Bible Dictionaries
Bed

People's Dictionary of the Bible

Bed. Among the ancient Egyptians, the bed was a kind of low sofa or divan, ornamented with ivory, and of such a length as to answer for a sofa by day and a bed by night. Psalms 41:3; Psalms 132:3; Amos 6:4; 2 Kings 1:4; 2 Kings 1:6; 2 Kings 1:16; Proverbs 7:16. The poorer people slept upon thick, coarse mattresses, or skins, which were thrown down at night upon the divan, or upon the floor. Sometimes they had but a simple cloak, or a blanket, which also answered to wrap themselves in by day. Exodus 22:26-27; Deuteronomy 24:12-13. Hence it was easy for the persons whom Jesus healed "to take up their beds and walk." Matthew 9:6; Mark 2:9; John 5:8. In the East, most people only take off the outer garment, and often use it for a covering on retiring to bed.

Bibliography Information
Rice, Edwin Wilbur, DD. Entry for 'Bed'. People's Dictionary of the Bible. https://www.studylight.org/​dictionaries/​eng/​rpd/​b/bed.html. 1893.