bed

(Hebrew: 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).

More information