In biblical literature, the term "pit" is often used both literally and metaphorically, appearing in various contexts throughout the Scriptures. The concept of a pit can denote a physical location, a place of danger or entrapment, or a symbol of Sheol, the realm of the dead.

Literal Pits:

1. Cisterns and Wells: In ancient times, pits were commonly used as cisterns or wells to collect and store water. These were essential for survival in arid regions. For example, Joseph was thrown into a pit by his brothers before being sold into slavery (Genesis 37:24: "And they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty, with no water in it.").

2. Traps and Snares: Pits were also used as traps for capturing animals or enemies. In warfare or hunting, a pit could be camouflaged to ensnare unsuspecting victims. This imagery is used metaphorically in the Psalms to describe the schemes of the wicked (Psalm 7:15: "He has dug a hole and hollowed it out; he has fallen into a pit of his own making.").

Metaphorical Pits:

1. Symbol of Despair and Distress: The pit often symbolizes a state of despair, distress, or danger. The psalmists frequently cry out to God for deliverance from such metaphorical pits, representing trials or tribulations (Psalm 40:2: "He lifted me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay; He set my feet upon a rock, and made my footsteps firm.").

2. Sheol and the Grave: In the Hebrew Bible, the pit is sometimes synonymous with Sheol, the abode of the dead. It represents the grave or the depths of the earth, a place of darkness and separation from the living (Isaiah 14:15: "But you will be brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the Pit.").

Theological Implications:

The imagery of the pit serves as a powerful reminder of human vulnerability and the need for divine intervention. It underscores the belief in God's ability to rescue and redeem His people from the depths of despair and death. The pit, as a symbol of Sheol, also points to the ultimate hope of resurrection and deliverance from the power of the grave, a theme that finds its fulfillment in the New Testament through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Moral and Ethical Lessons:

The biblical references to pits often carry moral and ethical lessons. They warn against the consequences of sin and the dangers of setting traps for others, as such actions can lead to one's own downfall. The righteous are encouraged to trust in God's deliverance and to avoid the snares of the wicked.

In summary, the concept of the pit in the Bible is rich with meaning, encompassing physical, metaphorical, and eschatological dimensions. It serves as a vivid illustration of the human condition and the hope of divine salvation.

A Voice from the Hartley Colliery
... Two hundred witnesses cry to us from the pit's mouth, a solemn fellowship of preachers
all using the same text, "Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel!" If God had ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 8 1863/a voice from the hartley.htm

The Story of Joseph
... "Behold, this dreamer cometh!" they said one to another. "Come now, therefore, and
let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, 'Some evil ...
//christianbookshelf.org/steedman/joseph the dreamer/the story of joseph.htm

The True Manner of Keeping Holy the Lord's Day.
... to remember, that whilst they thus amuse themselves on the Lord's day, contrary
to the Lord's commandment, they do but dance about the pit's brink, and they ...
/.../bayly/the practice of piety/the true manner of keeping.htm

Antichrist.
... True, he came, when he came thither, out of the bottomless pit; but there came such
a smoke out thence with him, and that smoke so darkened the light of the sun ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bunyan/the riches of bunyan/xxiii antichrist.htm

How the Hebrews were Delivered from a Famine when the Gibeonites ...
... Now David said to his companions, "We have excellent water in my own city, especially
that which is in the pit near the gate," wondering if any one would bring ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 12 how the hebrews.htm

Here Beginneth the Life of Isaac
... Then Jacob went forth into the east, and saw a pit in a field and three flocks
of sheep lying by it, for of that pit were the beasts watered. ...
/.../wells/bible stories and religious classics/here beginneth the life of.htm

Where to Find Fruit
... Oh! folly! folly! folly! Go with your ship all black and empty, sail up the harbour,
and the pit's mouth will soon yield to you an abundance of precious store. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 10 1864/where to find fruit.htm

Of Antichrist, and his Ruin: and of the Slaying the Witnesses.
... True, he came, when he came thither, out of the bottomless-pit; but there came such
a smoke out thence with him, and that smoke so darkened the light of the sun ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/of antichrist and his ruin .htm

Christ a Complete Saviour:
The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3. <. ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/christ a complete saviour .htm

A Discourse
... For after the first angel had sounded, and the star was fallen from heaven to the
earth, and had received the key of the bottomless pit, and had opened the ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/a discourse.htm

Pit's (1 Occurrence)
... Multi-Version Concordance Pit's (1 Occurrence). Jeremiah 48:28 O ye inhabitants
of Moab, leave the cities, and dwell in the rock; and ...
/p/pit's.htm - 6k

Pits (13 Occurrences)

/p/pits.htm - 13k

Nests (9 Occurrences)
... (See NIV). Jeremiah 48:28 Forsake cities, and dwell in a rock, Ye inhabitants of
Moab, And be as a dove making a nest in the passages of a pit's mouth. ...
/n/nests.htm - 8k

Pittance (1 Occurrence)

/p/pittance.htm - 6k

Passages (8 Occurrences)
... (KJV WBS). Jeremiah 48:28 Forsake cities, and dwell in a rock, Ye inhabitants of
Moab, And be as a dove making a nest in the passages of a pit's mouth. (YLT). ...
/p/passages.htm - 9k

Forsake (88 Occurrences)
... Jeremiah 48:28 Forsake cities, and dwell in a rock, Ye inhabitants of Moab, And
be as a dove making a nest in the passages of a pit's mouth. (YLT). ...
/f/forsake.htm - 34k

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