Bible Dictionaries
Cistern

Easton's Bible Dictionary

The rendering of a Hebrew word Bor , Which means a receptacle for water conveyed to it; distinguished from Beer , Which denotes a place where water rises on the spot ( Jeremiah 2:13; Proverbs 5:15; Isaiah 36:16 ), a fountain. Cisterns are frequently mentioned in Scripture. The scarcity of springs in Palestine made it necessary to collect rain-water in reservoirs and cisterns (Numbers 21:22 ). (See WELL .)

Empty cisterns were sometimes used as prisons ( Jeremiah 38:6; Lamentations 3:53; Psalm 40:2; 69:15 ). The "pit" into which Joseph was cast (Genesis 37:24 ) was a Beer or dry well. There are numerous remains of ancient cisterns in all parts of Palestine.