Original Word: מְעוֹנָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: m`ownah
Pronunciation: meh-oh-NAH
Phonetic Spelling: (meh-o-naw')
KJV: den, habitation, (dwelling) place, refuge
NASB: dens, den, dwelling place, habitations
Word Origin: [feminine of H4583 (מָעוֹן מָעִין - habitation)]

1. meaning the same as H4583

den, habitation, dwelling place, refuge

Or msonah {meh-o-naw'}; feminine of ma'own, and meaning the same -- den, habitation, (dwelling) place, refuge.

see HEBREW ma'own

Word Origin
fem. of maon
Definition
habitation
NASB Translation
den (2), dens (4), dwelling place (2), habitations (1).

מְעֹנָה noun feminine id.; —

1 den, lair of wild beasts: of כְּפִיר, מְעֹנָתוֺ Amos 3:4, so plural absolute מְעוֺנוֺת Job 38:40 ("" סֻכָּה), suffix מְעוֺנֹתָם Psalm 104:22; construct מְעֹנוֺת אֲרָיוֺת Songs 4:8; מְעֹנֹתָיו Nahum 2:13 ("" חֹרָיו; of אַרְיֵה, figurative of Nineveh); of חַיָּה in General, בִּמְעוֺנֹתֶיהָ תִשְׁכֹּן Job 37:8 ("" אָ֑רֶב); so apparently figurative of men, hunted by ׳י, מְעוֺנוֺתֵינוּ Jeremiah 21:13, figurative also of ׳י dwelling in temple, singular suffix, מְעוֺנָתוֺ בְּצִיּוֺן Psalm 76:3 ("" סוּכּוֺ).

2 figurative מְעֹנָה אֱלֹהֵי קֶדֶם Deuteronomy 33:27 the ancient God is a dwelling-place (for his people; compare I. מָעוֺן 3).

מְעוֹנָה (meonah)

Overview

מְעוֹנָה portrays a place of habitation or refuge. Scripture applies the term both to the safest shelter imaginable—the Lord Himself—and to the precarious hiding places of beasts and rebellious men. Across its ten occurrences the Spirit weaves a consistent testimony: true security is found only in the covenant God, while every alternative refuge collapses.

God as the Eternal Dwelling

• Deuteronomy 33:27 lifts the word to its highest plane: “The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” Israel’s shelter is not geographic but personal; the Almighty Himself envelopes the covenant people.
• Psalm 76:2 echoes the theme: “His tent is in Salem, His dwelling place in Zion.” God chooses Zion as the earthly sign of His heavenly refuge, foreshadowing the incarnate presence of Jesus Christ (John 1:14; Hebrews 12:22-24).

These verses anchor the doctrine of divine protection. The believer’s stability rests on the unchanging character of God, not on circumstance or human fortifications.

Animal Lairs and Created Instinct

Five texts (Job 37:8; Job 38:40; Psalm 104:22; Amos 3:4; Nahum 2:12) employ מְעוֹנָה for animal lairs. When “the animals enter their lairs” (Job 37:8) or a lion “growl[s] in his den” (Amos 3:4), the same vocabulary that celebrates God as shelter describes instinctive retreat. Creation thus mirrors Creator: even beasts seek cover at His command (Job 38:39-41). The contrast is poignant—animals heed the rhythms set by their Maker, while rebellious humanity often ignores the call to hide in Him (compare Isaiah 1:3).

Human Strongholds Exposed

Jeremiah 21:13 confronts Jerusalem’s arrogance: “Who can come against us? Who can enter our refuges?” The city’s מְעוֹנוֹת prove illusory when the Babylonian army arrives. Zephaniah 3:7 laments similar complacency: refusal to repent means “her dwelling place would not be cut off” becomes a forfeited promise. The prophetic indictment unmasks counterfeit security and drives the heart toward the true Dwelling.

Romantic Imagery and Spiritual Invitation

Song of Songs 4:8 invites the bride to leave “the lions’ dens, the mountains of leopards” and join her beloved. The verse couples danger with desire: love beckons the soul out of perilous hiding into covenant intimacy. The gospel summons operates in like manner—Christ calls His church from deadly refuges into His own safe embrace (John 10:9).

Theological Threads

1. Refuge and Relationship: מְעוֹנָה underscores that safety is relational before spatial; it is “the eternal God,” not merely a place.
2. Sovereignty: From lions’ dens to Zion’s hill, every habitat lies under divine rule (Psalm 104:21-22).
3. Judgment vs. Salvation: Rejecting God’s dwelling results in exposed vulnerability (Jeremiah 21:13; Zephaniah 3:7), whereas trust secures everlasting arms (Deuteronomy 33:27).
4. Typology: Earthly dwellings anticipate the believer’s ultimate habitation “in the heavens” (2 Corinthians 5:1) and the consummate tabernacle of God with man (Revelation 21:3).

Ministry Significance

• Preaching: Contrast false refuges—wealth, power, self-righteousness—with the only safe Dwelling, urging hearers to abide in Christ (John 15:4).
• Pastoral Care: Deuteronomy 33:27 offers a foundation for comfort in grief: underneath every sorrow are “everlasting arms.”
• Discipleship: Teach believers to read creation’s rhythms (Psalm 104; Job 38) as a parable of dependence, cultivating daily retreat into God’s presence.
• Mission: Jeremiah and Zephaniah warn cultures confident in their own strongholds; proclaim the gospel that dismantles pride and builds lives on the Rock (Matthew 7:24-27).

Prayer and Proclamation

“Eternal God, our מְעוֹנָה, draw us from every false den into Your everlasting arms; be our dwelling now and forever through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

בִּמְעוֹנוֹתֵֽינוּ׃ בַמְּעוֹנ֑וֹת במעונות במעונותינו׃ וּבִמְע֖וֹנֹתֶ֣יהָ וּמְע֖וֹנָת֣וֹ וּמְעֹֽנֹתָ֖יו ובמעונתיה ומעונתו ומענתיו מְ֝עוֹנֹתָ֗ם מְעֹנָה֙ מְעוֹנָ֔הּ מִמְּעֹ֣נָת֔וֹ מִמְּעֹנ֣וֹת ממענות ממענתו מעונה מעונתם מענה ḇam·mə·‘ō·w·nō·wṯ ḇammə‘ōwnōwṯ bim‘ōwnōwṯênū bim·‘ō·w·nō·w·ṯê·nū bimonoTeinu mə‘ōnāh mə‘ōwnāh mə‘ōwnōṯām mə·‘ō·nāh mə·‘ō·w·nāh mə·‘ō·w·nō·ṯām meoNah meonoTam mim·mə·‘ō·nā·ṯōw mim·mə·‘ō·nō·wṯ mimeOnaTo mimeoNot mimmə‘ōnāṯōw mimmə‘ōnōwṯ ū·ḇim·‘ō·w·nō·ṯe·hā ū·mə·‘ō·nō·ṯāw ū·mə·‘ō·w·nā·ṯōw ūḇim‘ōwnōṯehā ūmə‘ōnōṯāw ūmə‘ōwnāṯōw umeonaTo umeonoTav uvimonoTeiha vammeoNotInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts