Hebrew word · H4585

מְעֹנָה

me'onah

habitation

A dwelling or lair, especially a sheltered den. It is the feminine form of ma'on, 'dwelling, haunt'.

Appears 9 times in 9 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) dwelling, habitation, refuge

1a) den, lair (of animals)

1b) dwelling-place (of God) (fig.)

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Deuteronomy 33:27

Range of meaning

A dwelling or lair, especially a sheltered den. It is the feminine form of ma'on, 'dwelling, haunt'. It is used of wild animals' dens (Job 37:8; 38:40; Ps 104:22; Song 4:8; Amos 3:4) and, in the related form, of God's holy dwelling in heaven (Deut 26:15) and of God himself as Israel's home (Ps 90:1; 91:9).

Against the English

BSB, ESV, NASB and WEB say 'dwelling place'. KJV, NIV and NLT say 'refuge'. Both are fair: the word means a home that is also a hiding place. Most versions add 'your', which the Hebrew does not have (KJV brackets it; YLT and NASB omit it).

Used elsewhere in the period

The den of lions and the lair of wild beasts is the word's most concrete use (Nah 2:12 has the related me'onah; Jer 21:13 'our habitations'). Psalm 90:1, headed 'A prayer of Moses', uses the related ma'on: 'Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations', so the Moses tradition knew this idea elsewhere too.

From the study of Job 37:8

Range of meaning

A den or lair of animals (Job 38:40; Ps 104:22; Amos 3:4; Nah 2:12–13). It can also mean a dwelling more broadly, and it is used once for God as Israel's refuge: 'The eternal God is your dwelling place' (Deut 33:27). The related noun māʿôn is used of God's heavenly or holy dwelling.

Against the English

English 'dens' is accurate. The Hebrew word has more of a sense of a secure home base than of a cave.

Used elsewhere in the period

Psalm 104:22: when the sun rises the young lions 'lie down in their dens' (mᵉʿônōtām), which is the same scene of animals going back to shelter. Nahum 2:12–13 uses the word for the lion's den full of prey, as an image of Nineveh.

From the study of Job 38:40

Range of meaning

A place to live: a den or lair for animals (Job 37:8; Ps 104:22; Amos 3:4; Nah 2:12; Song 4:8 'the lions' dens'). It can also mean a refuge or dwelling for God (Deut 33:27, 'the eternal God is your refuge/dwelling'). It is related to māʿôn, 'dwelling, habitation'.

Against the English

'Dens' is accurate in every major version.

Used elsewhere in the period

Ps 104:21–22 is a near twin of Job 38:39–41: 'The young lions roar for prey, seeking their food from God. The sun rises; they withdraw and lie down in their dens (mĕʿônōtām).' Job 37:8, in Elihu's speech just before God speaks, pairs mĕʿônôt with ʾāreb exactly as this verse does.

Where it appears

Deuteronomy · 1

  1. Deuteronomy 33:27 מְעֹנָה֙ [is] a hiding place

    The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He drives out the enemy before you, giving the command, ‘Destroy him!’

    Here: A lair or sheltered dwelling: the word is used of animals' dens and of God's own dwelling. It has no 'your' attached: 'a dwelling/refuge is the God of old.' It is the first word of the verse, so the picture of a safe place comes first.

Job · 2

  1. Job 37:8 וּבִמְע֖וֹנֹתֶ֣יהָ and in dens its

    The wild animals enter their lairs; they settle down in their dens.

    Here: "And in her dens." The plural with 'her' (the beast's) makes these the animal's own regular refuges, the places it goes back to. The word answers 'lurking-place' in the first half of the line.

  2. Job 38:40 בַמְּעוֹנ֑וֹת in <the> dens

    when they crouch in their dens and lie in wait in the thicket?

    Here: 'In the lairs.' The plural describes lions' dens in general. This is the usual word for a wild animal's home base (Ps 104:22; Amos 3:4).

Psalms · 2

  1. Psalm 76:2 וּמְע֖וֹנָת֣וֹ and den his

    His tent is in Salem, His dwelling place in Zion.

    Here: A place where someone settles in to live. The word is used repeatedly for the dens where lions and wild animals lie (Job 37:8; 38:40; Ps 104:22; Amos 3:4; Nah 2:12; Song 4:8). Here it parallels 'covert': God has made Zion his den.

  2. Psalm 104:22 מְ֝עוֹנֹתָ֗ם dens their

    The sun rises, and they withdraw; they lie down in their dens.

Song of Songs · 1

  1. Song of Songs 4:8 מִמְּעֹנ֣וֹת from [the] dens of

    Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, come with me from Lebanon! Descend from the peak of Amana, from the summits of Senir and Hermon, from the dens of the lions, from the mountains of the leopards.

    Here: 'From the lairs of'. The word is used for the hiding places of wild animals (Job 38:40; Nah 2:12). The scene moves from bare summits to the haunts of predators.

Jeremiah · 1

  1. Jeremiah 21:13 בִּמְעוֹנוֹתֵֽינוּ׃ in hiding places our

    Behold, I am against you who dwell above the valley, atop the rocky plateau—declares the LORD—you who say, “Who can come against us? Who can enter our dwellings?”

    Here: 'Into our dens / lairs / refuges'. The word is used of lions' lairs and of hidden retreats, places a creature withdraws to and feels safe in. It is more than ordinary 'homes'.

Amos · 1

  1. Amos 3:4 מִמְּעֹ֣נָת֔וֹ from den its

    Does a lion roar in the forest when he has no prey? Does a young lion growl in his den if he has caught nothing?

Nahum · 1

  1. Nahum 2:12 וּמְעֹֽנֹתָ֖יו and dens its

    The lion mauled enough for its cubs and strangled prey for the lioness. It filled its dens with the kill, and its lairs with mauled prey.

    Here: 'And his dens'. The word is related to mᵉʿôn, 'lair', in verse 11 ('Where is the lions' lair?'). The verse looks back at the den that is about to vanish.

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