In biblical times, the term "stool" can refer to a variety of objects, ranging from simple seating furniture to more specific items used in childbirth. The concept of a stool is mentioned in several contexts within the Bible, each carrying its own cultural and historical significance.

1. Seating Furniture: In ancient Israel, stools were basic pieces of furniture used for sitting. Unlike modern chairs, stools in biblical times were often simple and functional, made from wood or stone. They were used in homes and places of gathering, serving as a practical item for daily life. The simplicity of stools reflects the modest lifestyle of the people during biblical times.

2. Childbirth Stool: One of the more specific uses of the term "stool" in the Bible is found in the context of childbirth. In Exodus 1:16, Pharaoh instructs the Hebrew midwives, "When you help the Hebrew women give birth, observe them as they deliver. If it is a son, kill him; but if it is a daughter, let her live." The term "birthstool" is implied here, referring to a special seat or support used by women during labor. This stool was designed to aid in the birthing process, providing comfort and support to the mother.

3. Symbolic and Ritual Use: Stools can also have symbolic meanings in the Bible. They may represent authority or a place of honor. For example, in some ancient Near Eastern cultures, a stool or footstool could signify the subjugation of enemies, as seen in Psalm 110:1, "The LORD said to my Lord: 'Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.'" Here, the footstool symbolizes the complete defeat and submission of adversaries under the authority of the Messiah.

4. Cultural Context: Understanding the use of stools in the Bible requires an appreciation of the cultural and historical context of the ancient Near East. Stools were not only practical items but also carried social and symbolic meanings. They were part of the everyday life of the Israelites and other ancient peoples, reflecting their customs, social structures, and religious practices.

In summary, the term "stool" in the Bible encompasses a range of meanings, from a simple piece of furniture to a significant object in childbirth and a symbol of authority and victory. Each mention of a stool in the Scriptures provides insight into the daily life and spiritual symbolism of the biblical world.1. (n.) A plant from which layers are propagated by bending its branches into the soil.

2. (v. i.) To ramfy; to tiller, as grain; to shoot out suckers.

3. (n.) A single seat with three or four legs and without a back, made in various forms for various uses.

4. (n.) A seat used in evacuating the bowels; hence, an evacuation; a discharge from the bowels.

5. (n.) A stool pigeon, or decoy bird.

6. (n.) A small channel on the side of a vessel, for the dead-eyes of the backstays.

7. (n.) A bishop's seat or see; a bishop-stool.

8. (n.) A bench or form for resting the feet or the knees; a footstool; as, a kneeling stool.

9. (n.) Material, such as oyster shells, spread on the sea bottom for oyster spat to adhere to.

STOOL

stool ('obhnayim): It is not clear what the character and purpose of this stool were Septuagint has no reference to it). It seems to have been a chair of a peculiar sort upon which a woman reclined in parturition (Exodus 1:16). The Hebrew word is in the dual number and primarily means "two stones." The only other place where it occurs is Jeremiah 18:3, where it is rendered "wheels" Septuagint epi ton lithon, "on the stones"). In 2 Kings 4:10, the word translated in the King James Version as "stool" (kicce') is in the Revised Version (British and American) more correctly translated "seat."

See also BIRTH-STOOL; SEAT.

Jesse L. Cotton

4228. pous -- a foot
... foot, footstool. A primary word; a "foot" (figuratively or literally) --
foot(-stool). (poda) -- 3 Occurrences. (podas) -- 55 Occurrences. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4228.htm - 6k

5132. trapeza -- a table, dining table
... table. Probably contracted from tessares and peze; a table or stool (as being
four-legged), usually for food (figuratively, a meal); also a counter for money ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5132.htm - 7k

1916. hadom -- a stool, footstool
... 1915, 1916. hadom. 1917 . a stool, footstool. Transliteration: hadom
Phonetic Spelling: (had-ome') Short Definition: footstool. ...
/hebrew/1916.htm - 5k

70. oben -- a wheel, disk
... Definition: birthstool. Word Origin from eben Definition a wheel, disk NASB
Word Usage birthstool (1), wheel (1). wheel, stool. From the ...
/hebrew/70.htm - 6k

3678. kisse -- seat of honor, throne
... seat, stool, throne. Or kicceh {kis-say'}; from kacah; properly, covered, ie A throne
(as canopied) -- seat, stool, throne. see HEBREW kacah. 3677, 3678. ...
/hebrew/3678.htm - 6k

7272. regel -- foot
... The pudenda -- X be able to endure, X according as, X after, X coming, X follow,
((broken-))foot((-ed, -stool)), X great toe, X haunt, X journey, leg, + piss ...
/hebrew/7272.htm - 6k

"Good-For-Nothing"
... He went through the street, down a little alley to the brook, where his mother stood
in the water, at her washing-stool, beating the heavy linen. ...
/.../wells/bible stories and religious classics/good-for-nothing.htm

Whether Christ's Humanity Should be Adored with the Adoration of " ...
... Objection 1: It would seem that Christ's soul should not be adored with the adoration
of "latria." For on the words of Ps.98:5, "Adore His foot-stool for it is ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether christs humanity should be.htm

The Dream of St. Ursula
... red cloth with a white border and dainty fringe; and beside it her seat, not at
all like a reading-chair in Oxford, but a very small three-legged stool like a ...
//christianbookshelf.org/ruskin/saint ursula/ii the dream of st.htm

The Boyhood of Jesus
... There are mats and carpets in the house, and a bright-coloured box with treasures
in it, and a painted wooden stool; and that is nearly all. ...
/.../anonymous/the good shepherd/chapter iii the boyhood of.htm

The Crowning with Thorns.
... In the middle of the court there stood the fragment of a pillar, and on it was placed
a very low stool which these cruel men maliciously covered with sharp ...
/.../chapter xxvi the crowning with.htm

"Well Then, when First, Having Left the Schools, I Attached Myself ...
... at the spectacle, seated on a lofty throne, yea, in its elevation, a kind of royal
tribunal; but Martin might be seen sitting on a rude little stool, such as ...
/.../severus/life and writings of sulpitius severus /chapter i well then when.htm

The "Sayings" of Pythagoras.
... [666] "Eat not from a stool;" (meaning,) do not undertake an ignoble art ... [667] "Eat
not from a stool." This proverb is also differently read and interpreted. ...
/.../the refutation of all heresies/chapter xxii the sayings of pythagoras.htm

With the Rev. William Burns
... We were in the habit of leaving our boats, after prayer for blessing, at about
nine o'clock in the morning, with a light bamboo stool in hand. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/taylor/a retrospect/chapter xi with the rev.htm

Book vii. On the Useful or the Ordinary
... [Ps.106(107):32 Vulgate; Ps.1:1 Vulgate]. The stool is the subjection of the humiliated;
in the psalm: until I place your enemies beneath your feet as a stool. ...
/.../eucherius/the formulae of st eucherius of lyons/book vii on the useful.htm

A Few Nights after This, Diamond Woke up Suddenly...
... a wretched room which that lamp lighted"-so dreary, and dirty, and empty, and
hopeless!"-there in the middle of it sat Diamond on a stool, smiling to the ...
/.../macdonald/at the back of the north wind/chapter 18 a few nights.htm

Stool (6 Occurrences)
... the bowels. 5. (n.) A stool pigeon, or decoy bird. 6. (n.) A ... 7. (n.) A
bishop's seat or see; a bishop-stool. 8. (n.) A bench or ...
/s/stool.htm - 9k

Birth-stool (1 Occurrence)
Birth-stool. Birthstool, Birth-stool. Birzaith . Int. Standard
Bible Encyclopedia BIRTH-STOOL. burth'-stool: Found only ...
/b/birth-stool.htm - 7k

Birthstool (1 Occurrence)
... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia BIRTH-STOOL. burth'-stool: Found only in Exodus
1:16, in connection with Hebrew women in Egypt when oppressed by Pharaoh. ...
/b/birthstool.htm - 7k

Footstool (16 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary. (n.) A low stool to support the feet of one when
sitting. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. FOOTSTOOL. foot ...
/f/footstool.htm - 14k

Buffet (4 Occurrences)
... 5. (n.) A small stool; a stool for a buffet or counter. 6. (vt) To strike
with the hand or fist; to box; to beat; to cuff; to slap. ...
/b/buffet.htm - 9k

Seat (256 Occurrences)
... 1. (n.) The place or thing upon which one sits; hence; anything made to be sat
in or upon, as a chair, bench, stool, saddle, or the like. ...
/s/seat.htm - 41k

Tables (41 Occurrences)
... That which served the purpose was a skin or piece of leather spread out on the carpeted
floor. Sometimes a stool was placed in the middle of this skin. ...
/t/tables.htm - 20k

Delivery (8 Occurrences)
... Exodus 1:16 and he said, "When you perform the duty of a midwife to the Hebrew women,
and see them on the birth stool; if it is a son, then you shall kill him ...
/d/delivery.htm - 9k

Meals (8 Occurrences)
... Are at the present day "eaten from a round table little higher than a stool, guests
sitting cross-legged on mats or small carpets in a circle, and dipping ...
/m/meals.htm - 27k

Midwife (4 Occurrences)
... Exodus 1:16 and he said, "When you perform the duty of a midwife to the Hebrew women,
and see them on the birth stool; if it is a son, then you shall kill him ...
/m/midwife.htm - 10k

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