Greek word · G2826
κλινίδιον
klinidion
bed
A diminutive of klinē, 'bed, couch, dining couch': a small bed, pallet, or stretcher. It is rare in the New Testament (only Luke 5:19, 24).
Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·
What it means
From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).
In depth
- Range of meaning
A diminutive of klinē, 'bed, couch, dining couch': a small bed, pallet, or stretcher. It is rare in the New Testament (only Luke 5:19, 24).
- Against the English
BSB and NIV: 'mat'; ESV: 'bed'; NASB: 'stretcher'; WEB: 'cot'; KJV: 'couch'; YLT: 'little couch', which keeps the diminutive. 'Mat' comes from Mark's word; Luke's word is a bit more like a portable frame.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Luke calls it klinē in 5:18 and klinidion in 5:19, 24. Mark 2:4, 9, 11–12 has krabattos, a colloquial word for a poor person's pallet. The Atticist grammarian Phrynichus (2nd century AD) told writers to avoid krabattos and use a more literary word. Luke's choice fits his habit of smoothing Mark's everyday Greek.
Where it appears
Luke · 2
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Luke 5:19 κλινιδίῳ mat
but they could not find a way through the crowd. So they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.
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Luke 5:24 κλινίδιόν mat
But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on the earth to forgive sins…” He said to the paralytic, “I tell you, get up, pick up your mat, and go home.”
Here: A diminutive form of klinē, 'bed, couch': a small portable bed or stretcher light enough to be lowered on ropes and carried by one man.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.