695. ereb

Lexical Summary

ereb: Evening

Original Word: אֶרֶב
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: ereb
Pronunciation: EH-reb
Phonetic Spelling: (eh'-reb)
KJV: den, lie in wait
NASB: lair, lie in wait
Word Origin: [from H693 (אָרַב - ambush)]

1. ambuscade

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

den, lie in wait

From 'arab; ambuscade -- den, lie in wait.

see HEBREW 'arab

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from arab
Definition
a lying in wait, a covert, lair
NASB Translation
lair (1), lie in wait (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

[אֶ֫רֶב] אָ֑רֶב noun [masculine] —

1 a lying-in-wait Job 38:40.

2 covert, lair Job 37:8 ("" מְעֹנֹת).

Topical Lexicon

Semantic Range and Essence

אֶרֶב denotes a sheltering covert or lair, especially of predatory animals. The word evokes ideas of concealment, rest, and the instinctive withdrawal of creatures when confronted by forces beyond their control.

Canonical Occurrences

• Job 37:8 — “Then the animals enter their lairs and remain in their dens.”
• Job 38:40 — “when they crouch in their dens and lie in wait in the thicket?”

In both settings the term appears amid the LORD’s discourse on creation’s mysteries. The lair functions as a silent witness to divine governance: beasts retire not by chance but by a rhythm woven into the fabric of creation.

Literary and Contextual Notes

1. Job 37 transitions from Elihu’s meditation on atmospheric phenomena to the quiet submission of animals. The retreat into the אֶרֶב underscores the impossibility of resisting God’s winter tempest; even the fiercest predators yield.
2. Job 38 forms part of the LORD’s whirlwind response. The question about lions in their lairs exposes Job’s ignorance of the hidden cycles of nature, contrasting human limitation with divine omniscience.

Symbolic and Theological Themes

• Divine Order: The lair symbolizes appointed boundaries. Animals keep to those limits, reflecting Psalm 104:22-23 where sunrise and sunset regulate their movements.
• Protection and Judgment: While a den offers security, its use in Job 37:8 is linked to judgment—storms drive creatures inward. Protection and discipline coexist under God’s sovereignty.
• Hiddenness of God’s Ways: The unseen life within an אֶרֶב mirrors the many divine workings beyond human perception (Romans 11:33).

Historical and Natural Background

Ancient Near Eastern hunters respected the secrecy of rock crevices, reed thickets, and forested ravines that housed lions, leopards, bears, and hyenas. The inspired writer taps into this common knowledge to build an argument accessible to every agrarian listener in patriarchal times.

Intertextual Echoes

Although אֶרֶב itself is rare, its motif resonates:
• Psalm 10:9 portrays the wicked as a lion “in his thicket,” converting the lair image into a moral analogy.
• Ezekiel 19:2-3 describes princes raised “among the lions; she reared her cubs,” linking dens with royal ferocity and eventual downfall.
• Hebrews 11:33 celebrates those “who shut the mouths of lions,” implying God’s power to render a lair harmless.

Ministry and Devotional Applications

1. Trust in Seasons of Withdrawal: Just as beasts retreat until the storm passes, believers can embrace necessary pauses (Psalm 57:1).
2. Awe before Providence: Reflecting on the hidden cycles of wildlife fosters worship and humility. Sermons can use the lair to illustrate unseen daily mercies.
3. Ethical Reflection: Predators emerge only at God-appointed times. Likewise, human ambition must submit to divine timing (James 4:13-15).

Pastoral Illustrations

• Storm Shelters: Encourage congregations to identify spiritual “lairs”—prayer closets, Sabbath rest—where souls reset under God’s care.
• Shepherding the Vulnerable: Just as God monitors every den, pastors can reassure the flock that nothing escapes divine notice, including secret struggles.

Related Hebrew Terms

Though not repeating lexical data, note connections with סוֹכָה (shelter, Psalm 27:5) and מְעוֹנָה (dwelling, Deuteronomy 33:27), enriching sermons that trace God’s provision of refuge.

Conclusion

אֶרֶב, modest in frequency yet rich in implication, summons readers to marvel at the Creator who regulates even the hidden resting places of lions. Acknowledging these covert sanctuaries cultivates reverence, confidence in divine oversight, and an invitation to rest securely within the stronghold of the Almighty.

Forms and Transliterations

אָ֑רֶב אָֽרֶב׃ ארב ארב׃ ’ā·reḇ ’āreḇ Arev

Englishman's Concordance

Job 37:8
HEB: חַיָּ֣ה בְמוֹ־ אָ֑רֶב וּבִמְע֖וֹנֹתֶ֣יהָ תִשְׁכֹּֽן׃
NAS: goes into its lair And remains
KJV: into dens, and remain
INT: the beasts into lair den and remains

Job 38:40
HEB: בַסֻּכָּ֣ה לְמוֹ־ אָֽרֶב׃
NAS: in [their] dens [And] lie in wait in [their] lair?
KJV: in the covert to lie in wait?
INT: the covert to lie

2 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 695
2 Occurrences

’ā·reḇ — 2 Occ.