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Bed; Bedstead
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Boyd’s Bible Dictionary
:
The Jewish
bed
consisted of a mattress and coverings (
Gen. 47:31
31
And he said, Swear unto me. And he sware unto him. And Israel bowed himself upon the bed's head. (Genesis 47:31)
;
1 Sam. 19:13
13
And Michal took an image, and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goats' hair for his bolster, and covered it with a cloth. (1 Samuel 19:13)
;
Matt. 9:6
6
But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. (Matthew 9:6)
). Placed on the floor, or on a bench (
2 Kings 1:4; 20:2
4
Now therefore thus saith the Lord, Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. And Elijah departed. (2 Kings 1:4)
2
Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, saying, (2 Kings 20:2)
;
Psa. 132:3
3
Surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my house, nor go up into my bed; (Psalm 132:3)
;
Amos 3:12
12
Thus saith the Lord; As the shepherd taketh out of the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear; so shall the children of Israel be taken out that dwell in Samaria in the corner of a bed, and in Damascus in a couch. (Amos 3:12)
); and later became ornamental and canopied (
Amos 6:4
4
That lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall; (Amos 6:4)
;
Esther 1:6
6
Where were white, green, and blue, hangings, fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rings and pillars of marble: the beds were of gold and silver, upon a pavement of red, and blue, and white, and black, marble. (Esther 1:6)
). For
bed-chamber
furnishings see
2 Kings 4:10
10
Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither. (2 Kings 4:10)
.
Concise Bible Dictionary
:
Download (1.0 MB)
In the
East
the beds were simply mats that could be rolled up in the morning and
put
away in any corner. This explains why the persons who were healed were told to “take up” their beds (
Matt. 9:6
6
But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. (Matthew 9:6)
;
Mark 2:9, 11-12
9
Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? (Mark 2:9)
11
I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.
12
And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion. (Mark 2:11‑12)
;
John 5:8-12
8
Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.
9
And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.
10
The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed.
11
He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk.
12
Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk? (John 5:8‑12)
). For covering, a quilt sufficed, and in cold weather a thicker one; but often they used their own
garments
only: this accounts for the
law
that a garment taken in
pledge
must be restored when the
sun
went down, that the owner might sleep in his own raiment, or outer garment (
Deut. 24:13
13
In any case thou shalt deliver him the pledge again when the sun goeth down, that he may sleep in his own raiment, and bless thee: and it shall be righteousness unto thee before the Lord thy God. (Deuteronomy 24:13)
). For bedsteads, simple
couches
were commonly used, and where there was no separate
bed-chamber
the divan on one side of the room, that was used for reclining on in the
day
, served for the bedstead at
night
. Doubtless
light
movable couches were also used as bedsteads, (
2 Kings 4:10
10
Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither. (2 Kings 4:10)
), under which a
lamp
could be placed, (
Mark 6:21
21
And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; (Mark 6:21)
), and on which the
man
was let down through the roof (
Luke 5:18
18
And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him. (Luke 5:18)
). The bedstead of Og the
giant
king of
Bashan
was of
iron
, 9 cubits long (about 13 feet 6 inches) and 4 cubits wide (6 feet) (
Deut. 3:11
11
For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants; behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man. (Deuteronomy 3:11)
).
From
Manners and Customs of the Bible
:
Matthew 9:6
6
But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. (Matthew 9:6)
. Arise, take up thy
bed
, and go unto thine
house
.
See also
Mark 2:9-12
9
Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?
10
But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)
11
I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.
12
And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion. (Mark 2:9‑12)
.
The “bed” was simply a mat or blanket which could be carried in the hands. The
poor
sometimes
had no other bed than the outer garment. See note on
Deuteronomy 24:12-13
12
And if the man be poor, thou shalt not sleep with his pledge:
13
In any case thou shalt deliver him the pledge again when the sun goeth down, that he may sleep in his own raiment, and bless thee: and it shall be righteousness unto thee before the Lord thy God. (Deuteronomy 24:12‑13)
(#205). The wealthier people in the
East
have quilts or mattresses filled with cotton, which are spread on the floor or on the divan. See note on
2 Kings 1:4
4
Now therefore thus saith the Lord, Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. And Elijah departed. (2 Kings 1:4)
(#325). In the text the paralytic, being healed, was told to take up his bed and go home. All he had to do was to
roll
up his blanket and depart. A similar incident took place at the pool of
Bethesda
. See
John 5:8-9,11-12
8
Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.
9
And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath. (John 5:8‑9)
11
He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk.
12
Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk? (John 5:11‑12)
. On such simple “beds” the sick were easily carried. This is referred to in
Matthew 9:2
2
And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. (Matthew 9:2)
;
Mark 2:3-4
3
And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four.
4
And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. (Mark 2:3‑4)
;
Luke 5:18
18
And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him. (Luke 5:18)
;
Acts 5:15
15
Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them. (Acts 5:15)
.
Related Books and Articles:
649. The Bed
From:
Manners and Customs of the Bible
By:
James M. Freeman
Call: 1-630-543-1441
“Study to show thyself approved unto God, … rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).
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