Bible Dictionaries
Den of Lions
Holman Bible Dictionary
A place where lions live, at times a thicket (Jeremiah 50:44 ) or cave (Nahum 2:12 ). The Assyrian kings kept lions in captivity, releasing them for the royal sport of lion hunting. Ashurnasirpal II (883-859 B.C.) even bred lions in captivity for this purpose. It is likely that the lions in Daniel 6:1 were kept for this sport. The den in Daniel 6:1 was sealed with a large stone ( Daniel 6:17 ). The Hebrew term signifies an underground cistern used for water storage or as a jail. The opening was at the top, so people had to be lowered in or lifted out (Daniel 6:23-24 ). See Animals in the Bible.
Copyright Statement
These dictionary topics are from the Holman Bible Dictionary, published by Broadman & Holman, 1991. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Broadman & Holman.
Bibliography Information
Butler, Trent C. Editor. Entry for 'Den of Lions'. Holman Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/hbd/d/den-of-lions.html. 1991.