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גֹּב

𐤂𐤁

gôb

H1358 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

A pit, cavity, or hollowed-out enclosure, especially one designed as a trap or holding area for dangerous animals such as lions; also applied to underground chambers or cistern-like spaces, with primary focus on containment. Used metaphorically for a place of danger or confinement.

Semantic Range

pit for wild animals, den, enclosure, place of confinement (especially for lions), artificial animal trap, metaphoric place of danger or punishment

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root גב (g-b), meaning 'to dig, hollow, cut out,' though as an Aramaic noun it reflects loan or shared usage with cognate Northwest Semitic languages. 根本意义是'挖掘、挖空'，而具体词形 גֹּב 表示有意挖掘的坑或穴。

Historical & Contextual Notes

גֹּב appears exclusively in the Aramaic sections of the Hebrew Bible, most notably in the Book of Daniel (e.g., Daniel 6:7, 6:17) describing the lion's den into which Daniel is cast. The term specifically designates an enclosure prepared to house wild animals, rather than any natural cave or random pit. It is distinct from Hebrew בּוֹר (bor, common 'pit' or 'cistern') and particularly connotes an artificial den of confinement or execution. English translations sometimes obscure this nuance by using generic terms like 'pit' or 'den.' In Persian and later Babylonian practice (as evidenced in biblical and extrabiblical texts), such pits served both as animal lairs and as places of execution or punishment. In post-exilic contexts, the term does not refer to burial places or natural caves but to constructed spaces for dangerous animals, often for judicial purposes.

Translation Consistency

primary "den" 10 occurrences

The primary sense of גֹּב in the SILEX is an animal lair or holding enclosure (especially for lions) and a place of danger or confinement. 'Den' is the most natural, concise English word that captures both the animal-lair and metaphorical danger senses, matches the plurality of existing renderings, and reads well across contexts where an underground cavity or trap is meant.

✓ All renderings match approved senses

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

(Aramaic) from a root corresponding to גּוּב; a pit (for wild animals) (as cut out); den.

Bantu Hebrew

Language Bantu Word Transliteration Meaning
Ndebele umgodi hole, pit
Sotho mogodi hole, pit, mine shaft
Tswana mogodi hole, pit, mine shaft
Venda godi hole, pit
Xhosa umgodi hole, pit
Zulu umgodi pit, hole

Root Family

גב (g-b) — to dig, to hollow out, to cut out

Root גב to dig, to hollow out, to cut out
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1354 גַב your convex ridge
H1459 גַּו in her midst
H1465 גֵּוָה from the back

Word Forms

4 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H1358-01 גֻּבָּ֑/א guba ANcmsd/Td the pit the hollowed pit the den 4
H1358-03 לְ/גֻבָּ֖/א leguba AR/Ncmsd/Td into the den to the dug-out pit to the den 3
H1358-02 לְ/גֹ֖ב legov AR/Ncmsc into den to a hollowed pit to a den 2
H1358-04 וּ/לְ/גֹ֤ב ulegov AC/R/Ncmsc and into den and to a hollowed-out pit and to the den 1

Occurrences in Scripture

10 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H1358-02 Daniel 6:8 לְ/גֹ֖ב legov AR/Ncmsc to pit to a hollowed pit to a den
H1358-02 Daniel 6:13 לְ/ג֖וֹב legov AR/Ncmsc into den to a hollowed pit to a den
H1358-03 Daniel 6:17 לְ/גֻבָּ֖/א leguba AR/Ncmsd/Td into the den to the dug-out pit to the den
H1358-01 Daniel 6:18 גֻּבָּ֑/א guba ANcmsd/Td of-the-den the hollowed pit the den
H1358-03 Daniel 6:20 לְ/גֻבָּ֥/א leguba AR/Ncmsd/Td to the den to the dug-out pit to the den
H1358-03 Daniel 6:21 לְ/גֻבָּ֔/א leguba AR/Ncmsd/Td to-the-den to the dug-out pit to the den
H1358-01 Daniel 6:24 גֻּבָּ֑/א guba ANcmsd/Td the pit the hollowed pit the den
H1358-01 Daniel 6:24 גֻּבָּ֗/א guba-2 ANcmsd/Td the pit the hollowed pit the den
H1358-04 Daniel 6:25 וּ/לְ/גֹ֤ב ulegov AC/R/Ncmsc and into den and to a hollowed-out pit and to the den
H1358-01 Daniel 6:25 גֻּבָּ֗/א guba ANcmsd/Td of the den the hollowed pit of the den
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