Lexical Summary bor: Pit, cistern, well, dungeon Original Word: בֹּאר Strong's Exhaustive Concordance cistern From ba'ar; a cistern -- cistern. see HEBREW ba'ar NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom baar Definition a cistern, pit, well NASB Translation cisterns (2), pit (1), well (2). Brown-Driver-Briggs [בּאֹר] noun masculineJeremiah 2:13 cistern, pit, well (for בְּאֹר compare בּוֺר) — singular Kt באר 2 Samuel 23:15,16,20 (Qr בֹּר); apparently well 2 Samuel 23:15; 2 Samuel 23:16 (read perhaps בְּאֵר), pit 2 Samuel 23:20; plural Jeremiah 2:13 me they have forsaken, the fountain of living water, לַחְצֹב לָהֶם בּאֹרוֺת בּאֹרֹת נִשְׁבָּרִים, to hew out for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, etc. Topical Lexicon Geographical and Practical Background Wells and cisterns were lifelines in the semi-arid lands of ancient Israel. Rainfall was seasonal; therefore, families and villages carved subterranean chambers out of bedrock, plastered them carefully, and funneled run-off to be stored for the long, dry summer. A guarded well or cistern not only sustained agriculture and herds but also determined where towns could be founded and how long an army could hold a fortress. Because such structures were dug below ground level, the word בֹּאר (H877) naturally extended to any deep pit—whether a water-source, a storage vault, or, ominously, a prison. Occurrences • 2 Samuel 23:15—David voices his yearning: “If only someone would get me a drink of water from the well by the gate of Bethlehem!” Historical Significance in 2 Samuel Bethlehem’s well lay just inside its gate, a strategic spot certain to be heavily guarded while the Philistines occupied the town. That David’s warriors penetrated the garrison underscores both their valor and the military importance of water access. David’s refusal to drink what they procured—pouring it out “to the LORD” as a libation offering—turns the episode from a tale of personal thirst into an act of worship that exalts God above even a king’s deepest craving. The well thus becomes a stage on which loyalty, sacrifice, and proper reverence to God are displayed. Prophetic Imagery in Jeremiah Jeremiah turns the cistern into a theological mirror. Israel’s self-made cisterns picture self-made religion: impressive perhaps in engineering, but fundamentally cracked and unable to sustain life. The contrast between a man-hewn pit and the ever-springing “fountain of living water” exposes the folly of relying on idols, alliances, or human schemes. The wordplay is pointed: a cistern is designed to collect life-giving water, yet these cisterns leak; similarly, man-devised spirituality promises satisfaction but leaves the soul parched. Theological and Christological Trajectory Jeremiah’s indictment sets the stage for the ultimate invitation of Jesus Christ: “Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him’” (John 7:38). The Messiah supplies what no human reservoir can. David’s Bethlehem well prefigures, in miniature, the Bethlehem-born Savior who offers living water without price (Revelation 21:6). Ministry Applications 1. Authentic Worship—David’s poured-out water challenges believers to treat even legitimate desires and heroic exploits as offerings before God. Intertextual Echoes Other Hebrew terms for wells (בְּאֵר, H875) and pits (שַׁחַת, H7845) appear often, yet בֹּאר is reserved for moments where physical depth underscores spiritual meaning. Joseph’s brothers threw him into a “pit,” yet later that same Joseph provided grain that sustained nations (Genesis 37:24; 45:7). The movement from pit to provision parallels the shift from cracked cisterns to the living Christ. Homiletic Insight Every person digs somewhere for fulfillment. Scripture confronts us with the question: Will we rely on the cracked pit of self-reliance, or will we draw from the wellspring of God’s grace? David’s men risked everything for a sip of Bethlehem’s water; how much more should believers press through every obstacle to drink daily from the Word and Spirit of God? Summary בֹּאר emerges in Scripture not merely as an archaeological feature but as a theological signpost. Whether highlighting sacrificial devotion in 2 Samuel or exposing spiritual bankruptcy in Jeremiah, the cistern points beyond itself to the eternal, unfailing source of life in the Lord. Forms and Transliterations בֹּאר֔וֹת בֹּארֹת֙ בארות בארת מִבֹּ֤אר מִבֹּ֥אר מבאר bō·rō·wṯ bō·rōṯ boRot bōrōṯ bōrōwṯ mib·bōr mibBor mibbōrLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance 2 Samuel 23:15 HEB: יַשְׁקֵ֣נִי מַ֔יִם מִבֹּ֥אר בֵּֽית־ לֶ֖חֶם NAS: to drink from the well of Bethlehem INT: give water the well of Bethlehem which 2 Samuel 23:16 Jeremiah 2:13 Jeremiah 2:13 4 Occurrences |
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