Bed-chambers
Jump to: ConcordanceThesaurusGreekLibrarySubtopicsTerms
Topical Encyclopedia
In biblical times, the bed-chamber, often referred to as a bedroom or private room, was a significant part of a household, serving as a place of rest, privacy, and sometimes intrigue. The concept of a bed-chamber is mentioned in various contexts throughout the Bible, reflecting its role in daily life and its symbolic meanings.

Old Testament References

The Old Testament provides several instances where bed-chambers are mentioned, often highlighting their role in personal and political narratives. In 2 Kings 6:12, the prophet Elisha is said to know the words spoken by the king of Aram in his bed-chamber, illustrating the idea of divine insight and the privacy of such a space: "But one of his servants replied, 'No, my lord the king. Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.'"

In the account of Eglon, king of Moab, the bed-chamber becomes a place of assassination. Judges 3:24-25 describes how Ehud, an Israelite judge, uses the privacy of the king's chamber to deliver Israel from Moabite oppression: "After Ehud had gone, Eglon’s servants came in and found the doors of the upper room locked. They said, 'He must be relieving himself in the cool room.' They waited to the point of embarrassment, but when he did not open the doors of the room, they took a key and unlocked them. There they saw their lord fallen to the floor, dead."

New Testament References

In the New Testament, the bed-chamber is often associated with prayer and private devotion. Jesus, in His teachings, emphasizes the importance of private prayer, contrasting it with public displays of piety. In Matthew 6:6, He instructs, "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."

The bed-chamber also appears in the context of miraculous healings. In Mark 5:40, Jesus raises Jairus' daughter from the dead in her private room, demonstrating His power over life and death: "But they laughed at Him. After He had put them all outside, He took the child’s father and mother and those with Him, and went in where the child was."

Cultural and Symbolic Significance

In ancient Near Eastern culture, the bed-chamber was more than just a place for sleep; it was a symbol of intimacy and security. It was often located in the innermost part of the house, providing a retreat from the public areas. This privacy made it a setting for both divine encounters and human schemes.

The bed-chamber's symbolic significance extends to its representation of the heart's inner sanctum, where true intentions and desires are laid bare before God. The call to pray in secret, as Jesus taught, underscores the importance of sincerity and authenticity in one's relationship with God.

Conclusion

The biblical portrayal of bed-chambers reflects their multifaceted role in ancient life, serving as places of rest, secrecy, and spiritual encounter. Whether in narratives of divine intervention or teachings on prayer, the bed-chamber remains a powerful symbol of the private and personal aspects of faith.
Greek
2135. eunouchos -- a eunuch
... From eune (a bed) and echo; a castrated person (such being employed in Oriental
bed-chambers); by extension an impotent or unmarried man; by implication, a ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2135.htm - 7k
Library

Chapter iii.
... 11. "But when ye [259] pray," says He, "enter into your bed-chambers." What are
those bed-chambers but just our hearts themselves, as is meant also in the Psalm ...
/.../augustine/our lords sermon on the mount/chapter iii 2.htm

Appendix 1 Massecheth Middoth
... 6. And four rooms were in the Beth Moked, like small bed chambers opening on a dining
apartment; two in the place that was holy, and two in that which was not ...
/.../edersheim/sketches of jewish social life/appendix 1 massecheth middoth.htm

Of the Example of Patience Given by Abbot Paphnutius.
... And when this had been entrusted to three of the Elders by the Presbyter, they turned
over the bed-chambers of them all, and at last found the book hidden in ...
/.../cassian/the conferences of john cassian/chapter xv of the example.htm

Treatise iv. On the Lord's Prayer.
... Moreover, in His teaching the Lord has bidden us to pray in secret"in hidden and
remote places, in our very bed-chambers"which is best suited to faith ...
/.../cyprian/the treatises of cyprian/treatise iv on the lords.htm

The Lad's Loaves in the Lord's Hands
... Many of us have felt a special providence of God in our own bed-chambers; we
have met with his hand in connection with our own children. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 37 1891/the lads loaves in the.htm

The Consulship of Eutropius
... 'Eutropius is an insect of the harems, an incarnate rapacity, a whisperer of
bedchambers, an old, bald, wrinkled creature only one remove above a monkey""'. ...
/.../chapter xxiv the consulship of.htm

The Description of Jerusalem.
... but was entirely walled about to the height of thirty cubits, and was adorned with
towers at equal distances, and with large bed-chambers, that would contain ...
/.../chapter 4 the description of.htm

A Mystery! Saints Sorrowing and Jesus Glad!
... Travellers who write from their easy chairs what they have seen from their bedchambers,
may indite books to beguile the idle hours of those who stay at home ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 10 1864/a mystery saints sorrowing and.htm

On the Holy Martyr, S. Babylas.
... all our city poured forth into the road, and the market places were empty of men,
and the houses were empty of women, and the bedchambers were destitute of ...
//christianbookshelf.org/chrysostom/on the priesthood/on the holy martyr s.htm

A Little Sanctuary
... No godly man is far away from a holy place. What is a place of worship? I hope that
our bed-chambers are constantly places of worship. Place of worship? ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 34 1888/a little sanctuary.htm

Thesaurus
Bed-chambers (3 Occurrences)
Bed-chambers. Bed-chamber, Bed-chambers. Bed-cover . Multi-Version
Concordance Bed-chambers (3 Occurrences). Acts 12 ...
/b/bed-chambers.htm - 7k

Bed-chamber (6 Occurrences)
Bed-chamber. Bedchamber, Bed-chamber. Bed-chambers . Easton's Bible Dictionary ...
(WBS YLT). Bedchamber, Bed-chamber. Bed-chambers . Reference Bible.
/b/bed-chamber.htm - 9k

Stealeth (11 Occurrences)
... of Ahaziah, and stealeth him out of the midst of the sons of the king who are put
to death, him and his nurse, in the inner part of the bed-chambers, and they ...
/s/stealeth.htm - 9k

Bed-cover (1 Occurrence)
Bed-cover. Bed-chambers, Bed-cover. Bedecked . Multi-Version Concordance
Bed-cover (1 Occurrence). ... (BBE). Bed-chambers, Bed-cover. Bedecked . Reference ...
/b/bed-cover.htm - 6k

Bedchamber (6 Occurrences)
... 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 ...
/b/bedchamber.htm - 20k

Inner (141 Occurrences)
... of Ahaziah, and stealeth him out of the midst of the sons of the king who are put
to death, him and his nurse, in the inner part of the bed-chambers, and they ...
/i/inner.htm - 37k

Hideth (28 Occurrences)
... him from the midst of the sons of the king who are put to death, and putteth him
and his nurse into the inner part of the bed-chambers, and Jehoshabeath ...
/h/hideth.htm - 14k

Asking (111 Occurrences)
... displeased with the Tyrians and Sidonians, and with one accord they came unto him,
and having made a friend of Blastus, who 'is' over the bed-chambers of the ...
/a/asking.htm - 34k

Hide (135 Occurrences)
... of Ahaziah, and stealeth him out of the midst of the sons of the king who are put
to death, him and his nurse, in the inner part of the bed-chambers, and they ...
/h/hide.htm - 37k

Resources
Who was Oswald Chambers? | GotQuestions.org

What does it mean that the marriage bed is undefiled (Hebrews 13:4)? | GotQuestions.org

What does the Bible say about a death bed conversion? | GotQuestions.org

Bible ConcordanceBible DictionaryBible EncyclopediaTopical BibleBible Thesuarus
Concordance
Bed-chambers (3 Occurrences)

Acts 12:20
And Herod was highly displeased with the Tyrians and Sidonians, and with one accord they came unto him, and having made a friend of Blastus, who 'is' over the bed-chambers of the king, they were asking peace, because of their country being nourished from the king's;
(YLT)

2 Kings 11:2
and Jehosheba daughter of king Joram, sister of Ahaziah, taketh Joash son of Ahaziah, and stealeth him out of the midst of the sons of the king who are put to death, him and his nurse, in the inner part of the bed-chambers, and they hide him from the presence of Athaliah, and he hath not been put to death,
(YLT)

2 Chronicles 22:11
And Jehoshabeath daughter of the king taketh Joash son of Ahaziah, and stealeth him from the midst of the sons of the king who are put to death, and putteth him and his nurse into the inner part of the bed-chambers, and Jehoshabeath daughter of king Jehoram, wife of Jehoiada the priest, because she hath been sister of Ahaziah, hideth him from the face of Athaliah, and she hath not put him to death.
(YLT)

Subtopics

Bed-chambers

Related Terms

Quilt (2 Occurrences)

Wet (25 Occurrences)

Ben-hadad's (2 Occurrences)

Bed-chambers (3 Occurrences)

Bedecked (2 Occurrences)

Bed-chamber
Top of Page
Top of Page