Topical Encyclopedia
The term "bed-chamber" in biblical times refers to a private room or space within a dwelling where individuals would sleep or rest. This space was often considered intimate and personal, serving as a place of privacy and retreat. The concept of the bed-chamber is mentioned in various contexts throughout the Bible, highlighting its significance in both daily life and specific events.
In the Old Testament, the bed-chamber is often depicted as a place of vulnerability and secrecy. For instance, in
2 Kings 6:12, the prophet Elisha is described as knowing the words spoken by the king of Aram in his bed-chamber, illustrating the idea that even the most private conversations are known to God: "Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom" .
The bed-chamber also appears in narratives involving deception and intrigue. In
Judges 3:24, the Moabite king Eglon is found dead in his "cool upper room" or bed-chamber after being assassinated by Ehud. This event underscores the vulnerability associated with the bed-chamber, as it was a place where individuals could be caught off guard.
In the New Testament, the bed-chamber is mentioned in the context of prayer and devotion. Jesus instructs His followers in
Matthew 6:6 to pray in private, using the imagery of entering one's room and closing the door: "But when you pray, go into your inner room, shut your door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you" . This teaching emphasizes the importance of sincerity and privacy in one's relationship with God.
The bed-chamber is also a setting for significant personal and familial interactions. In the account of the Shunammite woman in
2 Kings 4, the prophet Elisha is given a small room on the roof of her house, complete with a bed, table, chair, and lamp. This provision of a private space for Elisha reflects the hospitality and respect shown to a man of God.
In the cultural context of the Bible, the bed-chamber was not only a place for rest but also a symbol of one's personal life and inner thoughts. It was a space where individuals could retreat from the public eye, engage in personal reflection, and encounter God in prayer. The biblical references to the bed-chamber serve as reminders of the importance of privacy, vulnerability, and the sacredness of personal devotion.
Easton's Bible Dictionary
An apartment in Eastern houses, furnished with a slightly elevated platform at the upper end and sometimes along the sides, on which were laid mattresses. This was the general arrangement of the public sleeping-room for the males of the family and for guests, but there were usually besides distinct bed-chambers of a more private character (
2 Kings 4:10;
Exodus 8:3;
2 Kings 6:12). In
2 Kings 11:2 this word denotes, as in the margin of the Revised Version, a store-room in which mattresses were kept.
Greek
2846. koiton -- abedchamber... koiton Phonetic Spelling: (koy-tone') Short Definition: a
bed-
chamber Definition:
a
bed-
chamber. Word Origin from koite Definition a
bedchamber NASB Word Usage
...2135. eunouchos -- a eunuch
... of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: eunouchos Phonetic Spelling:
(yoo-noo'-khos) Short Definition: a eunuch, keeper of thebed-chamber Definition: (...
Strong's Hebrew
4904. mishkab -- place of lying, a couch, act of lying...bedchamber, couch, lying with. From shakab; a bed (figuratively, a bier); abstractly,
sleep; by euphemism, carnal intercourse --
bed((-
chamber)), couch, lieth
...4296. mittah -- a couch, bed
...bedchamber, bier. From natah; a bed (as extended) for sleeping or eating; by analogy,
a sofa, litter or bier --bed((-chamber)), bier. see HEBREW natah....
4093. madda -- knowledge, thought
... knowledge. Word Origin from yada Definition knowledge, thought NASB Word Usage
bedchamber (1), knowledge (5). knowledge, science, thought....
Library
The Annunciation
... The two girls went to their separate room, and Mary, too, went into herbedchamber....
The entrance to thebedchamber was beside the kitchen....
Maximian, Having Thus Forfeited the Respect Due to an Emperor and...
... He promised to obtain for her a more honourable alliance than that with Constantine;
and he requested her to allow thebed-chamber of the emperor to be left...
Croesus.
... He would conceal him, he said, in the queen'sbed-chamber, while she was undressing
for the night. Gyges remonstrated very earnestly against this proposal....
The Birth of Mary the Holy Mother of God, and Very Glorious Mother...
... of the Lord. And she made a sanctuary in herbed-chamber, and allowed nothing
common or unclean to pass through her. And she called...
He Never Saw Constans Alone.
... mad, Sire, nor have I forgotten that divine utterance which says, Curse not the
king, no, not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thybedchamber: for a...
Of Julian; his Lineage and Education; his Elevation to The
... in general were exceedingly exasperated by the violence of the eunuchs, and especially
by the rapacity of Eusebius the chief officer of the imperialbed-chamber...
The First-Born
... Thebed-chamber slowly emptied.... Without summoning further aid, he half carried
the limp monarch up the hall and into the royalbed-chamber....
Life and Conduct of the Holy Women, Xanthippe, Polyxena, and...
... IV. Then entering into herbed-chamber alone, she spoke thus with tears, In what
way, my God, I shall act, or what counsel I shall take, I know not....
Peter Commits Perjury.
... Caiaphas, in hisbed chamber, wearing a dressing gown, surrounded by priests, exulted
over the news which had been brought him of the arrest of Jesus....
Further Proofs, from Ezekiel. Summary of the Prophetic Argument...
... And the Lord said unto me, Son of man, thou hast seen what the elders of Israel
do, each one of them in darkness, each in a hiddenbed-chamber: because they...
Thesaurus
Bedchamber (6 Occurrences)... (n.) A chamber for a bed; an apartment form sleeping in. Int. Standard Bible
Encyclopedia. BED;
BEDCHAMBER; BEDSTEAD.
...BEDCHAMBER. bed'-cham-ber. See BED.
...Bed-chamber (6 Occurrences)
Bed-chamber.Bedchamber,Bed-chamber. Bed-chambers . Easton's Bible Dictionary...
(WBS YLT).Bedchamber,Bed-chamber. Bed-chambers . Reference Bible.
Jehosheba (2 Occurrences)
... who were slain, even him and his nurse, and put them in thebedchamber; and they...
the king's sons that were slain, and put him and his nurse in thebed-chamber....
Bedstead (1 Occurrence)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary. (n.) A framework for supporting a bed. Int. Standard
Bible Encyclopedia. BED;BEDCHAMBER; BEDSTEAD. For...
Athali'ah (17 Occurrences)
... took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king's sons that
were slain, even him and his nurse, and put them in thebed-chamber; and they...
Murdered (25 Occurrences)
... took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king's sons who
were slain, even him and his nurse, and put them in thebedchamber; and they...
Jo'ash (44 Occurrences)
... took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king's sons who
were slain, even him and his nurse, and put them in thebedchamber; and they...
Nurse (23 Occurrences)
... took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king's sons who
were slain, even him and his nurse, and put them in thebedchamber; and they...
Ahazi'ah (33 Occurrences)
... took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king's sons that
were slain, even him and his nurse, and put them in thebed-chamber; and they...
Athaliah (17 Occurrences)
... took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king's sons who
were slain, even him and his nurse, and put them in thebedchamber; and they...
Resources
What is the story of Elisha and the Shunammite woman? | GotQuestions.orgWho was Joseph in the Bible? | GotQuestions.orgWhat does it mean that the marriage bed is undefiled (Hebrews 13:4)? | GotQuestions.orgBible Concordance •
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