ROOM.See House, § 2. For the upper room, see ib. § 5, and for the now obsolete use of room in the sense of place at table, as the chief room (Luk_14:7), the highest room (v. 8RV [Note: Revised Version.] in both cases chief seat), or the uppermost room (Mat_23:6, Mar_12:39, RV [Note: Revised Version.] chief place), see Meals, § 6.
A. R. S. Kennedy.
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible
Edited by James Hastings, D.D. Published in 1909
In Mat_23:6; Mar_12:39; Luk_14:7-8; Luk_20:46, not in our sense, but "place at table". Expressed in Luk_11:43 "uppermost". (See REHOBOTH.)
Fausset's Bible Dictionary
By Andrew Robert Fausset, co-Author of Jamieson, Fausset and Brown's 1888.
Room. The references to "room" in Mat_23:6; Mar_12:39; Luk_14:7-8; Luk_20:46, signify the highest place, on the highest couch, round the dinner or supper table ? the "uppermost seat", as it is more accurately rendered in Luk_11:43.
Smith's Bible Dictionary
By Dr. William Smith.Published in 1863
rōōm. See HOUSE.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
PRINTER 1915.
Room [HOUSE]
The Popular Cyclopedia of Biblical Literature
by John Kitto.
Psa_31:8 (a) No doubt this refers to the liberty, power and freedom which that soul experiences which meets JESUS CHRIST, and is set free by the Son of GOD.
Mat_23:6 (b) We have here a picture of the pride in man's heart which makes him desire a place of recognition among those with whom he is associated. (See also Luk_14:9).
Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types
press 1957.
Room
is employed in the A.V. as the equivalent of no less than four Heb. and eight Greek terms. The only one of these, however, which need be noticed here is πρωτοκλισία (Mat_23:6; Mar_12:39; Luk_14:7-8; Luk_20:46), which signifies, not a room in the sense we commonly attach to it of a chamber, but the highest place on the highest couch round the dinner or supper table the uppermost seat, as it is more accurately rendered in Luk_11:43. SEE MEAL. The word seat is, however, generally appropriated by our translators to καθέδρα, which seems to mean some kind of official chair. In Luk_14:9-10, they have rendered τόπος by both place and room. SEE UPPER ROOM.
The convenience of dividing habitations into separate apartments early suggested itself. We read of various kinds of rooms in Scripture bedchamber, inner chamber, upper chamber, bride chamber, guest chamber, guard chamber, of the king's house. In early times the females and children of the family slept in one room, on a separate beds, and the males in another. SEE CHAMBER.
CYCLOPEDIA OF BIBLICAL, THEOLOGICAL AND ECCLESIASTICAL
press 1895.