← H4295 H4297 →

מִטָּה

𐤌𐤈𐤄

miṭṭâh

H4296 noun

SILEX Entry

Root נטה to stretch out, spread, incline

Definition

A piece of furniture designed as a place to lie down, primarily used for sleeping or resting, but also for reclining during meals, and, by extension, as a platform for transporting or displaying the body of someone ill or deceased. The word encompasses a range of beds, couches, or platforms designed for physical support or repose, both in daily use and ritual or ceremonial contexts.

Semantic Range

bed, couch, place for sleeping, reclining platform, banquet couch, bier, litter for carrying the dead; by metonymy, sleeping place, chamber (rare)

Root / Etymology

Root: נטה (natah), meaning 'to stretch out, spread, incline.' The noun מִטָּה (miṭṭâh) is formed on this root, indicating something that is spread out or extended, as a surface or platform intended for reclining or sleeping. While the root refers broadly to the act of spreading or stretching, the derived noun focuses on the object that results from this action—a bed or couch.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In early Israelite contexts, מִטָּה referred to a simple bed or sleeping mat, often a portable item made of wood with ropes or woven materials. Over time, the term acquired broader usage, including more elaborate couches and platforms used for reclining during communal meals or banquets—a custom more prevalent in royal or wealthy households. The word is also used for a bier (a portable platform) for transporting or displaying the body of a deceased person (e.g., 2 Samuel 3:31). Unlike מַשְׂכָּב (maškāv), which can denote any place of lying (including figurative uses for sexual relations or as a deathbed), מִטָּה emphasizes the object itself as furniture. Some English translations render מִטָּה as 'bed,' 'couch,' or 'bier,' but the full semantic range covers both daily utilitarian and ceremonial or ritual functions. In later periods and outside the Hebrew Bible, the word continued to refer to beds or couches in household and funerary settings. 'Bed-chamber' in some English translations reflects contexts where the focus is not on the bed as a physical object but the space associated with it, but this is a secondary usage. The Greek Septuagint most often uses κλίνη (klinē), likewise denoting a broad range of beds and reclining couches.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from נָטָה; a bed (as extended) forsleeping or eating; by analogy, a sofa, litter or bier; bed(-chamber), bier.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.

+ Add Bantu Hebrew Word

Root Family

נטה (n-ṭ-h) — to stretch out, spread, incline

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3194 יֻטָּה and Extended-Place
H4294 מַטֶּה in the staff
H4295 מַטָּה downward
H4297 מֻטֶּה bent distortion
H4298 מֻטָּה stretches of

Word Forms

9 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H4296-01 הַ/מִּטָּֽה hamitah HTd/Ncfsa the bed the stretched-out bed 11
H4296-07 מִטָּת/וֹ֙ mitato HNcfsc/Sp3ms his bed his reclining couch 7
H4296-03 מִטָּ֥ה mitah HNcfsa a bed stretched-out couch 3
H4296-02 הַ/מִּטּ֑וֹת hamitot HTd/Ncfpa of the beds the stretched-out couches 2
H4296-08 מִטּ֣וֹת mitot HNcfpc beds reclining couches of 2
H4296-09 בַ/מִּטָּ֛ה vamitah HRd/Ncfsa in the bed in the stretched-out couch 1
H4296-05 מִטָּתֶ֑/ךָ mitatekha HNcfsc/Sp2ms your bed your reclining-place 1
H4296-04 מִטַּ֖ת mitat HNcfsc the bed of reclining couch of 1
H4296-06 מִטָּתִ֑/י mitati HNcfsc/Sp1cs my bed my couch 1

Occurrences in Scripture

29 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H4296-01 Genesis 47:31 הַ/מִּטָּֽה hamitah HTd/Ncfsa of the bed the stretched-out bed
H4296-01 Genesis 48:2 הַ/מִּטָּֽה hamitah HTd/Ncfsa the bed the stretched-out bed
H4296-01 Genesis 49:33 הַ/מִּטָּ֑ה hamitah HTd/Ncfsa the bed the stretched-out bed
H4296-05 Exodus 7:28 מִטָּתֶ֑/ךָ mitatekha HNcfsc/Sp2ms your bed your reclining-place
H4296-01 1 Samuel 19:13 הַ/מִּטָּ֔ה hamitah HTd/Ncfsa the bed the stretched-out bed
H4296-09 1 Samuel 19:15 בַ/מִּטָּ֛ה vamitah HRd/Ncfsa in the bed in the stretched-out couch
H4296-01 1 Samuel 19:16 הַ/מִּטָּ֑ה hamitah HTd/Ncfsa the bed the stretched-out bed
H4296-01 1 Samuel 28:23 הַ/מִּטָּֽה hamitah HTd/Ncfsa the bed the stretched-out bed
H4296-01 2 Samuel 3:31 הַ/מִּטָּֽה hamitah HTd/Ncfsa the bier the stretched-out bed
H4296-07 2 Samuel 4:7 מִטָּת/וֹ֙ mitato HNcfsc/Sp3ms his bed his reclining couch
← H4295 Hebrew Lexicon H4297 →