Description and usage
The prison was a place where criminals or other prisoners were confined. There was no standard size or construction for a prison or jail.
Translation
Practically all languages have terms for a jail or a prison, though in some instances a descriptive phrase is employed, for example, “place where people are tied up” or “place to be chained.” In some languages highly idiomatic expressions are used, such as “place for eating iron” or “room with rats.” The translation should convey the idea that it is a place where a person is restrained against his will.
The Hebrew word bor, the Aramaic word gov, and the Greek word lakkos refer to a hole or depression in the ground. The bor into which Jeremiah was lowered in JER 38:0 was probably a cistern (see Cistern). In the rest of the texts listed for these three words, it is not clear if the hole or pit was natural or man-made.