Greek word · G4766

στρώννυμι

strōnnymi

to spread

στρώννυμι means to spread out or lay down: garments on a road (Matt 21:8), bedding, the cushions and coverings of dining couches. As a perfect participle it means "furnished" (a room set up with couches).

Appears 6 times in 5 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

στρωννύω or στρώννυμι

(seeBl., § 23, 1; Veitch, see word), [in LXX for יַצַע hoph., etc. ;]

to spread: ἱμάτια ἐν τ. ὁδῷ (εἰς τ. ὁδόν), Matthew 21:8, Mark 11:8; of making a bed, στρῶσον (sc. τ. κλίνην) σεαυτῷ, Acts 9:34; of furnishing a room, ἐστρωμένον, spread with carpets or carpeted couches (cf. Ezekiel 23:41), Mark 14:15, Luke 22:12.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Acts 9:34

Range of meaning

στρώννυμι means to spread out or lay down: garments on a road (Matt 21:8), bedding, the cushions and coverings of dining couches. As a perfect participle it means "furnished" (a room set up with couches).

Against the English

KJV, WEB and others: "make your bed". BSB: "put away your mat". NIV and NLT: "roll up your mat". YLT keeps the bare "spread for thyself". The Greek has no object, and "put away" or "roll up" goes past what the verb says, which is spreading out, not packing away.

How it drifted

English translators borrowed the picture of the Gospel paralytic who "takes up his bed" (Luke 5:24, a different verb, αἴρω). They also tidied it into the modern habit of making a bed in the morning.

Used elsewhere in the period

Mark 14:15 and Luke 22:12 speak of an upper room ἐστρωμένον, "furnished" with couches for the Passover meal. Ezek 23:41 LXX describes a couch "spread" (ἐστρωμένης) beside a table. In Greek writers generally, "spreading a couch" is the usual expression for setting up for dinner.

From the study of Matthew 21:8

Range of meaning

To spread out or strew. It is used for laying coverings, making a bed (Acts 9:34) and furnishing a room with spread couches (Mark 14:15, an 'upper room furnished', estrōmenon).

Against the English

'Spread' is accurate. KJV 'strawed' is an old form of 'strewed', meaning scattered or spread.

Used elsewhere in the period

The verb has a long Greek history for spreading coverings or carpets, including for honoured guests. In this verse Matthew uses it twice in two different tenses: estrōsan (a single completed act) and estrōnnuon (a continuous act).

Where it appears

Matthew · 2

  1. Matthew 21:8 ἔστρωσαν ἐστρώννυον spread, were spreading [them]

    A massive crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

    Here: 'They spread.' The tense presents the action as a single whole: they laid their cloaks down. It is a plural verb with a singular collective subject, so the focus is on many people each laying down a cloak.

Mark · 2

  1. Mark 11:8 ἔστρωσαν spread

    Many in the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut from the fields.

  2. Mark 14:15 ἐστρωμένον furnished

    And he will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.”

Luke · 1

  1. Luke 22:12 ἐστρωμένον· furnished;

    And he will show you a large upper room, already furnished. Make preparations there.”

Acts · 1

  1. Acts 9:34 στρῶσον do make the bed

    “Aeneas,” Peter said to him, “Jesus Christ heals you! Get up and put away your mat.” Immediately Aeneas got up,

    Here: Literally "spread": to lay out bedding or the coverings of a couch. The object is left unstated. It means either "make up your own bed" or "lay out your couch for a meal" (see debates).

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.