a lair of wild beasts ( Psalms 10:9 ; 104:22 ; Job 37:8 ); the hole of a venomous reptile ( Isaiah 11:8 ); a recess for secrecy "in dens and caves of the earth" ( Hebrews 11:38 ); a resort of thieves ( Matthew 21:13 ; Mark 11:17 ). Daniel was cast into "the den of lions" ( Daniel 6:16 Daniel 6:17 ). Some recent discoveries among the ruins of Babylon have brought to light the fact that the practice of punishing offenders against the law by throwing them into a den of lions was common.

These dictionary topics are from
M.G. Easton M.A., D.D., Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Third Edition,
published by Thomas Nelson, 1897. Public Domain, copy freely.