Chamberlain
Summary
A court official with responsibilities related to the royal household, translated from different Hebrew and Greek terms denoting various offices.
☩Old Testament Usage
In the Old Testament, 'chamberlain' translates the Hebrew saris, which more properly means 'eunuch.' The term was applied to officers confidentially employed about the person of the sovereign. In the Persian court of Esther, various chamberlains served King Ahasuerus in different capacities, including oversight of the royal harem and personal attendance on the king. Potiphar, though also captain of the guard, is styled thus in the Egyptian court.
☩New Testament Usage
In the New Testament, two different offices are denoted. Erastus, called 'the chamberlain of the city' in Romans 16:23, held the office of oikonomos, meaning city steward or treasurer, equivalent to the Roman quaestor who managed public revenues. Blastus, 'the king's chamberlain,' held the position 'over the king's bed-chamber' (epi tou koitonos), serving as King Herod Agrippa's personal attendant or valet de chambre. This latter position involved great intimacy and influence with the king, making Blastus a valuable intermediary for the Tyrians and Sidonians who sought peace with Herod.
Related Verses15 mentions
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Chamberlain," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. II (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Chamberlain," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. I (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Chamberlain," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).
- 4.James Hastings (ed.), "Chamberlain," in Dictionary of the Apostolic Church, vol. I (T. & T. Clark, 1915–1918).