WG: Habitation / Dwelling Place
Overview
Hebrew uses distinct nouns for "dwelling place," each with a different semantic emphasis. Where English collapses these into "habitation," "dwelling," or "place," the Hebrew terms distinguish between shelter/refuge (maʻown), established foundation (makon), generic location (maqom), and pastoral home (naveh).
Word Group Members
| Strong's |
Word |
Transliteration |
POS |
Occurrences |
Role in Concept |
Library Entry |
| H4583 |
מָעוֹן |
maʻown |
m. noun |
17 |
Shelter, refuge, lair — emphasizes protection |
H4583 |
| H4349 |
מָכוֹן |
makon |
m. noun |
17 |
Established place, fixed foundation — emphasizes permanence |
H4349 |
| H4725 |
מָקוֹם |
maqom |
m. noun |
379 |
Generic place, location — broadest term |
H4725 |
| H5116 |
נָוֶה |
naveh |
adj./m. noun |
34 |
Pastoral dwelling, pleasant abode — shepherd/home imagery |
TODO(need H5116 study) |
Relationships
Co-occurrence (appear in same verses)
| Word A |
Word B |
Shared Verses |
Typical Context |
| maʻown (H4583) |
maqom (H4725) |
1 |
Psa 26:8 — "habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth" |
| maʻown (H4583) |
naveh (H5116) |
1 |
Jer 25:30 — "roar from on high...from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation (naveh)" |
| maqom (H4725) |
naveh (H5116) |
1 |
Jer 33:12 — "in this place...shall be an habitation of shepherds" |
| maʻown (H4583) |
makon (H4349) |
0 |
Never co-occur — they occupy distinct registers |
| makon (H4349) |
maqom (H4725) |
0 |
Never co-occur |
| makon (H4349) |
naveh (H5116) |
0 |
Never co-occur |
These words operate in complementary distribution rather than appearing together. Jer 25:30 is notable for using both maʻown and naveh for God's dwelling in the same verse, distinguishing his heavenly seat (maʻown qodesh) from the place he roars upon (naveh).
LXX Overlaps
| Hebrew Words |
Shared Greek |
Notes |
| maʻown + makon + naveh |
κατοικητήριον (G2732) |
All three map to this Greek "dwelling-place," collapsing Hebrew distinctions |
| maʻown + maqom + naveh |
τόπος (G5117) |
Generic "place" used for all three in some LXX renderings |
Roles in the Concept
- Shelter/Refuge: maʻown (מָעוֹן) — the dwelling as protection; God's heavenly abode or an animal's lair
- Foundation/Establishment: makon (מָכוֹן) — the dwelling as permanently fixed; God's throne or the Temple's foundation
- Location: maqom (מָקוֹם) — the broadest term; any definite place, from a campsite to the Temple mount
- Home/Pasture: naveh (נָוֶה) — the dwelling as pleasant or pastoral; shepherds' camps, green pastures, or a family home
Key Distinctions
| Feature |
maʻown |
makon |
maqom |
naveh |
| Primary sense |
shelter, refuge |
fixed base, foundation |
location, site |
pleasant dwelling, pasture |
| Applied to God |
heavenly abode (5x "holy habitation") |
throne base (1Ki 8:13, 39, 43, 49) |
"the place which the LORD shall choose" (Deuteronomy) |
his fold/pasture (Jer 25:30) |
| Applied to animals |
den/lair (5x "den of dragons") |
not used for animals |
rarely |
pasture (Isa 65:10) |
| Register |
poetic, prophetic |
royal, liturgical |
legal, narrative (broadest) |
pastoral, prophetic |
| Emotional tone |
security or desolation |
permanence, stability |
neutral |
beauty, comfort |
Generated from: gather_word_group_data.py, existing word studies
Last updated: 2026-05-12