Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

CAVE

A natural hollow on the side of a hill. Early humans used caves for shelter, protection, and residence, and some of the earliest expressions of human art have been found in caves, such as in France and Spain. Caves have also had mythological associations, symbolically representing the realms of birth and death, birthplaces for deities, and entrances (birth wombs) from one world into another. Some uses of caves in the biblical texts include:

(1) A burial place. Abraham bought the cave at Machpelah as a burial site for Sarah (Gen. 23:10), and according to Matthew (Matt. 27:60) Jesus was buried in a cave (cf. John 11:38).

(2) A hiding place. Five Amorite kings hid in a cave at Makkedah, where they were eventually killed and subsequently buried (Josh. 10:16-27). David hid in the cave of Adullam (1 Sam. 22:1-2), and from there he formed his band of followers. He also used an incident within a cave to spare Saul’s life, thereby indicating his support of the Lord’s anointed (1 Sam. 24:1-16). Obadiah, vizier of King Ahab, saved a number of prophets from Queen Jezebel by placing them in caves (1 Kgs. 18:3-4), and caves became a hiding place from “the terror of the Lord” (Isa. 2:19-22).

(3) A place of revelation. Elijah hears the words of Yahweh in a cave at Mt. Horeb (Sinai), where God told him to anoint royal and prophetic successors (1 Kgs. 19:9-18).

Bibliography. R. Stenuit, Caves and the Marvelous World Beneath Us (South Brunswick, N.J., 1966).

C. Gilbert Romero

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

CAVE

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)