Biblical and Literary Footstools

Whether known as a "repose-pied" (France), "fodskammel" in Denmark or a "sgabellino" in Italy, footstools are a well respected piece of household furniture. They have also had significant literary presence with references in the Bible and some of the great works of world literature.

In the Bible, "Jehovah symbolically dwelt in the holy place between the cherubim above the ark of the covenant. The ark was his footstool" (1 Chr. 28:2; Ps. 99:5; 132:7). "And as heaven is God's throne, so the earth is his footstool" and in Matthew 5:34,35. "Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King."

In Psalms 110:1."The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool." and later from the Old Testament, "For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:
Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?

Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862) who was a philosopher, author and naturalist said in his 1864 work, The Allegash and East Branch, "When the chopper would praise a pine, he will commonly tell you that the one he cut was so big that a yoke of oxen stood on its stump; as if that were what the pine had grown for, to become the footstool of oxen." English Poet John Donne, writing in 1613 said, "Who sees God's face, that is self life, must die; What a death were it then to see God die! It made his own lieutenant, Nature, shrink; It made his footstool crack, and the sun wink."

In 1861 Julia Ward Howe composed the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" as the early battles of the American Civil War raged between the Confederate and Union armies. Howe was influenced by the anti slavery societies in the North and had been persuaded to write new lyrics to the popular patriotic song "John Brown's Body". She was later paid the princely sum of $5 by a US publisher as the song caught on and swept into the consciousness of the North. Her lyric included the seminal reference to "God's footstool" in the final verse; -

"He is coming like the glory of the morning on the wave,
He is Wisdom to the mighty, He is Succour to the brave,
So the world shall be His footstool, and the soul of Time His slave,
Our God is marching on."

The author has over 20 years experience running companies involved in furnishing fabrics and furniture manufacturing in the UK and writes extensively about footstools and contemporary furniture.