In biblical literature, the term "haunt" is often associated with places frequented by individuals or animals, typically with a negative connotation. The concept of a "haunt" can be understood as a dwelling or a place of habitual presence, often linked to desolation, wilderness, or places of spiritual significance.

Old Testament References

The Hebrew Scriptures frequently use imagery of desolation and wilderness to describe places that become haunts. In Isaiah 13:21-22, the prophet speaks of the desolation of Babylon, saying, "But desert creatures will lie there, and their houses will be full of owls; ostriches will dwell there, and wild goats will leap about. Hyenas will howl in their fortresses, and jackals in their luxurious palaces." Here, the term "haunt" is implied in the description of a once-thriving city reduced to a dwelling place for wild animals, symbolizing judgment and abandonment.

Similarly, in Jeremiah 50:39, the prophet declares the fate of Babylon: "So the desert creatures and hyenas will live there, and the ostriches will dwell there. It will never again be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation." The imagery of wild animals inhabiting the ruins underscores the complete desolation and divine judgment upon the city.

New Testament Context

While the New Testament does not explicitly use the term "haunt," the concept can be seen in the spiritual realm. In Revelation 18:2, the fall of Babylon the Great is proclaimed: "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, and a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast." This passage uses the imagery of a "haunt" to describe a place overrun by evil and impurity, emphasizing the spiritual desolation and corruption of the city.

Theological Implications

The use of "haunt" in the Bible often conveys themes of judgment, desolation, and the consequences of sin. Places that become haunts are typically those that have experienced divine wrath or abandonment due to their iniquity. The imagery serves as a stark reminder of the holiness of God and the seriousness of turning away from His commandments.

In a broader theological context, the concept of a "haunt" can also be seen as a metaphor for spiritual desolation. Just as physical places can become desolate and inhabited by wild creatures, so too can the human heart become a haunt for sin and spiritual decay when it turns away from God.

Conclusion

The biblical use of "haunt" serves as a powerful symbol of desolation and judgment, both in the physical and spiritual realms. It underscores the consequences of sin and the reality of divine justice, while also pointing to the hope of restoration and redemption for those who turn back to God.1. (v. t.) To frequent; to resort to frequently; to visit pertinaciously or intrusively; to intrude upon.

2. (v. t.) To inhabit or frequent as a specter; to visit as a ghost or apparition.

3. (v. t.) To practice; to devote one's self to.

4. (v. t.) To accustom; to habituate.

5. (v. i.) To persist in staying or visiting.

6. (n.) A place to which one frequently resorts; as, drinking saloons are the haunts of tipplers; a den is the haunt of wild beasts.

7. (n.) The habit of resorting to a place.

8. (n.) Practice; skill.

HAUNT

hont, hant: The verb in Old English was simply "to resort to," "frequent"; a place of dwelling or of business was a haunt. The noun occurs in 1 Samuel 23:22 as the translation of reghel, "foot," "See his place where his haunt is," the Revised Version margin, Hebrew `foot' "; the verb is the translation of yashabh, "to sit down," "to dwell" (Ezekiel 26:17, "on all that haunt it," the Revised Version (British and American) "dwelt there," margin "inhabited her"), and of halakh, "to go," or "live" (1 Samuel 30:31, "all the places where David himself and his men were wont to haunt").

2681. kataskenoo -- to pitch one's tent, encamp, dwell
... lodge, rest. From kata and skenoo; to camp down, ie Haunt; figuratively,
to remain -- lodge, rest. see GREEK kata. see GREEK skenoo. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2681.htm - 6k8169. Shaalbim -- perhaps "(haunt of) foxes," a city in Dan
... Shaalbim. 8170 . perhaps "(haunt of) foxes," a city in Dan. Transliteration: Shaalbim
Phonetic Spelling: (shah-al-beem') Short Definition: Shaalbim. ...
/hebrew/8169.htm - 6k

2681. chatsir -- a settled abode, haunt
... 2680, 2681. chatsir. 2682 . a settled abode, haunt. Transliteration: chatsir
Phonetic Spelling: (khaw-tseer') Short Definition: abode. ...
/hebrew/2681.htm - 6k

7272. regel -- foot
... attended* (1), feet (139), follow (2), followed (2), following (1), foot (60), footstep*
(1), footsteps (1), footstool* (6), four-footed* (1), haunt (1), heels ...
/hebrew/7272.htm - 6k

4583. maon -- dwelling, habitation
... Word Origin from un Definition dwelling, habitation NASB Word Usage den (1),
dwelling (3), dwelling place (4), habitation (6), haunt (4). ...
/hebrew/4583.htm - 6k

1980. halak -- to go, come, walk
... exercise (self), + follow, forth, forward, get, go (about, abroad, along, away,
forward, on, out, up and down), + greater, grow, be wont to haunt, lead, march ...
/hebrew/1980.htm - 8k

3427. yashab -- to sit, remain, dwell
... to settle, to marry -- (make to) abide(-ing), continue, (cause to, make to)
dwell(-ing), ease self, endure, establish, X fail, habitation, haunt, (make to ...
/hebrew/3427.htm - 7k

4829. mireh -- a pasturage, pasture
... feeding place, pasture. From ra'ah in the sense of feeding; pasture (the place or
the act); also the haunt of wild animals -- feeding place, pasture. ...
/hebrew/4829.htm - 6k

5116a. naveh -- abode of shepherd or flocks, habitation
... abode of shepherd or flocks, habitation NASB Word Usage abode (3), dwelling (3),
estate (1), fold (1), grazing ground (2), habitation (9), haunt (2), homestead ...
/hebrew/5116a.htm - 5k

Where is Thy Favour'd Haunt, Eternal Voice,
... The Treasury of Sacred Song. Book First CCLXVII Where is Thy favour'd haunt,
eternal Voice,. The region of Thy choice, Where, undisturb ...
/.../palgrave/the treasury of sacred song/cclxvii where is thy favourd.htm

Letter cxxv. To Rusticus.
... the city of Auxuma. [3411] Nomad savages and ferocious wild beasts haunt
the shores on either side. Thus travellers must be always ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/letter cxxv to rusticus.htm

Lessons for Worship and for Work
... them had need to be of huge dimensions; for the faults held up in these ancient
words flourish in full luxuriance to-day, and seem to haunt long-established ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/lessons for worship and for.htm

Now, as to the Question which You Raise, when it was that I Began ...
... But what is your opinion of men who, when they have been themselves condemned, haunt
the palaces of the great, and in a serried column make an attack on a ...
/.../17 now as to the.htm

The Demoniac of Gadara
... ready to supplicate as to rend, filled with dread of the appointed time and of the
abyss, clinging to that outlying country as a congenial haunt, and devising ...
/.../chadwick/the gospel of st mark/chapter 5 1-20 the demoniac of.htm

A Letter from a West Indian Cottage Ornee
... Let it be enough to say, that our favourite haunt in all the gardens is
a little dry valley, beneath the loftiest group of trees. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/at last/chapter v a letter from.htm

The Christian Home
... the mutual look, When hearts are of each other sure; Sweet all the joys that
crowd the household nook, The haunt of all affections pure.". ...
//christianbookshelf.org/philips/the christian home/title page.htm

A Strain of Sodom.
... To what vain end your lust? For such an end. No creatures wed: not such as
haunt the fens; Not stall-fed cattle; not the gaping brood. ...
/.../fathers of the third century tertullian appendix/2 a strain of sodom.htm

Rondelet, {7} the Huguenot Naturalist {8}
... the innumerable songsters and other birds of passage, many of them unknown in these
islands, and even in the north of France itself, which haunt every copse of ...
/.../kingsley/historical lectures and essays/rondelet 7 the huguenot naturalist.htm

Modesty, the Flower of Manners
... the sensual appetites. There is the place for promulgating such repentance,
where the delinquency itself shall haunt. There is the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/tertullian/on modesty/chapter i modesty the flower.htm

Haunt (11 Occurrences)
... 6. (n.) A place to which one frequently resorts; as, drinking saloons are the
haunts of tipplers; a den is the haunt of wild beasts. ...HAUNT. ...
/h/haunt.htm - 11k

Keep (4573 Occurrences)
... 15. (vt) To confine one's self to; not to quit; to remain in; as, to keep one's
house, room, bed, etc. ; hence, to haunt; to frequent. 16. ...
/k/keep.htm - 9k

Nest (22 Occurrences)
... 3. (n.) A snug, comfortable, or cozy residence or situation; a retreat, or place
of habitual resort; hence, those who occupy a nest, frequent a haunt, or are ...
/n/nest.htm - 18k

Usually (6 Occurrences)
... 1 Samuel 23:22 Please go make yet more sure, and know and see his place where his
haunt is, and who has seen him there; for it is told me that he deals very ...
/u/usually.htm - 8k

Outlay (2 Occurrences)
... 2. (n.) A laying out or expending. 3. (n.) That which is expended; expenditure.
4. (n.) An outlying haunt. Multi-Version Concordance Outlay (2 Occurrences). ...
/o/outlay.htm - 7k

Jackals (20 Occurrences)
... (WEB JPS ASV BBE DBY NAS RSV NIV). Psalms 44:19 Though you have crushed us in
the haunt of jackals, and covered us with the shadow of death. ...
/j/jackals.htm - 12k

Ghost (123 Occurrences)
... lenses. 5. (vi) To die; to expire. 6. (vt) To appear to or haunt in the form
of an apparition. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. GHOST. ...
/g/ghost.htm - 39k

Wont (19 Occurrences)
... (KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS). 1 Samuel 30:31 And to them which were in Hebron, and to all
the places where David himself and his men were wont to haunt. (KJV JPS ASV). ...
/w/wont.htm - 12k

Investigate (11 Occurrences)
... 1 Samuel 23:22 Please go make yet more sure, and know and see his place where his
haunt is, and who has seen him there; for it is told me that he deals very ...
/i/investigate.htm - 10k

Repair (26 Occurrences)
... for safety. 3. (n.) The act of repairing or resorting to a place. 4. (n.)
Place to which one repairs; a haunt; a resort. 5. (vt) To ...
/r/repair.htm - 17k

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