1358. gob

Lexical Summary

gob: Pit, Cistern

Original Word: גֹּבּ
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: gob
Pronunciation: gob
Phonetic Spelling: (gobe)
KJV: den
NASB: den
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) from a root corresponding to H1461 (גּוּב - Pit)]

1. a pit (for wild animals) (as cut out)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

den

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

see HEBREW guwb

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
(Aramaic) corresponding to geb
Definition
a pit, den
NASB Translation
den (10).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

[גֹּב] noun masculine pit, den of lions (ᵑ7 גּוּב, Syriac pit;? compare Biblical Hebrew גֹּב proper name, of a location, √ גבב); — construct ׳ג Daniel 6:8; Daniel 6:25; גּוֺב Daniel 6:13; emphatic גֻּבָּא Daniel 6:17; Daniel 6:18; Daniel 6:20; Daniel 6:21; Daniel 6:24; Daniel 6:24; Daniel 6:25.

Topical Lexicon

Term Overview

Strong’s Hebrew 1358 denotes a “den” or “pit,” employed exclusively in Daniel 6 to describe the lions’ den into which Daniel is cast. The word is never used figuratively in Scripture; every occurrence anchors the reader in a concrete setting of imminent death from which God dramatically delivers His servant.

Occurrences and Narrative Context

1. Daniel 6:7 – The satraps’ proposal: “whoever petitions any god or man except you, O king, for thirty days will be thrown into the den of lions.”
2. Daniel 6:12 – The plotters press the decree’s enforcement.
3. Daniel 6:16 – The king obeys the irrevocable law: “Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and thrown into the den of lions. The king declared to Daniel, ‘May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!’”.
4. Daniel 6:17 – A stone is set and sealed: earthly authority attempts to close Daniel’s fate.
5. Daniel 6:19–20 – At dawn Darius rushes to the den and cries out, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God… been able to rescue you from the lions?” (Daniel 6:20).
6. Daniel 6:23 – Daniel is lifted out, “no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.”
7. Daniel 6:24 – The conspirators and their families are thrown in; “before they reached the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.”

Historical Background

Medo-Persian monarchs practiced keeping lions in captivity both as a display of royal power and as a means of execution. Archaeological findings from Persian sites verify lion imagery in palatial reliefs and hunting depictions. The unchangeable “law of the Medes and Persians” (Daniel 6:8) reflects the period’s legal rigidity, heightening the narrative tension: only divine intervention can override imperial decree.

Theological Themes

1. Divine Sovereignty versus Human Decree: The sealed den pits an immutable royal edict against the higher authority of Israel’s God.
2. Faithful Witness in Exile: Daniel’s unwavering prayer life (Daniel 6:10) shows covenant loyalty amid political pressure.
3. Angelic Deliverance: “My God sent His angel and shut the mouths of the lions” (Daniel 6:22). The event parallels Psalm 34:7, testifying to consistent divine protection.
4. Retributive Justice: Those who devised the trap suffer the fate they intended for the righteous (cf. Proverbs 26:27).

Typological and Prophetic Significance

The sealed stone, royal guards, and morning discovery prefigure the burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Both narratives feature:
• an innocent sufferer condemned by jealous leaders,
• a sealed enclosure guarded by official authority,
• divine vindication manifested at dawn,
• resulting proclamation of God’s supremacy (Daniel 6:26–27; Matthew 28:18).

Thus the den becomes an anticipatory shadow of the empty tomb, affirming Scripture’s unified redemptive storyline.

Practical Ministry Applications

• Prayer as Primary Loyalty: Daniel’s routine of praying “three times a day” (Daniel 6:10) encourages believers to prioritize communion with God over cultural pressures.
• Civil Obedience with Moral Integrity: Daniel serves the empire faithfully until obedience conflicts with worship; at that point he peacefully accepts consequences, modeling Acts 5:29.
• Confidence in Crisis: Pastors and counselors draw on Daniel 6 to shepherd congregations facing hostility, reminding them that deliverance—whether temporal or eternal—rests with God.

Related Biblical Imagery

• Pits as Death Traps: Joseph’s cistern (Genesis 37:24) and Jeremiah’s dungeon (Jeremiah 38:6) echo the peril of a “pit” yet anticipate deliverance.
• Lions as Agents of Judgment and Testing: Samson (Judges 14), David (1 Samuel 17:34–37), and the Psalmist’s metaphorical lions (Psalm 22:13) together portray God’s mastery over ferocious powers.
• Stones and Seals: The den’s stone aligns with Joshua 10:18’s cave and Matthew 27:66’s tomb, underlining the futility of human attempts to confine God’s purposes.

Conclusion

The tenfold use of גֹּבּ in Daniel 6 frames a singular narrative that magnifies God’s faithfulness to His covenant people, affirms His dominion over pagan kingdoms, and foreshadows the climactic victory achieved in Christ. In personal devotion, pastoral care, and proclamation, the lions’ den continues to call believers to steadfast trust, confident that no decree or danger can sever them from the delivering power of the living God.

Forms and Transliterations

גֻּבָּ֑א גֻּבָּ֗א גבא וּלְגֹ֤ב ולגב לְג֖וֹב לְגֹ֖ב לְגֻבָּ֔א לְגֻבָּ֖א לְגֻבָּ֥א לגב לגבא לגוב gub·bā gubBa gubbā lə·ḡō·wḇ lə·ḡōḇ lə·ḡub·bā leGo ləḡōḇ leGov ləḡōwḇ legubBa ləḡubbā ū·lə·ḡōḇ uleGo ūləḡōḇ

Englishman's Concordance

Daniel 6:7
HEB: מַלְכָּ֔א יִתְרְמֵ֕א לְגֹ֖ב אַרְיָוָתָֽא׃
NAS: shall be cast into the lions' den.
KJV: he shall be cast into the den of lions.
INT: king shall be cast den the lions'

Daniel 6:12
HEB: מַלְכָּ֔א יִתְרְמֵ֕א לְג֖וֹב אַרְיָותָ֑א עָנֵ֨ה
NAS: into the lions' den? The king
KJV: shall be cast into the den of lions?
INT: king is to be cast the den the lions' replied

Daniel 6:16
HEB: לְדָ֣נִיֵּ֔אל וּרְמ֕וֹ לְגֻבָּ֖א דִּ֣י אַרְיָוָתָ֑א
NAS: into the lions' den. The king
KJV: and cast [him] into the den of lions.
INT: and Daniel and cast den whom the lions'

Daniel 6:17
HEB: עַל־ פֻּ֣ם גֻּבָּ֑א וְחַתְמַ֨הּ מַלְכָּ֜א
NAS: the mouth of the den; and the king
KJV: the mouth of the den; and the king
INT: over the mouth of the den sealed and the king

Daniel 6:19
HEB: בְּנָגְהָ֑א וּבְהִ֨תְבְּהָלָ֔ה לְגֻבָּ֥א דִֽי־ אַרְיָוָתָ֖א
NAS: in haste to the lions' den.
KJV: in haste unto the den of lions.
INT: the break haste den forasmuch to the lions'

Daniel 6:20
HEB: וּכְמִקְרְבֵ֣הּ לְגֻבָּ֔א לְדָ֣נִיֵּ֔אל בְּקָ֥ל
NAS: When he had come near the den to Daniel,
KJV: And when he came to the den, he cried
INT: had come the den to Daniel voice

Daniel 6:23
HEB: לְהַנְסָקָ֣ה מִן־ גֻּבָּ֑א וְהֻסַּ֨ק דָּנִיֵּ֜אל
NAS: to be taken up out of the den. So Daniel
KJV: out of the den. So Daniel
INT: up of of the den up Daniel

Daniel 6:23
HEB: דָּנִיֵּ֜אל מִן־ גֻּבָּ֗א וְכָל־ חֲבָל֙
NAS: was taken up out of the den and no
KJV: out of the den, and no
INT: Daniel of of the den whatever injury

Daniel 6:24
HEB: דִּ֣י דָֽנִיֵּ֔אל וּלְגֹ֤ב אַרְיָוָתָא֙ רְמ֔וֹ
NAS: into the lions' den; and they had not reached
KJV: and they cast [them] into the den of lions,
INT: who Daniel den the lions' cast

Daniel 6:24
HEB: מְט֞וֹ לְאַרְעִ֣ית גֻּבָּ֗א עַ֠ד דִּֽי־
NAS: the bottom of the den before
KJV: they came at the bottom of the den.
INT: reached the bottom of the den until who

10 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 1358
10 Occurrences

gub·bā — 4 Occ.
lə·ḡōḇ — 1 Occ.
lə·ḡō·wḇ — 1 Occ.
lə·ḡub·bā — 3 Occ.
ū·lə·ḡōḇ — 1 Occ.