pit
bor denotes an excavated pit, used for water storage, confinement, danger, or descent among the dead.
The term most often denotes a pit or excavated enclosure into which people or animals can be thrown, descend, or be brought up; it also designates a water-holding cistern and, in death scenes, the destination of those who “go down.”
Senses in use
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Pit used for descent, confinement, or danger · dominant
The singular noun identifies an enclosure into which Joseph is thrown and later drawn up in Genesis 37:24 and Genesis 37:28. In Exodus 21:33 the APB renders a case of an uncovered pit into which an ox or donkey falls, while Jeremiah 38:6 describes Jeremiah being lowered by ropes into one containing mud.
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Cistern or water source · common
In water-related clauses, the noun names a constructed or excavated source: people draw water from it in 1 Chronicles 11:18, livestock are associated with many such places in 2 Chronicles 26:10, and a spring or cistern is called a collection of water in Leviticus 11:36. The construct form occurs in 2 Kings 18:31 where each person drinks its water.
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Place of descent among the dead · common
In Ezekiel 32:23, graves are set in the flanks of the pit, and the surrounding clauses concern those slain by the sword. Isaiah 38:18 likewise speaks of those who go down to it, while Ezekiel 26:20 joins descent to it with dwelling in “the land below.”
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Prison-like enclosure · occasional
The term can mark a place of detention: Joseph says he was put there in Genesis 40:15, and Pharaoh summons him from it in Genesis 41:14. Isaiah 24:22 places prisoners in it and then says they will be shut up in prison, confirming the enclosing setting of the clause.
In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB variously presents the term as “pit,” “cistern,” “dungeon,” and “prison” across these clauses. These renderings reflect each verse’s scene rather than a fixed English equivalent.