Protos

What does "Bed" mean in the Bible?

The floors of the better sort of Eastern houses were of tile or plaster, and were covered with mats or carpets; and as shoes were not worn on them and the feet were washed, their floors seldom required sweeping or scrubbing. Bed appears in 26 verses across 13 books of the Bible.

What does the Bible say about Bed?

BED. Gen 47:31. The floors of the better sort of Eastern houses were of tile or plaster, and were covered with mats or carpets; and as shoes were not worn on them and the feet were washed, their floors seldom required sweeping or scrubbing. Matt 12:44; Luke 15:8. Thick, coarse mattresses were thrown down at night to sleep upon. The poorer people used skins for the same purpose. Such beds were easily moved. Matt 9:6. On two or three sides of the room was a bench, generally a foot high and three feet broad, covered with a stuffed cushion. This bench, called the Asiatic Beds. (From Fellow's "Asia Minor.") divan, was used for both lying and sitting upon; but at one end of the room it was more elevated, and this was the usual place of sleeping. 2 Kgs 1:4; 2 Kgs 20:2; Ps 132:3; Am 3:12. But besides the divan, we find mention of bedsteads made of wood, ivory, Am 6:4, or other materials. Deut 3:11. This knowledge of the construction of Eastern beds relieves of difficulty such passages as Ex 8:3; 2 Sam 4:5-7; Ps 6:6; Mark 4:21. Some part of the day-clothing usually served for bedclothes. Ex 22:26-27; Deut 24:12-13. The Orientals do not generally undress before lying down for the night, but are content to take off the upper part of their clothing and unloose their girdle. Bedsteads were used by the ancient Egyptians, as we know from the monuments. They also used wooden pillows of the same style as are now in use in Japan. The pillow of the Hebrews was probably a goat-skin stuffed with some soft substance, since one of this sort is common to-day in Palestine. The pillow meant in Mark 4:38 was a rower's cushion. It has been conjectured that Saul and Elijah may have used their skin water-bottles, "a cruse of water," for the purpose of a bolster. 1 Sam 26:12; 1 Kgs 19:6, margin.

Definition text: Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible · 1898. Public domain.

Compiled by Protos: the verse list on this page. Where one name belongs to more than one person or place, each of them gets a separate entry.

What is the Hebrew word for Bed?

Hebrew · H4296

מִטָּה

mit.tah

bed

TBESH, STEPBible, licensed CC BY 4.0.

Where does Bed appear in the Bible?

Bed is referenced in 26 verses across 13 books. Every passage below is about this one, not just every verse the word turns up in.

Showing the first 24 of 26.

Open all 26 references in Protos

What else appears in these passages?

These turn up in the same passages as Bed.

Common questions

How many times does the Bible mention Bed?

Bed appears in 26 verses across 13 books, most often in 2 Kings, which accounts for 6 of them.

Which books of the Bible mention Bed?

2 Kings, 1 Samuel, Genesis, 1 Kings, Luke, Mark, 2 Chronicles, 2 Samuel, and 5 more.

Where can I read every verse about Bed?

This page lists 24 of them. Protos carries all 26, and opens this entry on the verse you are reading rather than in a separate tab.

Read it in context

Read 2 Kings with "Bed" explained on the verse.

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Fabio Jonathan ArifinFabio JonathanFounder of Protos · Portland Bible College graduate

Protos is the answer to that. Every explanation you read was written by a scholar and published in a reference work, credited right on the page.

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