1 Samuel 19:13
And Michal took an image, and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goats' hair for his bolster, and covered it with a cloth.
Original Language Analysis
אֶת
H853
אֶת
Strong's:
H853
Word #:
3 of 14
properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
שָׂ֖מָה
and laid
H7760
שָׂ֖מָה
and laid
Strong's:
H7760
Word #:
5 of 14
to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically)
הַמִּטָּ֔ה
it in the bed
H4296
הַמִּטָּ֔ה
it in the bed
Strong's:
H4296
Word #:
7 of 14
a bed (as extended) for sleeping or eating; by analogy, a sofa, litter or bier
וְאֵת֙
H853
וְאֵת֙
Strong's:
H853
Word #:
8 of 14
properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
הָֽעִזִּ֔ים
of goats
H5795
הָֽעִזִּ֔ים
of goats
Strong's:
H5795
Word #:
10 of 14
a she-goat (as strong), but masculine in plural (which also is used elliptically for goat's hair)
שָׂ֖מָה
and laid
H7760
שָׂ֖מָה
and laid
Strong's:
H7760
Word #:
11 of 14
to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically)
מְרַֽאֲשֹׁתָ֑יו
hair for his bolster
H4763
מְרַֽאֲשֹׁתָ֑יו
hair for his bolster
Strong's:
H4763
Word #:
12 of 14
properly, a headpiece, i.e., (plural for adverbial) at (or as) the head-rest (or pillow)
Cross References
Genesis 31:19And Laban went to shear his sheep: and Rachel had stolen the images that were her father's.Judges 18:17And the five men that went to spy out the land went up, and came in thither, and took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image: and the priest stood in the entering of the gate with the six hundred men that were appointed with weapons of war.Judges 18:14Then answered the five men that went to spy out the country of Laish, and said unto their brethren, Do ye know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten image? now therefore consider what ye have to do.
Historical Context
Teraphim were household religious objects, possibly ancestral images. Their presence in an Israelite home reflected syncretic religious practices. Rachel had taken her father's teraphim (Genesis 31:19). Such objects were common despite prophetic condemnation.
Questions for Reflection
- How does God's use of imperfect means challenge our expectations of how He works?
- What does the presence of teraphim in David's household suggest about spiritual growth's gradual nature?
Related Resources
Explore related topics, people, and study resources to deepen your understanding of this passage.
Analysis & Commentary
And Michal took an image, and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goats' hair for his bolster, and covered it with a cloth.
Michal's use of a household idol (teraphim) raises uncomfortable questions - why did David's wife possess such an image? The deception bought time for David's escape. The pillow of goats' hair created visual illusion. While Scripture neither condones the idol's presence nor the deception, it records God's use of flawed instruments to accomplish preservation.