Lexical Summary eres: Bed, couch Original Word: עֶרֶשׂ Strong's Exhaustive Concordance bedstead, couch From an unused root meaning perhaps to arch; a couch (properly, with a canopy) -- bed(-stead), couch. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom an unused word Definition a couch, divan NASB Translation bed (1), bed* (1), bedstead (2), couch (4), couches (1), sickbed* (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs עֶ֫רֶשׂ noun feminineJob 7:13 couch, divan; — construct ׳ע Deuteronomy 3:11 +; absolute עָ֑רֶשׂ Amos 3:12; suffix עַרְשִׂי Job 7:13 +, etc.; plural suffix עַרְשׂוֺתָם Amos 6:4; — couch, divan, Amos 3:12; Amos 6:4 ("" מִטּוֺת), + 2 Samuel 17:28 (read עַרְשׂת מִשְׁכָּב Klo NeMarg. 18 HPS, compare ᵐ5); for lying at night Job 7:13; Psalm 6:7 ("" מִטָּה), Proverbs 7:16, עֶרֶשׂ יְצוּעָ֑י Psalm 132:3 the coach of (consisting in) my bed; couch of sickness Psalm 41:4; marriage couch Songs 1:16; perhaps transferred to sarcophagus, as last couch עַרְשׂוֺ עֶרֶשׂ בַּרְזֶל Deuteronomy 3:11 (see Dr). ערשׁ (√ of following; meaning unknown). Topical Lexicon Meaning and Scope עֶרֶשׂ portrays the physical couch or bed on which a person reclines, sleeps, is nursed, or indulges in leisure. Beyond furniture, Scripture employs the term figuratively for strength, frailty, blessing, lust, royalty, complacency, and impending judgment. Occurrences in Scripture Deuteronomy 3:11; Job 7:13; Psalm 6:6; Psalm 41:3; Psalm 132:3; Proverbs 7:16; Song of Solomon 1:16; Amos 3:12; Amos 6:4 (with Deuteronomy 3:11 appearing twice in narrative repetition). Beds of Sovereigns and Strength (Deuteronomy 3:11) King Og’s iron bedstead measured “nine cubits long and four cubits wide” and was preserved as a trophy in Rabbah. The gargantuan couch speaks of human might that still falls before the Lord. What seemed unassailable became an object lesson that “the Lord your God Himself has been fighting for you” (Deuteronomy 3:22). Beds of Affliction and Lament (Job 7:13; Psalm 6:6; Psalm 41:3) Job groans, “When I think my bed will comfort me… then You frighten me with dreams” (Job 7:13-14). David weeps, “All night I flood my bed with tears” (Psalm 6:6), yet trusts that “The LORD will sustain him on his bed of illness and restore him from his bed of sickness” (Psalm 41:3). Here the couch becomes a crucible where faith is purified and divine compassion displayed. Beds of Devotion and Resolve (Psalm 132:3) David vows, “I will not enter my house or get into my bed, I will not give sleep to my eyes… until I find a place for the LORD” (Psalm 132:3-5). Private comfort is subordinated to public worship, challenging every generation to place God’s dwelling above personal ease. Beds of Seduction and Moral Peril (Proverbs 7:16) The adulteress boasts, “I have covered my bed with colorful linens from Egypt.” Luxurious bedding lures the simple into sin, warning that sensory appeal, if unbridled, leads to spiritual death. Beds of Marital Delight (Song of Solomon 1:16) Conversely, the Shulammite celebrates covenant love: “Our bed is verdant.” The marriage couch, blessed by God, is fruitful and life-giving, contrasting sharply with the illicit bed of Proverbs 7. Beds of Complacent Luxury Awaiting Judgment (Amos 3:12; Amos 6:4) The prophet pictures indulgent Israel “lying on beds of ivory” (Amos 6:4) and elite shepherds whose opulence will be torn away like “two legs or a piece of an ear” from a lion’s mouth (Amos 3:12). Extravagant couches become symbols of societal decay that invite divine reckoning. Theological Themes 1. Providence: God rules over beds of kings and paupers alike. Practical Ministry Implications • Hospital visitation echoes Psalm 41:3, praying that the Lord “restore” the infirm. Christological and Eschatological Bearings Jesus, with “nowhere to lay His head” (Matthew 8:20), voluntarily surrendered His earthly bed so believers might enter the eternal “rest that remains for the people of God” (Hebrews 4:9-11). The humble manger and borrowed tomb bookend a life that redeems every couch of sorrow and turns it into a venue for resurrection hope. Forms and Transliterations עֶ֣רֶשׂ עֶ֥רֶשׂ עַרְשִׂ֑י עַרְשִׂ֥י עַרְשֵׂ֖נוּ עַרְשׂוֹ֙ עַרְשׂוֹתָ֑ם עָֽרֶשׂ׃ ערש ערש׃ ערשו ערשותם ערשי ערשנו ‘ā·reś ‘ar·śê·nū ‘ar·śî ‘ar·śō·w·ṯām ‘ar·śōw ‘āreś ‘arśênū ‘arśî ‘arśōw ‘arśōwṯām ‘e·reś ‘ereś Ares arSenu arSi arSo arsoTam EresLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Deuteronomy 3:11 HEB: הָרְפָאִים֒ הִנֵּ֤ה עַרְשׂוֹ֙ עֶ֣רֶשׂ בַּרְזֶ֔ל NAS: Behold, his bedstead was an iron KJV: of giants; behold, his bedstead [was] a bedstead INT: of the Rephaim Behold his bedstead bedstead was an iron Deuteronomy 3:11 Job 7:13 Psalm 6:6 Psalm 41:3 Psalm 132:3 Proverbs 7:16 Songs 1:16 Amos 3:12 Amos 6:4 10 Occurrences |
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