^19:13Then Michal took a household idol¹⁷ and put it on the bed. She put a quilt¹⁸ made of goat’s hair over its head¹⁹ and then covered the idol with a garment.

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Footnotes

17 Heb “teraphim” (also a second time in this verse and once in v. 16). These were statues that represented various deities. According to 2 Kgs 23:24 they were prohibited during the time of Josiah’s reform movement in the seventh century. The idol Michal placed under the covers was of sufficient size to give the mistaken impression that David lay in the bed, thus facilitating his escape.
18 The exact meaning of the Hebrew word כָּבִיר (kavir) is uncertain; it is found in the Hebrew Bible only here and in v. 16. It probably refers to a quilt made of goat’s hair, perhaps used as a fly net while one slept. See *כָּבִיר. Cf. , “pillow”; “cushion”; , “net.”
19 Heb “at the place of its head.”

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

Michal took an image and laid it on the bed and put a pillow of goats’ hair at its head and covered it with the clothes.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Then Michal took an idol and laid it on the bed, covering it with a garment and putting some goats’ hair at the head.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Then Michal took the household idol and put it on the bed, placed some goat hair on its head, and covered it with a garment.

NLTNew Living Translation

Then she took an idol and put it in his bed, covered it with blankets, and put a cushion of goat’s hair at its head.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

Then Michal took the household god and put it on the bed and put a quilt of goat’s hair at its head and covered it with the clothes.

KJV 1900King James Version

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.

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