953. bowr

Lexical Summary

bowr: Pit, cistern, well, dungeon

Original Word: בּוֹר
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: bowr
Pronunciation: bohr
Phonetic Spelling: (bore)
KJV: cistern, dungeon, fountain, pit, well
Word Origin: [from H952 (בּוּר - explain) (in the sense of H877 (בּוֹאר - cisterns))]

1. a pit hole (especially one used as a cistern or a prison)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

cistern, dungeon, fountain, pit, well

From buwr (in the sense of bo'r); a pit hole (especially one used as a cistern or a prison) -- cistern, dungeon, fountain, pit, well.

see HEBREW buwr

see HEBREW bo'r

Brown-Driver-Briggs

בּוֺר noun masculine^{Genesis 37:20} pit, cistern, well (= בְּאֹר, MI בר, Arabic hole or hollow for cooking, Assyrian bûrtum Dl^{Pr 182}, bûru Lotz^{TP 169}) — ׳בּ absolute Genesis 37:22 +; בֹּר Exodus 21:33 (2 Samuel 23:20 Qr, see באר above); construct בּוֺר 2 Kings 10:14 + (2 Samuel 23:15,16 Qr, see באר above); בֹּ֫רָה (ָ  ה locative) Genesis 37:24; suffix בּוֺרוֺ Isaiah 36:16 = בֹּרוֺ 2 Kings 18:31; בּוֺרֶ֑ךָ Proverbs 5:15; plural בֹּרוֺת Genesis 37:20 3t.; בֹּרֹת Deuteronomy 6:11: —

1 cistern, containing water, made by digging (חצב) Deuteronomy 6:11; 2Chronicles 26:10; Nehemiah 9:25; also (without reference to origin) Proverbs 5:15 ("" בְּאֵר) Leviticus 11:36 ("" מַעִיָן), 1 Samuel 19:22; Isaiah 36:16 = 2 Kings 18:31.

2 later apparently well (= בְּאֵר) 1 Chronicles 11:17,18 #NAME? 2 Samuel 23:15,16 (yet now no well at Bethlehem Rob^{BR i. 470, 473} compare also Survey^{iii. 28} Guérin^{Judée i. 130}), compare Ecclesiastes 12:6 & Jeremiah 6:7 Kt כְּהָקִיר בו֯ר מֵימֶיהָ as a well casteth out its water (Qr בַּיִר); but הקיר perhaps keep cool, fresh ᵐ5 ᵑ9 Hi Gf.

3 pit Exodus 21:33 (verb פתח), Exodus 21:33 (כרה), compare Exodus 21:34; compare figurative Psalm 7:16 of wickedness ("" שַׁחַת; verb כרה, חפר); 1 Samuel 13:6 as hiding-place; 2 Samuel 23:20 (Qr) = 1 Chronicles 11:22; 2 Kings 10:14 בּוֺר בֵּית עֵ֫קֶד; of pit into which Joseph was cast Genesis 37:20,22,24 (וְהַבּוֺר רֵק אֵין בּוֺ מ֑יִם) Genesis 37:28; Genesis 37:29; Genesis 37:29 (JE), compare further Jeremiah 41:7,9; figurative of Sarah as mother of Israel ׳מַקֶּבֶת בּ Isaiah 51:1; figurative of calamity Psalm 40:3 בּוֺר שָׁאוֺן; compare Psalm 88:7 תַּחְתִּיּוֺת ׳בּ.

4 dungeon (pit with no water in it Jeremiah 38:6; Zechariah 9:11 compare Genesis 37:24 above) Genesis 40:13; Genesis 41:14 (E) Isaiah 24:22; Jeremiah 38:6 (twice in verse) (אֵין מַיִם ׳בּ) Jeremiah 38:7; Jeremiah 38:9; Jeremiah 38:10; Jeremiah 38:11; Jeremiah 38:13; also בֵּית הַבּוֺר prison Exodus 12:29; Jeremiah 37:16; figurative of exile Zechariah 9:11 (מִבּוֺר אֵין מַיִם בּוֺ); compare also Lamentations 3:53,55.

5 (in poetry & late; never with article) pit of the grave Proverbs 28:17; so ׳אַבְנֵי ב stones of the pit Isaiah 14:19 (of sepulchre, walled with stones) & of Sh®°ôl Psalm 30:4 ("" שׁאול); ׳יַרְכְּתֵי ב loins of (the) pit, i.e. remotest pit Isaiah 14:15 ("" שׁאול) Ezekiel 32:23 especially in phrase יוֺרְדֵי בוֺר those going down to (the) pit Psalm 28:1; Psalm 143:7; Isaiah 38:18; Ezekiel 26:20; Ezekiel 32:25,29,30; also, ("" שׁאול), Psalm 88:5; Proverbs 1:12; further Ezekiel 26:20; Ezekiel 32:18,24 (all "" אֶרֶץ תַּחְתִּיּוֺת), Ezekiel 31:14,16 (both "" אֶרֶץ תַּחְתִּית; Ezekiel 31:14 "" also מָוֶת, Ezekiel 31:16 שְׁאוֺל).

בּוֺר הַסִּרָה proper name, of a location 2 Samuel 3:26 (cistern of Sirah, Thes cist. declinationis, MV of the pot, see סיר).

בּוֺר עָשָׁן (so read for ordinary ׳כור ע, see BD^{Gn, p. vi.} ᵐ5 ᵑ6)

proper name, of a location 1 Samuel 30:30 (smoking pit), in southwest of Judah; elsewhere עָשָׁן q. v.

בַּיִר Qr Jeremiah 6:7 see בּוֺר. above

I. בּוֺר, cistern, see below באר.

Topical Lexicon

Overview

The Hebrew noun בּוֹר (bor, “pit” or “cistern”) threads through the Law, the Prophets, the Writings, and the Historical Books, appearing about sixty-seven times. In its literal sense it refers to cut-rock water reservoirs or earth pits; figuratively it ranges from a prison cell to the realm of death. Together these uses shape a rich biblical theology that links human vulnerability with God’s power to rescue.

Physical Pits and Cisterns

In the hill-country climate of ancient Israel, water storage was essential. Hewn cisterns collected runoff and could be plastered to hold winter rains (Deuteronomy 6:11; 2 Chronicles 26:10). They were usually bottle-shaped—wide below, narrow at the opening—making escape difficult if one fell in.

• Domestic and agricultural provision: “houses full of every good thing… wells you did not dig” (Deuteronomy 6:11).
• Ceremonial cleanliness: “A spring or cistern containing water will remain clean” (Leviticus 11:36).
• Civic hazard: “If a man opens or digs a pit and an ox or a donkey falls into it…” (Exodus 21:33-34). These statutes reveal God’s concern for community safety and restitution.

Military and Hunting Contexts

Pits also served as traps. Benaiah “went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion” (2 Samuel 23:20), showing how courage and providence intersected in battle conditions and wild-animal control.

Judicial and Penal Dungeons

The narrowing throat of a cistern made it an improvised cell.
• Joseph: “They took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty; there was no water in it” (Genesis 37:24).
• Later, Joseph calls Egypt’s prison “the dungeon” (Genesis 40:15).
• Jeremiah: “They lowered Jeremiah by ropes into the cistern… and Jeremiah sank down into the mud” (Jeremiah 38:6).

Such scenes underline both human malice and God’s overruling care.

Metaphor for Moral Snares

Wisdom literature uses בּוֹר for hidden dangers:
• Sexual immorality: “The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit” (Proverbs 22:14).
• Deceitful leadership: “He who leads the upright along an evil path will fall into his own pit” (Proverbs 28:10).

Symbol of Death and Sheol

Gradually בּוֹר becomes interchangeable with the grave and the underworld.
• “O LORD, You pulled me up from Sheol; You spared me from descending into the Pit” (Psalm 30:3).
• “You have laid me in the lowest pit, in the darkest depths” (Psalm 88:6).
• Against Babylon’s king: “You will be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit” (Isaiah 14:15).

The pit conveys irretrievable loss unless God intervenes.

Divine Deliverance from the Pit

Praise often follows rescue: “He lifted me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay; He set my feet upon a rock” (Psalm 40:2). The contrast—muddy cistern versus solid rock—portrays radical reversal by grace.

Prophetic and Messianic Resonance

Zechariah foretells covenantal liberation: “Because of the blood of My covenant, I will release your prisoners from the waterless pit” (Zechariah 9:11). The verse anticipates the Messiah’s atoning blood and the empty tomb that breaks confinement to death. Isaiah’s quarry image (“Look… to the quarry from which you were hewn,” Isaiah 51:1) connects the pit with Israel’s origins and the hope of future restoration.

Historical Background

Archaeology corroborates the ubiquity of plastered cisterns cut into bedrock throughout Judah and Samaria. Many later served as rubbish shafts or holding cells, explaining both the mud that trapped Jeremiah and the foul air that made such pits instruments of torture.

Occurrences Overview

Law: Exodus (2), Leviticus (1), Deuteronomy (1)

Historical Books: Genesis (5), Joshua (1), Judges (1), Samuel–Kings (7), Chronicles (1)

Poetry and Wisdom: Job (4), Psalms (16), Proverbs (4)

Major Prophets: Isaiah (6), Jeremiah (11), Lamentations (2), Ezekiel (5)

Minor Prophets: Zechariah (1)

The distribution shows intensified metaphorical use in exilic and post-exilic writings, where the hope of deliverance is paramount.

Practical and Ministry Applications

1. Pastoral care: The imagery of the pit comforts believers who feel trapped by sin, depression, or injustice; God specializes in lifting people “out of the miry clay.”
2. Evangelism: Zechariah 9:11 points to Christ’s blood as the definitive answer to the waterless pit of spiritual death.
3. Ethical living: Exodus 21:33-34 challenges communities to eliminate hazards and take responsibility for unintended harm.
4. Discipleship: Proverbs’ warnings encourage vigilance against moral compromise, lest one dig a hole that ensnares oneself.

The scriptural motif of בּוֹר thus spans practical engineering, legal responsibility, poetic lament, and eschatological hope, each strand converging in the promise that the Lord “will not abandon my soul to Sheol, nor let Your Holy One see decay” (Psalm 16:10).

Forms and Transliterations

ב֑וֹר ב֔וֹר ב֖וֹר ב֜וֹר בְּב֣וֹר בַּבּ֑וֹר בַּבּֽוֹר׃ בַבּוֹר֙ בֹּ֖ר בֹּר֣וֹת בֹּר֨וֹת בּ֔וֹר בּ֖וֹר בּ֗וֹר בּ֣וֹר בּ֤וֹר בּ֥וֹר בַּ֙יִר֙ בֽוֹר׃ בבור בבור׃ בוֹרֽוֹ׃ בור בור׃ בורו׃ ביר בר ברות הַבֹּ֑רָה הַבֹּ֖אר הַבֹּר֔וֹת הַבּ֑וֹר הַבּ֔וֹר הַבּ֖וֹר הַבּ֣וֹר ׀ הַבּ֤וֹר הַבּֽוֹר׃ הַבּוֹר֙ הבאר הבור הבור׃ הברה הברות וְהַבּ֗וֹר וְהַבּ֣וֹר וּב֛וֹר וּבַבֹּרֽוֹת׃ וּבַבּ֤וֹר וּבֹרֹ֤ת וּמִכְרֵה־ ובבור ובברות׃ ובור וברת והבור ומכרה־ מִבּ֔וֹר מִבּ֖וֹר מִבּ֣וֹר מִבּ֤וֹר מִבּ֥וֹר מִבּוֹרֶ֑ךָ מבור מבורך ba·yir bab·bō·wr ḇab·bō·wr babBor babbōwr ḇabbōwr bayir bə·ḇō·wr bəḇōwr beVor bō·rō·wṯ ḇō·w·rōw bō·wr ḇō·wr Bor bōr boRot bōrōwṯ bōwr ḇōwr ḇōwrōw hab·bō·rāh hab·bō·rō·wṯ hab·bō·wr hab·bōr habBor habbōr habBorah habbōrāh habboRot habbōrōwṯ habbōwr mib·bō·w·re·ḵā mib·bō·wr mibBor mibboRecha mibbōwr mibbōwreḵā ū·ḇab·bō·rō·wṯ ū·ḇab·bō·wr ū·ḇō·rōṯ ū·ḇō·wr ū·miḵ·rêh- ūḇabbōrōwṯ ūḇabbōwr ūḇōrōṯ ūḇōwr umichreh ūmiḵrêh- uvabBor uvabboRot uVor uvoRot vabbOr vehabBor Vor voRo wə·hab·bō·wr wəhabbōwr

Englishman's Concordance

Genesis 37:20
HEB: וְנַשְׁלִכֵ֙הוּ֙ בְּאַחַ֣ד הַבֹּר֔וֹת וְאָמַ֕רְנוּ חַיָּ֥ה
NAS: him into one of the pits; and we will say,
KJV: him into some pit, and we will say,
INT: and throw one of the pits will say beast

Genesis 37:22
HEB: אֹת֗וֹ אֶל־ הַבּ֤וֹר הַזֶּה֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר
NAS: him into this pit that is in the wilderness,
KJV: [but] cast him into this pit that [is] in the wilderness,
INT: Throw about pit this is in

Genesis 37:24
HEB: וַיַּשְׁלִ֥כוּ אֹת֖וֹ הַבֹּ֑רָה וְהַבּ֣וֹר רֵ֔ק
NAS: him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit
KJV: him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit
INT: took and threw the pit now the pit was empty

Genesis 37:24
HEB: אֹת֖וֹ הַבֹּ֑רָה וְהַבּ֣וֹר רֵ֔ק אֵ֥ין
NAS: him into the pit. Now the pit was empty,
KJV: him into a pit: and the pit [was] empty,
INT: and threw the pit now the pit was empty without

Genesis 37:28
HEB: יוֹסֵף֙ מִן־ הַבּ֔וֹר וַיִּמְכְּר֧וּ אֶת־
NAS: Joseph out of the pit, and sold
KJV: Joseph out of the pit, and sold
INT: Joseph out of the pit and sold Joseph

Genesis 37:29
HEB: רְאוּבֵן֙ אֶל־ הַבּ֔וֹר וְהִנֵּ֥ה אֵין־
NAS: returned to the pit, and behold,
KJV: returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph
INT: now Reuben to the pit and behold else

Genesis 37:29
HEB: אֵין־ יוֹסֵ֖ף בַּבּ֑וֹר וַיִּקְרַ֖ע אֶת־
NAS: Joseph was not in the pit; so he tore
KJV: and, behold, Joseph [was] not in the pit; and he rent
INT: else Joseph the pit tore his garments

Genesis 40:15
HEB: שָׂמ֥וּ אֹתִ֖י בַּבּֽוֹר׃
NAS: that they should have put me into the dungeon.
KJV: that they should put me into the dungeon.
INT: should have put the dungeon

Genesis 41:14
HEB: וַיְרִיצֻ֖הוּ מִן־ הַבּ֑וֹר וַיְגַלַּח֙ וַיְחַלֵּ֣ף
NAS: and they hurriedly brought him out of the dungeon; and when he had shaved
KJV: and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved
INT: hurriedly out of the dungeon had shaved and changed

Exodus 12:29
HEB: אֲשֶׁ֖ר בְּבֵ֣ית הַבּ֑וֹר וְכֹ֖ל בְּכ֥וֹר
INT: who court cistern and all the firstborn

Exodus 21:33
HEB: יִפְתַּ֨ח אִ֜ישׁ בּ֗וֹר א֠וֹ כִּֽי־
NAS: a man opens a pit, or digs
KJV: shall open a pit, or if a man
INT: opens A man A pit or If

Exodus 21:33
HEB: יִכְרֶ֥ה אִ֛ישׁ בֹּ֖ר וְלֹ֣א יְכַסֶּ֑נּוּ
NAS: digs a pit and does not cover
KJV: shall dig a pit, and not cover
INT: digs A man A pit and does not cover

Exodus 21:34
HEB: בַּ֤עַל הַבּוֹר֙ יְשַׁלֵּ֔ם כֶּ֖סֶף
NAS: the owner of the pit shall make restitution;
KJV: The owner of the pit shall make [it] good,
INT: the owner of the pit shall make money

Leviticus 11:36
HEB: אַ֣ךְ מַעְיָ֥ן וּב֛וֹר מִקְוֵה־ מַ֖יִם
NAS: a spring or a cistern collecting
KJV: Nevertheless a fountain or pit, [wherein there is] plenty
INT: Nevertheless A spring A cistern collecting water

Deuteronomy 6:11
HEB: לֹא־ מִלֵּאתָ֒ וּבֹרֹ֤ת חֲצוּבִים֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר
NAS: and hewn cisterns which
KJV: [things], which thou filledst not, and wells digged,
INT: did not fill cisterns and hewn which

1 Samuel 13:6
HEB: וּבַסְּלָעִ֔ים וּבַצְּרִחִ֖ים וּבַבֹּרֽוֹת׃
NAS: in cliffs, in cellars, and in pits.
KJV: and in high places, and in pits.
INT: cliffs cellars pits

1 Samuel 19:22
HEB: וַיָּבֹא֙ עַד־ בּ֤וֹר הַגָּדוֹל֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר
NAS: as the large well that is in Secu;
KJV: to a great well that [is] in Sechu:
INT: and came far well as the large is in

2 Samuel 3:26
HEB: וַיָּשִׁ֥בוּ אֹת֖וֹ מִבּ֣וֹר הַסִּרָ֑ה וְדָוִ֖ד
NAS: and they brought him back from the well of Sirah;
KJV: which brought him again from the well of Sirah:
INT: Abner brought the well of Sirah David

2 Samuel 23:20
HEB: ק) בְּת֥וֹךְ הַבֹּ֖אר בְּי֥וֹם הַשָּֽׁלֶג׃
KJV: in the midst of a pit in time
INT: lion the middle of a pit day A snowy

2 Kings 10:14
HEB: וַֽיִּשְׁחָט֞וּם אֶל־ בּ֣וֹר בֵּֽית־ עֵ֗קֶד
NAS: and killed them at the pit of Beth-eked,
KJV: and slew them at the pit of the shearing house,
INT: and killed at the pit of Beth-eked and forty

2 Kings 18:31
HEB: אִ֥ישׁ מֵֽי־ בוֹרֽוֹ׃
NAS: each of the waters of his own cistern,
KJV: the waters of his cistern:
INT: each of the waters cistern

1 Chronicles 11:17
HEB: יַשְׁקֵ֣נִי מַ֔יִם מִבּ֥וֹר בֵּֽית־ לֶ֖חֶם
NAS: to drink from the well of Bethlehem,
KJV: of the water of the well of Bethlehem,
INT: give water the well of Bethlehem which

1 Chronicles 11:18
HEB: וַיִּֽשְׁאֲבוּ־ מַ֙יִם֙ מִבּ֤וֹר בֵּֽית־ לֶ֙חֶם֙
NAS: water from the well of Bethlehem
KJV: water out of the well of Bethlehem,
INT: and drew water the well of Bethlehem which

1 Chronicles 11:22
HEB: הָאֲרִ֛י בְּת֥וֹךְ הַבּ֖וֹר בְּי֥וֹם הַשָּֽׁלֶג׃
NAS: a lion inside a pit on a snowy day.
KJV: a lion in a pit in a snowy day.
INT: A lion inside A pit day A snowy

2 Chronicles 26:10
HEB: בַּמִּדְבָּ֗ר וַיַּחְצֹב֙ בֹּר֣וֹת רַבִּ֔ים כִּ֤י
NAS: many cisterns, for he had
KJV: many wells: for he had much
INT: the wilderness and hewed cisterns many for

67 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 953
67 Occurrences

bab·bō·wr — 2 Occ.
ba·yir — 1 Occ.
bə·ḇō·wr — 1 Occ.
bō·wr — 8 Occ.
bō·rō·wṯ — 2 Occ.
hab·bō·wr — 17 Occ.
hab·bō·rāh — 1 Occ.
hab·bō·rō·wṯ — 1 Occ.
mib·bō·wr — 6 Occ.
mib·bō·w·re·ḵā — 1 Occ.
ū·miḵ·rêh- — 1 Occ.
ū·ḇab·bō·wr — 1 Occ.
ū·ḇab·bō·rō·wṯ — 1 Occ.
ū·ḇō·wr — 1 Occ.
ū·ḇō·rōṯ — 1 Occ.
ḇab·bō·wr — 1 Occ.
wə·hab·bō·wr — 2 Occ.
ḇō·wr — 17 Occ.
ḇō·w·rōw — 2 Occ.