Spelaion denotes a cave or cavern, whether a burial place, refuge, hiding place, or a figurative “cave of robbers.”

The attested use denotes a cave or cavern: a physical place associated with burial, wandering, and hiding, and, in the temple sayings, a “cave of robbers.” The same location term is applied across these settings rather than showing a separate lexical meaning.

1. Cave or cavern in varied settings · dominant

   The singular form occurs in John 11:38 of the grave approached by Jesus, where the APB renders the clause “it was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.” In Matthew 21:13, Mark 11:17, and Luke 19:46, the accusative singular stands in the statement that the house of prayer has been made “a cave of robbers”; Hebrews 11:38 places the plural among deserts, mountains, and holes in the ground, while Revelation 6:15 describes people hiding toward the plural caves and mountain rocks.

   John 11:38Matthew 21:13Mark 11:17Luke 19:46Hebrews 11:38Revelation 6:15

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB presents the term as “cave” in the singular occurrences and “caves” in the plural occurrences, including “a cave of robbers” in the temple sayings. These renderings reflect the surrounding clauses.