Dwell Deep

Dwell Deep (הֶעֵַמקוּ לָשֶׁבֵת, heemi'ku la-she'beth, make deep for dwelling; Sept. βαθύνατε ἑαυτοῖς εἰς κάθισιν, Vulg. descendite in voraginem), a phrase that occurs in Jer 49:8, and seems to refer to the custom still common in the East of seeking retreat from danger in the recesses of rocks and caverns. When the wandering Arabs have drawn upon themselves the resentment of the more fixed inhabitants of those countries, and think themselves unable to stand against them, they withdraw into the depths of the great wilderness, where none can follow them. "Always on their guard against tyranny," says M. Savary, "on the least discontent that is given them, they pack up their tents, load their camels, ravage the flat country, and, loaded with plunder, plunge into the burning sands, whither none can pursue them, and where they alone can dwell." SEE ARABIA.