מָנוֹס (ma.nos)
ma.nos
refuge
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 6 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun manos describes a place of safety found through running away from danger. It carries two closely related meanings: the act of fleeing itself, and the shelter reached after that flight. In Scripture, it points to a physical location where one can hide or seek protection from an immediate threat.
This word appears six times in the Old Testament, with significant weight in Jeremiah, Job, and Second Samuel. For example, Job uses it to describe his desperate need for hiding from God’s hand (Job 30:20), while Jeremiah speaks of cities becoming places of manos for those escaping Babylonian conquest (Jeremiah 48:14). The term emphasizes the urgency of escape rather than a permanent home.
Unlike words that denote a peaceful dwelling, manos implies danger is still present. It captures the tension between the need to run and the hope of finding cover. Translators often render it as "refuge" or "place of escape," highlighting its role in moments of crisis rather than daily life.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
When danger feels immediate and overwhelming, our first instinct is often to run. This Hebrew word captures that urgent movement toward safety. It reminds us that seeking protection is not a sign of weakness but a natural response to threat. In moments of crisis, we look for somewhere solid to stand when the ground beneath us shakes.
Scripture presents God Himself as this ultimate shelter. He is described as a rock and a high tower, places where we can hide from violence and fear. This image offers comfort because it means our safety does not depend on our ability to outrun every problem, but on finding rest in His presence. Even when circumstances are chaotic, there is a place of peace available to those who seek it.
While the world may offer temporary hiding spots, the hope found in divine protection endures. We are invited to bring our fears and uncertainties to this source of strength. It is a reminder that we do not face our challenges alone, but have a steadfast anchor for our souls when everything else seems unstable.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 6 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- and/ place of escape/ my2×
- a place of escape2×
- and/ flight1×
- and/ a place of escape1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- מָנוֹס֙1×
- מָנ֖וֹס1×
- וּ֭/מָנוֹס1×
- וּ/מָנ֥וֹס1×
- וּ/מְנוּסִ֖/י1×
- וּ/מְנוּסִ֔/י1×
Key Verses
-
II Samuel 22:3
God is my rock in whom I take refuge; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge. My savior, you save me from violence.
This verse directly identifies God as the personal refuge where the psalmist finds safety from violence.
-
Jeremiah 16:19
Yahweh, my strength, my stronghold, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the nations will come to you from the ends of the earth, and will say, “Our fathers have inherited nothing but lies, vanity and things in which there is no profit.
Here the word describes Yahweh as a stronghold specifically for the day of affliction, linking safety to times of trouble.
-
Job 11:20
But the eyes of the wicked will fail. They will have no way to flee. Their hope will be the giving up of the spirit.”
The absence of this escape route highlights the despair of the wicked who have no place to hide from judgment.