel 22:1-2

David went from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and all his father's household heard, they came down to him there. Every man in distress and every man who had a creditor and every embittered man gathered to him, and he became {their commander}. Now there [were] about four hundred men with him.

Genesis 19:30

And Lot went out from Zoar and settled in the hill country with his two daughters, for he was afraid to stay in Zoar. So he lived in a cave, he and his two daughters.

Joshua 10:16-18

But these five kings fled and hid themselves in the cave at Makkedah. And it was told to Joshua, saying, "The five kings were found hidden in the cave at Makkedah." And Joshua said, "Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave, and set men in front of it to guard them.

Judges 15:8-11

And {he gave them a thorough beating}, and he went down and stayed in the cleft of the rock of Etam. Then [the] Philistines came up and encamped in Judah, and they overran Lehi. And the men of Judah said, "Why have you come up against us?" And they said, "To bind Samson; to do to him just as he did to us."read more.
Then three thousand men from Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam, and they said to Samson, "Do you not know that the Philistines [are] ruling over us? What [is] this [that] you have done to us?" And he said to them, "Just as they did to me, so I have done to them."

1 Samuel 13:6

When the men of Israel saw that [it was] {too difficult} for them, because the army was hard pressed, the people hid themselves in the caves, in the thorn bushes, in the cliffs, in the vaults and in the wells.

1 Samuel 24:2-22

So Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel, and he and his men went to search [for] David {in the direction of} the Rocks of the Mountain Goats. He came to the sheep pens beside the road, and a cave [was] there. Then Saul went in {to relieve himself}. Now David and his men [were] sitting in the innermost part of the cave. And David's men said to him, "Look, today [is] the day about which Yahweh said to you, 'See, I am giving your enemy into your hand, and you can do to him {whatever seems good to you}.'" So David got up and secretly cut the hem of Saul's robe.read more.
{And then} afterward David {felt guilty}, because he had cut {the hem of Saul's robe}. He said to his men, "Far be it from me in Yahweh, that I do this thing to my lord, to Yahweh's anointed one, by stretching out my hand against him! For he [is] the anointed one of Yahweh." So David rebuked his men with the words and did not allow them to rise against Saul. And Saul got up from the cave, and he went on his way. Then David got up afterward and went out of the cave and called after Saul, "My lord the king!" When Saul looked after him, David knelt down [with his] face to the ground and bowed down. Then David said to Saul, "Why do you listen to the words of people who say: 'Look, David [is] {seeking to do you harm}'? Look, this day your eyes have seen that Yahweh gave you today into my hand in the cave, and some said to kill you. But {I took pity} on you and said, 'I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, because he [is] Yahweh's anointed one.' Now, my father, see, yes, see, the hem of your robe in my hand! For {when I cut} the hem of your robe I did not kill you. Know and {realize} that there is no evil or rebellion in my hand. I did not sin against you, but you [are] hunting down my life to take it. May Yahweh judge between me and you, and may Yahweh avenge me on you, but my hand will not be against you! Just as the ancient proverb says, 'From the wicked, wickedness goes out,' but my hand will not be against you! After whom did the king of Israel go out? After whom are you pursuing? After a dead dog? After one flea? May Yahweh be [the] judge, and let him judge between me and you, and may he see and plead my case. {May he vindicate me against you}!" When David finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, "[Is] this your voice, my son David?" And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. Then he said to David, "You are more righteous than I, for you have repaid me the good, but I have repaid you the evil. You have explained to me today that you have dealt well with me, how Yahweh delivered me into your hand but you did not kill me. For a man has found his enemy but sent him on [his] way safely. Now may Yahweh reward you with good in return for this day, for what you have done for me. So now then, look, I know that you will certainly be king and the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hand. So then, swear to me by Yahweh that you will not cut off my {descendants} after me and that you will not wipe out my name from my father's house." So David swore [this on oath] to Saul, and Saul went to his house, but David and his men went up to the stronghold.

2 Samuel 17:9

Now he has hidden himself in one of the caves or in one of the places. At the moment he falls on them the first time, {whoever hears} the report will say, 'There has been a defeat among the people who follow after Absalom.'

2 Samuel 23:13

Then three of the thirty leaders went down and came to David {at the time of the harvest} to the cave of Adullam, while a group of [the] Philistines [were] camping in the valley of [the] Rephaim.

1 Chronicles 11:15

And three of the thirty chiefs went down toward the rock to David at the cave of Adullam when the army of the Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim.

1 Kings 18:4-13

It had happened that when Jezebel killed the prophets of Yahweh, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them {by fifties} in the cave and sustained them [with] food and water.) Ahab said to Obadiah, "Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the wadis. Perhaps we may find green grass that we may keep horses and mules alive and that we might not lose any of the animals." So they divided the land for themselves in order to pass through it; Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.read more.
It happened that Obadiah [was] on the way, and suddenly Elijah was there to meet him. When he recognized him, he fell on his face and said, "[Is] this you, my lord Elijah?" He said to him, "I [am]. Go, say to your lord, 'Elijah [is] here.'" He said, "How have I sinned that you [are] giving your servant into the hand of Ahab to kill me? {As Yahweh your God lives}, surely there is not a nation or a kingdom to which my lord has not sent me to seek you. [If] they would say, 'He is not here,' then he would make the kingdom or the nation swear that it could not find you. Now you [are] saying, 'Go, say to your lord: "Elijah [is] here." ' And it will happen that I will go from you and the Spirit of Yahweh will carry you up to where I do not know. Then I will come to tell Ahab, but he will not find you, and then he will kill me, [even though] your servant has feared Yahweh from my youth. Has it not been told to my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of Yahweh? I hid a hundred men of the prophets of Yahweh {by fifties} in the cave, and I sustained them [with] food and water.

1 Kings 19:9

He came to the cave there and spent the night there. Suddenly the [word] of Yahweh came to him and asked him, "{Elijah, what are you doing here}?"

Psalm 57:1

Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me, because in you my soul takes refuge. In the shadow of your wings I will take refuge until destruction passes by.

Psalm 142:1

I cry out with my voice to Yahweh; I implore favor with my voice to Yahweh.

Isaiah 2:19-21

and they will enter into [the] caves of [the] rocks and into [the] holes of [the] ground from the presence of the terror of Yahweh and from the glory of his majesty {when he rises} to terrify the earth. On that day humanity will throw away its idols of silver and its idols of gold, which they made for it to worship, to the rodents and to the bats-- to enter into the crevices of the rocks and into the clefts of the crags from the presence of the terror of Yahweh and from the glory of his majesty, {when he rises} to terrify the earth.

Jeremiah 48:28

Leave [the] towns and dwell on the rock, O inhabitants of Moab, and be like [the] dove, it nests on [the] sides of [the] mouth of a ravine.

Jeremiah 49:8

Flee! Turn back! {Get down low}! O inhabitants of Dedan. For I will bring upon him the disaster of Esau [at the] time [when] I will punish him.

Ezekiel 33:27

"Thus you must say to them, 'Thus says the Lord Yahweh: "{As I live}, {surely} whoever [is] in the ruins, by the sword they will fall, and whoever [is] on the surface of the open field, I will give him to the animals to eat him, and whoever [is] in the stronghold and in the cave, they will die by the plague.

Hebrews 11:38

of whom the world was not worthy, wandering about on deserts and mountains and in caves and in holes in the ground.

Revelation 6:15

And the kings of the earth, and the most important people, and the military leaders, and the rich, and the powerful, and every slave and free person hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains,

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