Original Word: כְּבִיר
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: kbiyr
Pronunciation: kah-BEER
Phonetic Spelling: (keb-eer)
KJV: pillow
NASB: quilt
Word Origin: [from H3527 (כָּבַר - abundance) in the original sense of plaiting]

1. a matrass (of intertwined materials)

pillow

From kabar in the original sense of plaiting; a matrass (of intertwined materials) -- pillow.

see HEBREW kabar

Word Origin
from an unused word
Definition
(something woven) perhaps a quilt or net
NASB Translation
quilt (2).

[כָּבִיר] noun [masculine] probably something netted, i.e. either a quilt or (Ew^{H. 8. 77} Ke) a

fly-net (κωνωπεῖον) spread over the face while a person was asleep; 1 Samuel 19:13,16 כְּבִיר הָעִזִּים a quilt (or fly-net) of goats (' hair). See further Dr^{on the passage}

Usage in Scripture

כְּבִיר appears only in 1 Samuel 19:13 and 1 Samuel 19:16. In both verses it names the bed-cover Michal spreads over a household idol to deceive Saul’s officers into thinking David is ill. The Berean Standard Bible renders it “garment” (19:13) and “quilt” (19:16), conveying a substantial woven covering, likely of coarse goat hair.

Historical and Cultural Background

Household textiles in the early monarchy were commonly produced from sheep’s wool or goat hair. Goat hair yielded a dark, durable cloth used for tents (Exodus 26:7), sacks (Genesis 42:25), and bed coverings such as the כְּבִיר. Beds were low platforms or mats; a thick hair-cloth layer supplied warmth in Israel’s cool nights. The presence of such a cover in Saul’s palace fits the setting: a royal residence equipped with practical domestic items produced by women of the household.

Narrative Significance in 1 Samuel

1. Immediate context (1 Samuel 19:11–17): Saul dispatches men to seize David. Michal, aware of the plot, lowers David through a window, then fashions a deception by placing a teraphim in the bed, topping it with goat hair, and concealing it under the כְּבִיר.
2. Strategic function: The coverlet hides the dummy long enough for David to escape, turning an ordinary domestic cloth into an instrument of divine preservation.
3. Literary contrast: Saul wields royal authority and armed troops; David’s deliverance hinges on a wife, an idol, and a quilt—elements of weakness that highlight the LORD’s overruling power (compare 1 Corinthians 1:27).

Theological Reflections

• Divine Providence: The episode illustrates how the LORD ordains commonplace means for extraordinary rescue (cf. Psalm 34:7). Even a bed quilt becomes part of His protective strategy for the future anointed king.
• Moral tension: Michal’s subterfuge involves deception and the use of a forbidden teraphim (Deuteronomy 18:10–12). Scripture records the event without commendation of the idol yet shows God’s sovereignty in turning flawed human actions toward His purposes, paralleling other narratives of protective deceit (Exodus 1:15–20; Joshua 2:4–6).
• Symbol of covering: While the כְּבִיר literally conceals the idol, the broader biblical motif of “covering” points to atonement (Leviticus 17:11) and ultimately to Christ, whose blood “covers” sin (Romans 4:7). The incident anticipates the need for a true and righteous covering that does not rely on deception but on sacrificial love (1 John 4:10).

Practical Ministry Applications

• Trust God’s ordinary means. Believers should not despise small resources; God often hides mighty deliverance in humble forms.
• Guard ethical integrity. While God may overrule human failings, His people are called to truthfulness (Ephesians 4:25). The account invites self-examination regarding ends-justify-the-means thinking.
• Cultivate discernment in the home. Michal possessed both an idol and a quilt; one violated the covenant, the other furthered God’s plan. Households today must discern what to remove and what to dedicate for righteous use (Joshua 24:15).

Typological and Christological Connections

David, the threatened anointed one, escapes death only to ascend the throne later; Christ, the greater David, passes through death to eternal kingship (Acts 13:32–37). The temporary concealment beneath the כְּבִיר foreshadows the mystery of the Gospel once hidden but now revealed (Colossians 1:26), and it anticipates the stone covering that could not confine the risen Savior (Matthew 28:2–6).

Summary

Though mentioned only twice, כְּבִיר becomes a vivid testament to God’s providence, the complexity of human agency, and the larger redemptive account moving inexorably toward the establishment of David’s line and, through it, the Messiah. A simple goat-hair quilt thus joins the mosaic of Scriptural witness, reminding readers that every thread of history is woven by the sovereign hand of God.

וּכְבִ֥יר וכביר כְּבִ֣יר כביר kə·ḇîr kəḇîr keVir ū·ḵə·ḇîr ucheVir ūḵəḇîrInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts