Lexical Summary
eres: Bed, couch
Original Word:עֶרֶשׂ
Part of Speech:Noun Feminine
Transliteration:`eres
Pronunciation:eh'-res
Phonetic Spelling:(eh'res)
KJV: bed(-stead), couch
NASB:couch, bedstead, bed, couches
Word Origin:[from an unused root meaning perhaps to arch]
1. a couch (properly, with a canopy)
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
Definitiona couch, divan
NASB Translationbed (1), bed* (1), bedstead (2), couch (4), couches (1), sickbed* (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
Job 7:13 ; — construct
Deuteronomy 3:11 +; absolute
Amos 3:12; suffix
Job 7:13 +, etc.; plural suffix
Amos 6:4; —
couch, divan,
Amos 3:12;
Amos 6:4 ("" ), +
2 Samuel 17:28 (read Klo Ne
Marg. 18 HPS, compare ); for lying at night
Job 7:13;
Psalm 6:7 ("" ),
Proverbs 7:16,
Psalm 132:3the coach of (consisting in)
my bed; couch of sickness
Psalm 41:4; marriage couch
Songs 1:16; perhaps transferred to sarcophagus, as last couch
Deuteronomy 3:11 (see Dr).
(√ of following; meaning unknown).
Topical Lexicon
Meaning and Scopeעֶרֶשׂ 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 (withDeuteronomy 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 ofProverbs 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.
2. Mortality: A couch of iron cannot postpone death.
3. Mercy: The sickbed often becomes the stage for God’s sustaining grace.
4. Holiness: Beds reveal moral allegiance—either sanctified marriage or illicit passion.
5. Judgment: Luxury without righteousness hastens ruin.
Practical Ministry Implications
• Hospital visitation echoesPsalm 41:3, praying that the Lord “restore” the infirm.
• Counseling the tempted recallsProverbs 7, exposing the deceptive ambiance of sin.
• Marriage enrichment may draw fromSong of Solomon 1:16, affirming God-given intimacy.
• Social ethics confront complacency likeAmos 6:4, urging stewardship instead of excess.
• Preaching onDeuteronomy 3:11 bolsters faith in the God who topples the beds of giants.
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 Eres
Links
Interlinear Greek •
Interlinear Hebrew •
Strong's Numbers •
Englishman's Greek Concordance •
Englishman's Hebrew Concordance •
Parallel Texts
