the Third Week of Advent
Click here to join the effort!
Bible Dictionaries
Chamber
Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary
or 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."
These files are public domain.
Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission.
Hawker, Robert D.D. Entry for 'Chamber'. Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance and Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/pmd/c/chamber.html. London. 1828.
