Bible Dictionaries
Bed
Easton's Bible Dictionary
(Heb. mittah), for rest at night (Exodus 8:3; 1 Samuel 19:13,15,16 , etc.); during sickness (Genesis 47:31; 48:2; 49:33 , etc.); as a sofa for rest (1 Samuel 28:23; Amos 3:12 ). Another Hebrew word (er'es) so rendered denotes a canopied bed, or a bed with curtains (Deuteronomy 3:11; Psalm 132:3 ), for sickness (Psalm 6:6; 41:3 ). In the New Testament it denotes sometimes a litter with a coverlet (Matthew 9:2,6; Luke 5:18; Acts 5:15 ).
The Jewish bedstead was frequently merely the divan or platform along the sides of the house, sometimes a very slight portable frame, sometimes only a mat or one or more quilts. The only material for bed-clothes is mentioned in 1 Samuel 19:13 . Sleeping in the open air was not uncommon, the sleeper wrapping himself in his outer garment (Exodus 22:26,27; Deuteronomy 24:12,13 ).
Copyright Statement
These dictionary topics are from M.G. Easton M.A., D.D., Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, published by Thomas Nelson, 1897. Public Domain.
Bibliography Information
Easton, Matthew George. Entry for 'Bed'. Easton's Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/ebd/b/bed.html. 1897.