Well in the Bible Encyclopedia - ISBE
(1) (be'er; compare Arabic bi'r, "well" or "cistern";
usually artificial: "And Isaac's servants digged (dug) in
the valley, and found there a well of springing (margin
"living") water" (Gen 26:19); some times covered: "Jacob
.... rolled the stone from the well's mouth" (Gen 29:10).
Be'er may also be a pit: "The vale of Siddim was full of
slime pits" (Gen 14:10); "the pit of destruction" (Ps
55:23). (2) (bor), usually "pit": "Let us slay him, and cast
him into one of the pits" (Gen 37:20); may be "well": "drew
water out of the well of Beth-lehem" (2 Sam 23:16).
(3) (pege), usually "running water," "fount," or "source":
"Doth the fountain send forth from the same opening sweet
water and bitter?" (Jas 3:11); may be "well"; compare
"Jacob's well" (Jn 4:6). (4) (phrear), usually "pit": "the
pit of the abyss" (Rev 9:1); but "well"; compare "Jacob's
well" (Jn 4:11,12): "Which of you shall have an ass or an ox
fallen into a well" (the King James Version "pit") (Lk
14:5). (5) (krene), "wells" (Sirach 48:17), Latin, fons,
"spring" (2 Esdras 2:32).
(6) ayin), compare Arabic `ain "fountain," "spring": "the
fountain (English Versions of the Bible) which is in
Jezreel" (1 Sam 29:1); "In Elim were twelve springs (the
King James Version "fountains"] of water" (Nu 33:9); "She
(Rebekah) went down to the fountain" (the King James Version
"well") (Gen 24:16); "the jackal's well" (the English
Revised Version "the dragon's well," the King James Version
"the dragon well") (Neh 2:13). (7) (ma`yan), same root as
(6); "the fountain (the King James Version "well") of the
waters of Nephtoah" (Josh 18:15); "Passing through the
valley of Weeping (the King James Version "Baca") they make
it a place of springs" (the King James Version "well") (Ps
84:6); "Ye shall draw water out of the wells of salvation"
(Isa 12:3). (8) (maqor), usually figurative: "With thee is
the fountain of life" (Ps 36:9); "The mouth of the righteous
is a fountain (the King James Version "well") of life" (Prov
10:11); "make her (Babylon's) fountain (the King James
Version "spring") dry" (Jer 51:36); "a corrupted spring"
(Prov 25:26). (9) (mabbu`), (nabha`, "to flow," "spring,"
"bubble up"; compare Arabic (nab`, manba`, yanbu`)
"fountain": "or the pitcher is broken at the fountain" (Eccl
12:6); "the thirsty ground springs of water" (Isa 35:7).
(10) (motsa'), "spring," (yatsa'), "to go out," "the dry
land springs of water" (Isa 41:18); "a dry land into
watersprings" (Ps 107:35); "the upper spring of the waters
of Gihon" (2 Ch 32:30). (11) (nebhekh), root uncertain,
reading doubtful; only in Job 38:16, "Hast thou entered into
the springs of the sea?" (12) (tehom), "deep," "abyss";
compare Gen 1:2; translated "springs," the King James
Version "depths" (Dt 8:7). (13) (gal), (galal), "to roll";
compare Gilgal (Josh 5:9); "a spring shut up" (Song 4:12).
(14) (gullah), "bowl," "basin," "pool," same root: "Give me
also springs of water. And he gave her the upper sprigs and
the nether springs" (Josh 15:19); compare Arabic (kullat),
pronounced gullat, "a marble," "a cannon-ball."
As is clear from references cited above, wells and springs
were not sharply distinguished in name, though be'er, and
phrear are used mainly of wells, and `ayin, ma`yan, motsa',
mabbua` and (poetically) maqor are chiefly used of
fountains. The Arabic bi'r, the equivalent of the Hebrew
be'er, usually denotes a cistern for rain-water, though it
may be qualified as bi'r jam`, "well of gathering," i.e. for
rain-water, or as bi'r nab`, "well of springing water." A
spring or natural fountain is called in Arabic `ain or nab`
(compare Hebrew `ayin and mabbua`). These Arabic and Hebrew
words for "well" and "spring" figure largely in place-names,
modern and ancient: Beer (Nu 21:16); Beer-elim (Isa 15:8),
etc.; `Ain (a) on the northeast boundary of Israel (Nu
34:11), (b) in the South of Judah, perhaps = En-rimmon (Josh
15:32); Enaim (Gen 38:14); Enam (Josh 15:34), etc. Modern
Arabic names with `ain are very numerous, e.g. `Ainul-
fashkhah, `Ain-ul-chajleh, `Ain-karim, etc.
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