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Cistern (בֹּאר, bor; בּוֹר, bor). A reservoir used to supplement an area’s water supply by collecting rainfall (Deut 6:11; 1 Sam 19:22; 2Kgs 18:31; 2 Chr 26:10; Neh 9:25; Isa 30:14; Jer 2:13; 14:3).
The various storage systems in the ancient Near East depended upon the rainy season, which was October through April. In Jerusalem, only 25 inches of rain fell in an average year. Toward the end of summer, springs and wells were often reduced in size—or entirely dry. Cisterns and open reservoirs were then sometimes the only sources of water. Second Chronicles praises Uzziah because he “hewed many cisterns” (2 Chr 26:10).
Cisterns are also referred to figuratively in the Old Testament:
• In the book of Proverbs, a faithful spouse is described as a cistern (Prov 5:15).
• Useless things in which Israel trusted, like idols or foreign nations, were “cracked cisterns” (e.g., Jer 2:13).
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