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Strong's Concordance
Greek Word Study

Strong's G4693 σπήλαιον (spelaion)

Spelaion means “cave” — full meaning, definition, and every linked Bible usage across the indexed canon.

Same number, other testament: Strong's H4693 — matsor (“besieged places”) in the Hebrew Bible.

Strong's Number G4693
Language Greek
Linked Usages 52
Books 20

Strong's G4693 Quick Answer

Strong's G4693 σπήλαιον (spelaion) is a Greek Strong's word-study entry. spelaion (spay'-lai-on) n. 1. a cavern 2. (by implication) a hiding-place or resort It has 52 linked Bible usages across 20 books. Visible English usage signals include den, dens, and cave. Indexed coverage on this page includes New Testament, Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, and Deuterocanonical / Apocrypha.

Meaning
spelaion (spay'-lai-on) n. 1. a cavern 2. (by implication) a hiding-place or resort
Usage
52 linked usages
Books
20 indexed books
Corpus
New Testament, Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, and Deuterocanonical / Apocrypha
Usage Words
den, dens, and cave

Meaning and Definition

spelaion (spay'-lai-on) n. 1. a cavern 2. (by implication) a hiding-place or resort [neuter of a presumed derivative of speos (a grotto)] KJV: cave, den

Original Word
σπήλαιον
Transliteration
spelaion
Morphology
noun

Across Lexicons

How independent scholarly lexicons define Strong's G4693. Each definition is shown with its source so you can compare and cite the original reference works.

Extended Strong's Greek Lexicon (Abbott-Smith based)

cave

Usage: σπήλαιον, -ου, τό [in LXX chiefly for מְעָרָה ;] a cave, cavern: Jhn.11:38, Heb.11:38, Heb.6:15; σ. (EV, den) λῃστῶν (Jhn.7:11), Mat.21:13, Mrk.11:17, Luk.19:46.† (AS)

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How Strong's G4693 Is Translated

The English word each shown verse actually uses to render spelaion, taken from the interlinear word alignment (the same word underlined in the excerpts below). Where a rendering is used more than once, the count is shown.

den Matthew 21:13 dens Hebrews 11:38 cave John 11:38

How Strong's G4693 Usage Compares

Indexed coverage includes Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, New Testament, and Deuterocanonical / Apocrypha. Each section below keeps corpus counts and sample passages visible so readers can compare the word across contexts instead of reading one flat concordance list.

  • The largest indexed corpus on this page is Septuagint / Greek Old Testament with 43 linked usages.
  • This page lets readers compare New Testament usage with Septuagint / Greek Old Testament usage, which is a key THF advantage over narrower Strong's pages.
  • Deuterocanonical / Apocrypha rows are counted separately so readers can decide how those texts relate to the main word study.

In the Septuagint (LXX)

Strong's G4693 (σπήλαιον) appears 53 times in the Greek Septuagint — the Old Testament the New Testament authors quoted.

Sample Septuagint occurrences:

Read the full Greek Septuagint interlinear with Strong's →

Strong's G4693 by Corpus

Indexed usage grouped by testament and extended corpus so readers can compare this word across the Bible, Septuagint, deuterocanonical books, and 1 Enoch where present.

Strong's G4693 in the New Testament

6 indexed usages in New Testament.

Matthew 21:13 KJV

And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

Mark 11:17 KJV

And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.

Luke 19:46 KJV

Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.

Strong's G4693 in the Septuagint / Greek Old Testament

43 indexed usages in Septuagint / Greek Old Testament.

Genesis 19:30 Septuagint / Brenton

And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, he and his two daughters with him, for he feared to dwell in Zoar; and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters with him.

Genesis 23:9 Septuagint / Brenton

And let him give me the double cave which he has, which is in a part of his field, let him give it me for the money it is worth for possession of a burying place among you.

Genesis 23:11 Septuagint / Brenton

Attend to me, my lord, and hear me, I give to thee the field and the cave which is in it; I have given it thee before all my countrymen; bury thy dead.

Strong's G4693 in the deuterocanonical books / Apocrypha

3 indexed usages in Deuterocanonical / Apocrypha.

Judith 16:23 Septuagint / Brenton

But she increased more and more in honor, and waxed old in her husband’s house, being a hundred and five years old, and made her maid free; so she died in Bethulia: and they buried her in the cave of her husband Manasseh.

2 Maccabees 6:11 Septuagint / Brenton

And others, that had run together into caves near by, to keep the Sabbath day secretly, being discovered to Philip, were all burned together, because they made a conscience to help themselves for the honor of the most sacred day.

2 Maccabees 10:6 Septuagint / Brenton

And they kept eight days with gladness, as in the feast of the tabernacles, remembering that not long afore they had held the feast of the tabernacles, when as they wandered in the mountains and dens like beasts.

Usage Excerpts

First 52 linked usage excerpts for Strong's G4693.

Genesis 19:30 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, he and his two daughters with him, for he feared to dwell in Zoar; and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters with him.
Genesis 23:9 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
And let him give me the double cave which he has, which is in a part of his field, let him give it me for the money it is worth for possession of a burying place among you.
Genesis 23:11 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
Attend to me, my lord, and hear me, I give to thee the field and the cave which is in it; I have given it thee before all my countrymen; bury thy dead.
Genesis 23:17 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
And the field of Ephron, which was in Double Cave, which is opposite Mamre, the field and the cave, which was in it, and every tree which was in the field, and whatever is in its borders round about, were made sure
Genesis 23:19 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
After this Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the Double Cave of the field, which is opposite Mamre, this is Hebron in the land of Canaan.
Genesis 23:20 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
So the field and the cave which was in it were made sure to Abraham for possession of a burying place, by the sons of Heth.
Genesis 25:9 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
And Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the double cave, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is over against Mamre:
Genesis 25:10 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
even the field and the cave which Abraham bought of the sons of Heth; there they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife.
Genesis 49:29 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
And he said to them, I am added to my people; ye shall bury me with my fathers in the cave, which is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,
Genesis 49:30 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
in the double cave which is opposite Mamre, in the land of Canaan, the cave which Abraham bought of Ephron the Hittite, for a possession of a sepulcher.
Genesis 49:32 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
in the portion of the field, and of the cave that was in it, purchased of the sons of Heth.
Genesis 50:13 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
So his sons carried him up into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the double cave, which cave Abraham bought for possession of a burying place, of Ephron the Hittite, before Mamre.
Joshua 10:16 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
And these five kings fled, and hid themselves in a cave that is in Makkedah.
Joshua 10:17 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
And it was told Joshua, saying, The five kings have been found hidden in the cave that is in Makkedah.
Joshua 10:18 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
And Joshua said, Roll stones to the mouth of the cave, and set men to watch over them.
Joshua 10:22 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
And Joshua said, Open the cave, and bring out these five kings out of the cave.
Joshua 10:23 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
And they brought out the five kings out of the cave, the king of Jerusalem, and the king of Hebron, and the king of Jarmuth, and the king of Lachish, and the king of Adullam.
Joshua 10:27 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
And it came to pass toward the setting of the sun, Joshua commanded, and they took them down from the trees, and cast them into the cave into which they had fled for refuge, and rolled stones to the cave, which remain till this day.
Judges 6:2 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel: and the children of Israel made for themselves because of Midian the caves in the mountains, and the dens, and the holes in the rocks.
1 Kingdoms 13:6 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
And the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait so that they could not draw nigh, and the people hid themselves in caves, and sheepfolds, and rocks, and ditches, and pits.
1 Kingdoms 22:1 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
And David departed thence, and escaped; and he comes to the cave of Adullam, and his brethren hear, and the house of his father, and they go down to him there.
1 Kingdoms 24:4 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
And he came to the flocks of sheep that were by the way, and there was a cave there; and Saul went in to make preparation, and David and his men were sitting in the inner part of the cave.
1 Kingdoms 24:9 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
And David rose up and went after him out of the cave: and David cried after Saul, saying, My lord, O king! and Saul looked behind him, and David bowed with his face to the ground, and did obeisance to him.
1 Kingdoms 24:11 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
Behold, thine eyes have seen this day how that the Lord has delivered thee this day into my hands in the cave; and I would not slay thee, but spared thee, and said, I will not lift up my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s anointed.
2 Kingdoms 23:13 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
And three out of the thirty went down, and came to Cason to David, to the cave of Adullam; and there was an army of the Philistines, and they encamped in the Valley of Rephaim.
3 Kingdoms 18:4 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
And it came to pass when Jezebel smote the prophets of the Lord, that Obadiah took a hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.
3 Kingdoms 18:13 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
Has it not been told to thee my lord, what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the Lord, that I hid a hundred men of the prophets of the Lord, by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water?
3 Kingdoms 19:9 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
And he entered there into a cave, and rested there; and, behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said, What doest thou here, Elijah?
3 Kingdoms 19:13 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
And it came to pass when Elijah heard, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went forth and stood in the cave: and, behold, a voice came to him and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?
1 Chronicles 11:15 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
And three of the thirty chiefs went down to the rock to David, to the cave of Adullam, and the camp of the Philistines was in the giants’ valley.
Psalms 56:1 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
For the end. Destroy not: by David, for a memorial, when he fled from the presence of Saul to the cave.
Psalms 141:1 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
A Psalm of instruction for David, when he was in the cave—a Prayer.
Isaiah 2:19 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
having carried them into the caves, and into the clefts of the rocks, and into the caverns of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and by reason of the glory of his might, when he shall arise to strike terribly the earth.
Isaiah 7:19 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
And they all shall enter into the clefts of the land, and into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves, and into every ravine.
Isaiah 32:14 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
As for the rich city, the houses are deserted; they shall abandon the wealth of the city, and the pleasant houses: and the villages shall be caves forever, the joy of wild asses, shepherds’ pastures;
Isaiah 33:16 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
he shall dwell in a high cave of a strong rock: bread shall be given him, and his water shall be sure.
Isaiah 65:4 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
They lie down to sleep in the tombs and in the caves for the sake of dreams, even they that eat swine’s flesh, and the broth of their sacrifices: all their vessels are defiled:
Jeremiah 4:29 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
The whole land has recoiled from the noise of the horseman and the bent bow; they have gone into the caves, and have hidden themselves in the groves, and have gone up upon the rocks: every city was abandoned, no man dwelt in them.
Jeremiah 7:11 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
Is my house, whereon my name is called, a den of robbers in your eyes? And, behold, I have seen it, saith the Lord.
Jeremiah 12:9 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
Is not my inheritance to me a hyena’s cave, or a cave round about her? Go ye, gather together all the wild beasts of the field, and let them come to devour her.
Jeremiah 27:26 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
For her times are come: open ye her storehouses: search her as a cave, and utterly destroy her: let there be no remnant of her.
Ezekiel 33:27 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
As I live, surely they that are in the desolate places shall fall by swords, and they that are in the open plain shall be given for food to the wild beasts of the field, and them that are in the fortified cities and them that are in the caves I will slay with pestilence.
Habakkuk 2:15 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
Woe to him that gives his neighbor to drink the thick lees of wine, and intoxicates him, that he may look upon their secret parts.
Matthew 21:13 New Testament, KJV
And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.
Mark 11:17 New Testament, KJV
And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.
Luke 19:46 New Testament, KJV
Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.
John 11:38 New Testament, KJV
Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.
Hebrews 11:38 New Testament, KJV
(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
Revelation 6:15 New Testament, KJV
And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
Judith 16:23 Deuterocanonical / Apocrypha, Septuagint / Brenton
But she increased more and more in honor, and waxed old in her husband’s house, being a hundred and five years old, and made her maid free; so she died in Bethulia: and they buried her in the cave of her husband Manasseh.
2 Maccabees 6:11 Deuterocanonical / Apocrypha, Septuagint / Brenton
And others, that had run together into caves near by, to keep the Sabbath day secretly, being discovered to Philip, were all burned together, because they made a conscience to help themselves for the honor of the most sacred day.
2 Maccabees 10:6 Deuterocanonical / Apocrypha, Septuagint / Brenton
And they kept eight days with gladness, as in the feast of the tabernacles, remembering that not long afore they had held the feast of the tabernacles, when as they wandered in the mountains and dens like beasts.

All Indexed Usage Links

Every indexed verse link for Strong's G4693, grouped by book.

Genesis 12 usages, Septuagint / Greek Old Testament
Joshua 6 usages, Septuagint / Greek Old Testament
Judges 1 usage, Septuagint / Greek Old Testament
1 Kingdoms 5 usages, Septuagint / Greek Old Testament
2 Kingdoms 1 usage, Septuagint / Greek Old Testament
3 Kingdoms 4 usages, Septuagint / Greek Old Testament
1 Chronicles 1 usage, Septuagint / Greek Old Testament
Psalms 2 usages, Septuagint / Greek Old Testament
Isaiah 5 usages, Septuagint / Greek Old Testament
Jeremiah 4 usages, Septuagint / Greek Old Testament
Ezekiel 1 usage, Septuagint / Greek Old Testament
Habakkuk 1 usage, Septuagint / Greek Old Testament
Matthew 1 usage, New Testament
Mark 1 usage, New Testament
Luke 1 usage, New Testament
John 1 usage, New Testament
Hebrews 1 usage, New Testament
Revelation 1 usage, New Testament
Judith 1 usage, Deuterocanonical / Apocrypha
2 Maccabees 2 usages, Deuterocanonical / Apocrypha

Strong's G4693 FAQ

What does spelaion (σπήλαιον) mean?

Spelaion (Strong's G4693) is a Greek word most simply glossed "cave". spelaion (spay'-lai-on) n. 1. a cavern 2. (by implication) a hiding-place or resort

How many times is spelaion (σπήλαιον) used in the Bible?

This page currently indexes 52 linked usages for Strong's G4693 across 20 books.

Where can I study spelaion (σπήλαιον) in context?

Use the linked verse references on this page to study Strong's G4693 in context. The indexed coverage includes New Testament, Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, and Deuterocanonical / Apocrypha.

What English words translate spelaion (σπήλαιον)?

The visible usage excerpts most often surface English words such as den, dens, and cave. These are scanning signals from the displayed verses, not replacements for the original-language definition.

Does Strong's G4693 appear in the Septuagint or deuterocanonical books?

Yes. The current local index includes 43 in Septuagint / Greek Old Testament and 3 in Deuterocanonical / Apocrypha for Strong's G4693, with linked reader references where each row is available.