Greek word · G5454

φωλεός

phōleos

den

The lair, burrow or den of an animal; a hole for shelter, especially for sleeping or hibernating. Used only here and in the Lukan parallel (Luke 9:58) in the NT.

Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

φωλεός, -οῦ ὁ

a hole, den, lair: Matthew 8:20, Luke 9:58.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Matthew 8:20

Range of meaning

The lair, burrow or den of an animal; a hole for shelter, especially for sleeping or hibernating. Used only here and in the Lukan parallel (Luke 9:58) in the NT.

Against the English

KJV 'holes' is literal. 'Dens' (BSB, ESV, NIV, NLT) is also accurate. There is no meaningful drift.

Used elsewhere in the period

Used by Greek naturalists (e.g. Aristotle on animals' winter lairs) and in later Greek of animal hideouts. Plutarch's version of a speech by Tiberius Gracchus offers a famous parallel: 'the wild beasts that roam over Italy have every one a cave or lair to lurk in, but the men who fight and die for Italy … wander about homeless' (Tiberius Gracchus 9.4–5).

Where it appears

Matthew · 1

  1. Matthew 8:20 φωλεοὺς holes

    Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”

    Here: An animal's lair or burrow: a hole in the ground where it shelters and sleeps. Put first in its clause for emphasis: burrows they have.

Luke · 1

  1. Luke 9:58 φωλεοὺς holes

    Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.