Chamber

Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary

Chamber and Chambers

These words we meet in Scripture upon various occasions. We read of "the chambers of the south," in relation to the heavenly bodies. ( Job 9:9) "The upper chambers" of Solomon's temple, respecting the services and ordinances; ( 2 Chronicles 3:9) and inner chambers of the Old Testament; and the guest-chambers of the New. ( 2 Kings 9:2;  Mark 14:1-72) But the sweetest sense of the word chambers, in Scripture language, is in reference to those endearing views of Jesus, when he brings his church into the chambers of his grace, to make himself known unto them, otherwise than he doeth unto the world. Thus the church saith, ( Song of Song of Solomon 1:4) "The King hath brought me into his chambers." probably, it might mean into the knowledge of covenant of redemption, the doctrines of his gospel, which Jesus calls "the mysteries of his kingdom," and of which he saith to his disciples, "It is given unto you to know, but to others in parables." ( Matthew 13:10-11) But still more perhaps, chambers is meant, the sweet and intimate communion into which Jesus brings his people, and of which no eye sees, no heart is privy, but him to whom the Lord gives that bread in secret.

And it should seem, that this is the chief sense of the word, because it was the custom among Jews, to unfold the secrets of their religion in this way. Hence, the guest-chamber, where Christ held his last supper, was of this kind. And the same, where the disciples met after our Lord's resurrection, for fear of the Jews. Seen in this point of view, we can discover a great beauty in that lovely invitation by the prophet: "Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers." ( Isaiah 26:20-21) What a gracious acknowledgment is this, on the Lord's part, of being his people, when, from having taken our nature, Jesus claims the church for his own, and leads her, as the husband the wife, into his chambers, unveils all his glories to her, and gives her interest, and right, and possession, of himself, and all that belongs to him, as the great Head and Mediator of his body, the church, "the fulness of Him that filleth all in all."

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words

1: Ταμεῖον (Strong'S #5009 — Noun Neuter — tameion — tam-i'-on )

denotes, firstly, "a store-chamber," then, "any private room, secret chamber,"  Matthew 6:6; RV, "inner chamber" (AV, "closet");  Matthew 24:26 , "inner (AV, secret) chambers;"  Luke 12:3 , RV, ditto, for AV, "closets;" it is used in  Luke 12:24 ("store-chamber") of birds.

2: Ὑπερῷον (Strong'S #5253 — Noun Neuter — huperoon — hoop-er-o'-on )

the neuter of huperoos, "above," denotes "an upper room, upper chamber" (huper, "above"),  Acts 1:13;  9:37,39;  20:8 . See Room.

Webster's Dictionary

(1): (n.) A room or rooms where a lawyer transacts business; a room or rooms where a judge transacts such official business as may be done out of court.

(2): (n.) A retired room, esp. an upper room used for sleeping; a bedroom; as, the house had four chambers.

(3): (n.) Apartments in a lodging house.

(4): (n.) A hall, as where a king gives audience, or a deliberative body or assembly meets; as, presence chamber; senate chamber.

(5): (v. i.) To reside in or occupy a chamber or chambers.

(6): (n.) A legislative or judicial body; an assembly; a society or association; as, the Chamber of Deputies; the Chamber of Commerce.

(7): (n.) A compartment or cell; an inclosed space or cavity; as, the chamber of a canal lock; the chamber of a furnace; the chamber of the eye.

(8): (v. t.) To shut up, as in a chamber.

(9): (n.) A chamber pot.

(10): (n.) That part of the bore of a piece of ordnance which holds the charge, esp. when of different diameter from the rest of the bore; - formerly, in guns, made smaller than the bore, but now larger, esp. in breech-loading guns.

(11): (n.) A cavity in a mine, usually of a cubical form, to contain the powder.

(12): (n.) A short piece of ordnance or cannon, which stood on its breech, without any carriage, formerly used chiefly for rejoicings and theatrical cannonades.

(13): (v. t.) To furnish with a chamber; as, to chamber a gun.

(14): (v. i.) To be lascivious.

People's Dictionary of the Bible

Chamber.  Genesis 43:30. Usually, the private apartments of a house are called chambers.  2 Samuel 18:33;  Psalms 19:5;  Daniel 6:10. Particular rooms of this class in Eastern houses were designated by significant terms.

Guest-chamber.  Mark 14:14. This we may suppose to have been a spacious unoccupied room, usually in the upper part of the house, and furnished suitably for the reception and entertainment of guests and for social meetings. The proverbial hospitality of the Jews would make such provision necessary, and especially at Jerusalem, in festival seasons, when every house in the city was the stranger's home.  Mark 14:15;  Luke 22:12;  Acts 1:13.

Inner Chamber.  2 Kings 9:2. A chamber within another chamber.

Little Chamber.  2 Kings 4:10. An apartment built upon and projecting from the walls of the main house, and communicating by a private door with the house, and by a private stairway with the street.

Upper Chamber, or Loft,  Acts 9:37, occupied the front part of the building, over the gate or outer entrance, and was used to lodge strangers. Comp.  1 Kings 17:19;  1 Kings 17:23 with  2 Kings 4:10.

Holman Bible Dictionary

 2 Kings 6:12 Judges 3:24 Judges 15:1 Joel 2:16 1 Samuel 9:22 2 Kings 23:11 Nehemiah 12:44 Judges 3:20 2 Samuel 18:33 1 Kings 7:3 Matthew 6:6 Matthew 24:26 Luke 12:3 Luke 12:24

Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types

 Proverbs 7:27 (b) A description of the departments in hell where sinners are punished according to their deserts.

 Song of Solomon 1:4 (c) The different experiences of blessing in the Christian life are compared to chambers in the palace of the king.

 Isaiah 26:20 (b) This refers to those times in the believer's life when he retires from the busy public life to be alone with the Lord.

 Matthew 24:26 (b) Here is indicated that rumors should spread abroad that our Lord had hidden Himself in some secret place on earth in order to appear suddenly in judgment.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Chamber.  Genesis 43:30;  2 Samuel 18:33;  Psalms 19:5;  Daniel 6:10. The word chamber, in these passages, has much the same significance as with us, meaning the private rooms of the house - the guest chamber, as with us, meaning a room set apart for the accommodation of the visiting friend.  Mark 14:14-15;  Luke 22:12. The upper chamber was used, more particularly, for the lodgment of strangers.  Acts 9:37.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

 2 Kings 4:10 Mark 14:14 1 Kings 22:25 2 Kings 9:2 Isaiah 26:20 Job 9:9 Ezekiel 8:12

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

CHAMBER . Now obsolescent, is used by AV [Note: Authorized Version.] in a variety of connexions where modern usage employs ‘room,’ as e.g. ‘bed-chamber,’ ‘upper chamber,’ etc. See, generally. House. For the Temple chambers, see Temple.

Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament

CHAMBER. —See Closet, and Guest-Chamber.

Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary

See Upper Room .

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

chām´bẽr (the translation of the following Hebrew words: חדר , ḥedher , חפה , ḥuppāh , יציע , yācı̄a‛ , יצוּע , yācūa‛ , לשׁכּה , lishkāh , נשׁכּה , nishkāh , עליּה , ‛ălı̄yāh , צלע , cēlā‛ , and the Aramaic word עלּית , ‛illı̄th ): For the most part the word chamber is the expression of an idea which would be adequately expressed by the English word "room," in accordance with an earlier use of the word, now little employed. For the arrangement of rooms in a Hebrew house, see House . Ḥedher is a word of frequent occurrence, and designates a private room. Ḥuppāh is translated "chamber" only in  Psalm 19:5 , where it is used in connection with "bridegroom," and means a bridal chamber. The same Hebrew word used of the bride in  Joel 2:16 is rendered "closet." Yācı̄a‛ and yācūa‛ are found only in  1 Kings 6:5 ,  1 Kings 6:6 ,  1 Kings 6:10 (the King James Version only in all the passages), yācūa‛ being the reading of Kethı̄bh and yācı̄a‛ of Ḳerē in each ease. Here the meaning is really "story," as given in the Revised Version (British and American), except in  1 Kings 6:6 , where doubtless the text should be changed to read ha - cēlā‛ , "the side-chamber." Lishkāh , a frequent word, and the equivalent nishkāh , infrequent, are used ordinarily of a room in the temple utilized for sacred purposes, occasionally of a room in the palace. ‛Ǎlı̄yāh and the equivalent Aramaic ‛illı̄th signify "a roof chamber," i.e. a chamber built on the flat roof of a house. Cēlā‛ , when used of a chamber, designates a side-chamber of the temple. It is usually rendered "side-chamber," but "chamber" in  1 Kings 6:5 ,  1 Kings 6:8 (the King James Version), where the Revised Version (British and American) has "side-chamber."

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

Bibliography Information McClintock, John. Strong, James. Entry for 'Chamber'. Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature. https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/tce/c/chamber.html. Harper & Brothers. New York. 1870.