Lexical Summary
stratégos: Commander, Magistrate, Captain
Original Word: στρατηγός
Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine
Transliteration: stratégos
Pronunciation: strat-ay-GOS
Phonetic Spelling: (strat-ay-gos')
KJV: captain, magistrate
NASB: chief magistrates, captain, officers
Word Origin: [from the base of G4756 (στρατία - host) and G71 (ἄγω - brought) or G2233 (ἡγέομαι - regard)]
1. a general
2. (by implication or analogy) a (military) governor (praetor), the chief (prefect) of the (Levitical) temple-wardens
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
captain, magistrate.
From the base of stratia and ago or hegeomai; a general, i.e. (by implication or analogy) a (military) governor (praetor), the chief (praefect) of the (Levitical) temple-wardens -- captain, magistrate.
see GREEK stratia
see GREEK ago
see GREEK hegeomai
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom the same as
strateuó and from
agóDefinitiona general, governor
NASB Translationcaptain (3), chief magistrates (5), officers (2).
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 4755: στρατηγόςστρατηγός,
στρατηγοῦ,
ὁ (
στρατός and
ἄγω), from
Herodotus down, the
Sept. chiefly for
סֶגֶן (only plural
סְגָנִים);
1. the commander of an army.
2. in the N. T. a civic commander, a governor (the name of the duumviri or highest magistrates in the municipia and colonies; they had the power of administering justice in the less important cases; οἱ τῆς πόλεως στρατηγοί, Artemidorus Daldianus, oneir. 4, 49; of civil magistrates as early as Herodotus 5, 38; (see references in Meyer on Acts 16:20; Liddell and Scott, under the word, II. 2f; cf. Farrar, St. Paul, i., excurs. xvi.)): plural (R. V. magistrates (after A. V.), with marginal reading Gr. praetors), Acts 16:20, 22, 35f (38).
3. στρατηγός τοῦ ἱεροῦ, 'captain of the temple' (A. V.), i. e. the commander of the Levites who kept guard in and around the temple (Josephus, Antiquities 20, 6, 2; (B. D., under the word
Topical Lexicon
Historical BackgroundIn the Greco–Roman world a strategos could be a military commander, a civic magistrate, or, in a Jewish setting, the officer in charge of Temple security. New Testament usage reflects all three nuances, showing how early Christians interacted with both Roman municipal authority and the established religious leadership in Jerusalem.
New Testament Occurrences
1. Municipal magistrates at Philippi
• Acts 16:20, 22, 35, 36, 38 record Paul and Silas before the city’s στρατηγοί. These were Roman officials charged with maintaining order, administering justice and ensuring loyalty to Rome in a Roman colony.
• Their decisions—public beating, imprisonment, and later an order to release—highlight the tension between the gospel and civic power.
2. Temple officers in Jerusalem
• Luke 22:4 links Judas with “the chief priests and the temple officers” in plotting Jesus’ arrest.
• Luke 22:52, Acts 4:1, 5:24, 5:26 speak of “the captain of the temple guard” (singular) or “temple officers” (plural) who enforced Temple regulations under the high priest.
• These passages show religious authorities wielding police power, often to suppress apostolic preaching.
Key Narrative Settings
Philippi
“ The crowd joined in the attack against them, and the magistrates ordered that they be stripped and beaten with rods.” (Acts 16:22)
Philippi’s magistrates were answerable to Rome. Their hasty, unjust sentence contrasts with Paul’s later appeal to Roman citizenship. Luke thereby exposes the fragility of earthly authority before the higher rule of God.
Jerusalem
“ And he went to discuss with the chief priests and temple officers how he might betray Jesus to them.” (Luke 22:4)
Temple officers, though attached to the house of God, became instruments in betraying the Messiah and later in threatening His apostles. Their presence underscores the tragedy of religious authority misused.
Theological Themes
1. Limited human authority
Whether civic or religious, στρατηγοί possess real power, yet their actions are circumscribed by God’s sovereign plan. The Philippian officials intend harm, but their injustice leads to a prison evangelism event and the conversion of a jailer (Acts 16:25–34).
2. The gospel’s collision with power structures
Luke repeatedly shows the message of Jesus upsetting entrenched systems. When coercion or intimidation is applied, the apostles respond with prayer, worship, and bold proclamation, testifying that Christ’s kingdom cannot be silenced by magistrates or guards.
3. Accountability before higher law
Paul’s strategic use of his Roman citizenship forces Philippian magistrates to acknowledge their wrongdoing (Acts 16:37–39). The episode illustrates lawful means of appeal without compromising gospel integrity, modeling how believers today may engage legal systems while ultimately trusting the Lord.
Ministry Implications
• Expect opposition from both secular and religious authorities when faithfully proclaiming Christ.
• Use legitimate avenues of defense without resorting to violence, following Paul’s example.
• Recognize that God may position believers before rulers as a platform for testimony (compare Acts 9:15).
• Maintain reverence for governing authorities (Romans 13:1-7) while remembering their accountability to God.
Practical Application
Believers who serve in law enforcement, government, or church leadership can learn that authority is a stewardship under God. Accountability, justice, and humility should mark Christian exercise of power. Likewise, congregations facing hostility may take courage from the way the early church triumphed through prayer, praise, and perseverance, even when στρατηγοί stood against them.
Forms and Transliterations
στρατηγέ στρατηγοι στρατηγοί στρατηγοὶ στρατηγοις στρατηγοίς στρατηγοῖς στρατηγόν στρατηγος στρατηγός στρατηγὸς στρατηγους στρατηγούς στρατηγοὺς στρατηγών strategoi strategoì stratēgoi stratēgoì strategois strategoîs stratēgois stratēgoîs strategos strategòs stratēgos stratēgòs strategous strategoùs stratēgous stratēgoùs
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