Bible Dictionary
Chamber
A chamber was a private room, guest room, upper room, temple room, or bridal chamber. Upper rooms were often used for lodging and prayer.
Definition
A chamber was a room or private apartment. Biblical chambers included guest rooms, upper or roof rooms, temple rooms, side chambers, palace rooms, bridal chambers, and rooms used for sacred purposes.
Biblical Usage
Upper chambers provided lodging for strangers and were used for prayer and communion with God. Scripture also mentions the bridal chamber, temple chambers, chambers of imagery, and chambers associated with royal or private rooms.
Historical Background
A Hebrew house could contain upper rooms built over a porch or on a flat roof, private rooms, and rooms within rooms. Temple side-chambers and sacred rooms formed part of the larger temple arrangement.
Scripture References
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
“on the wall,” which the Shunammite prepared for the prophet Elisha (2 Kings 4:10), was an upper chamber over the porch through the hall toward the street. This was the “guest chamber” where entertainments were prepared (Mark 14:14). There were also “chambers within chambers” (1 Kings 22:25; 2 Kings 9:2). To enter into a chamber is used metaphorically of prayer and communion with God (Isa. 26:20). The “chambers of the south” (Job 9:9) are probably the constelations of the southern hemisphere. The “chambers of imagery”, i.e., chambers painted with images, as used by Ezekiel (8:12), is an expression denoting the vision the prophet had of the abominations practised by the Jews in Jerusalem.
Smith's Bible Dictionary
(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)
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>cham'-ber (the translation of the following Hebrew words: chedher, chuppah, yatsia`, yatsua`, lishkah, nishkah, `aliyah, tsela`, and the Aramaic word `illith): 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. Chedher is a word of frequent occurrence, and designates a private room. Chuppah is translated "chamber" only in Ps 19:5, where it is used in connection with "bridegroom," and means a bridal chamber. The same Hebrew word used of the bride in Joe 2:16 is rendered "closet." Yatsia` and yatsua` are found only in 1Ki 6:5,6,10 (the King James Version only in all the passages), yatsua` being the reading of Kethibh and yatsia` of Kere in each ease. Here the meaning is really "story," as given in the Revised Version (British and American), except in 1Ki 6:6, where doubtless the text should be changed to read ha-tsela`, "the side-chamber." Lishkah, a frequent word, and the equivalent nishkah, infrequent, are used ordinarily of a room in the temple utilized for sacred purposes, occasionally of a room in the palace. `Aliyah and the equivalent Aramaic `illith signify "a roof chamber," i.e. a chamber built on the flat roof of a house. Tsela`, when used of a chamber, designates a side-chamber of the temple. It is usually rendered "side-chamber," but "chamber" in 1Ki 6:5,8 (the King James Version), where the Revised Version (British and American) has "side-chamber."</p><p>George Ricker Berry</p>