What does στρατηγός (stratēgós) mean in the Bible?
The Greek noun stratēgós names a commander or magistrate. In Luke and Acts it refers either to captains or officers connected with the Jerusalem temple guard or to the civic magistrates at Philippi.
Greek · G4755
στρατηγός
Officer/magistrate
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στρατηγόςG4755
Pronunciationstratēgós
What does στρατηγός (stratēgós) mean in the Bible?
The Greek noun stratēgós names a commander or magistrate. In Luke and Acts it refers either to captains or officers connected with the Jerusalem temple guard or to the civic magistrates at Philippi.
Reader summary
Full entry for στρατηγός (G4755) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G4755?
The BSB source-word alignment has 10 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include magistrates (5), captain (3), [temple] officers (1), temple officers (1).
Where does στρατηγός (stratēgós) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Luke 22:4. Its strongest book concentrations include Acts (8), Luke (2).
What This Word Actually Means
The Greek noun stratēgós names a commander or magistrate. In Luke and Acts it refers either to captains or officers connected with the Jerusalem temple guard or to the civic magistrates at Philippi. The title identifies an office and its sphere; it does not establish that an official acts justly. Temple officers join the armed arrest of Jesus, and a captain brings the apostles before authorities while avoiding force because he fears the crowd.
Philippian magistrates accept an accusation, order Paul and Silas stripped and beaten, later send word for release, and become alarmed when they learn the prisoners are Roman citizens. These scenes expose how official power can be shaped by accusation, crowd pressure, fear, procedure, and belated recognition of wrongdoing. Faithful teaching should neither assume that every official act is righteous nor deny the need for ordered public responsibility.
Office remains subject to truth, justice, restraint, and accountability for harm.
How the Bible Uses It
Stratēgós identifies temple and civic officers whose decisions range from arrest and force to release, revealing both real public authority and its vulnerability to fear, pressure, and injustice.
- Acts.4.1
While Peter and John were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them,
The temple-guard captain arrives with priests and Sadducees while Peter and John are still speaking publicly to the people.
- Acts.5.26
At that point, the captain went with the officers and brought the apostles—but not by force, for fear the people would stone them.
The captain brings the apostles back without force, but the stated restraint arises from fear of the crowd’s reaction.
- Acts.16.22
The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered that they be stripped and beaten with rods.
The Philippian magistrates respond to the crowd’s attack by ordering Paul and Silas stripped and beaten with rods.
- Acts.16.38
So the officers relayed this message to the magistrates, who were alarmed to hear that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens.
The magistrates become alarmed after learning that the men they beat and imprisoned without trial were Roman citizens.
- Luke.22.52
Then Jesus said to the chief priests, temple officers, and elders who had come for Him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as you would against an outlaw?
Jesus directly addresses the temple officers who came with swords and clubs, challenging the manner of his arrest.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders Itmagistrates5×Acts 16:20, Acts 16:22, Acts 16:35, Acts 16:36
captain3×Acts 4:1, Acts 5:24, Acts 5:26
[temple] officers1×Luke 22:4
temple officers1×Luke 22:52
Show sample aligned rows
Luke 22:4στρατηγοῖςto[temple] officersNoun - Dative Masculine PluralLuke 22:52στρατηγοὺςtotemple officersNoun - Accusative Masculine PluralActs 4:1στρατηγὸςtocaptainNoun - Nominative Masculine SingularActs 5:24στρατηγὸςtocaptainNoun - Nominative Masculine SingularActs 5:26στρατηγὸςtocaptainNoun - Nominative Masculine SingularActs 16:20στρατηγοῖςtomagistratesNoun - Dative Masculine PluralActs 16:22στρατηγοὶtomagistratesNoun - Nominative Masculine PluralActs 16:35στρατηγοὶtomagistratesNoun - Nominative Masculine PluralActs 16:36στρατηγοὶtomagistratesNoun - Nominative Masculine PluralActs 16:38στρατηγοῖςtomagistratesNoun - Dative Masculine Plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowLuke 22:4
Aligned rows10
Books represented2
Luke2Acts8
Source forms
στρατηγοὶ3xstratēgoiActs 16:22, Acts 16:35, Acts 16:36
στρατηγοῖς3xstratēgoisLuke 22:4, Acts 16:20, Acts 16:38
στρατηγὸς3xstratēgosActs 4:1, Acts 5:24, Acts 5:26
στρατηγοὺς1xstratēgousLuke 22:52
Parsing patterns
Noun - Dative Masculine Plural3xLuke 22:4, Acts 16:20, Acts 16:38
Noun - Nominative Masculine Plural3xActs 16:22, Acts 16:35, Acts 16:36
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular3xActs 4:1, Acts 5:24, Acts 5:26
Noun - Accusative Masculine Plural1xLuke 22:52
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- People reporting official or institutional harm should receive careful documentation, protection, and access to qualified local support when needed.
- Church teaching should neither demonize every public servant nor demand uncritical compliance when an official command produces clear wrongdoing.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that stratēgós refers to one uniform office across Jerusalem, Philippi, and every later government.
- Do not claim that Paul’s appeal establishes a complete modern legal procedure or settles how every harmed person must respond.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Military or civic commander with authority; in Acts often the Temple police captain leading arrests of apostles.
Strong'sG4755
Lexical occurrences10 versesGreek text appearances10 timesWord forms4 forms10 referencesVerse guides0 guides
Study linkActs 23:23-35Source Gloss
officer/magistrate
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
10 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Luke 22:4Noun Dative Plural Masculine
στρατηγοῖςstrathgoiv
a general, magistrate, captain of the temple
Read verseLuke 22:52Noun Accusative Plural Masculine
στρατηγοὺςstrathgouv
a general, magistrate, captain of the temple
Read verseActs 4:1Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
στρατηγὸςstrathgov
a general, magistrate, captain of the temple
Read verseActs 5:24Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
στρατηγὸςstrathgov
a general, magistrate, captain of the temple
Read verseActs 5:26Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
στρατηγὸςstrathgov
a general, magistrate, captain of the temple
Read verseActs 16:20Noun Dative Plural Masculine
στρατηγοῖςstrathgoiv
a general, magistrate, captain of the temple
Read verseActs 16:22Noun Nominative Plural Masculine
στρατηγοὶstrathgoi
a general, magistrate, captain of the temple
Read verseActs 16:35Noun Nominative Plural Masculine
στρατηγοὶstrathgoi
a general, magistrate, captain of the temple
Read verseActs 16:36Noun Nominative Plural Masculine
στρατηγοί,strathgoi
a general, magistrate, captain of the temple
Read verseActs 16:38Noun Dative Plural Masculine
στρατηγοῖςstrathgoiv
a general, magistrate, captain of the temple
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 4 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns4Aligned forms10Case patternNominative (6)Number patternPlural (7)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Nominative · Singular · MasculineActs 4:1 · Acts 5:24 · Acts 5:263×
Nominative · Plural · MasculineActs 16:22 · Acts 16:35 · Acts 16:363×
Dative · Plural · MasculineLuke 22:4 · Acts 16:20 · Acts 16:383×
Accusative · Plural · MasculineLuke 22:521×
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
New Testament Witnesses
Soldiers.
Showing 1 selected witness from 10 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
στρατηγός is built from these roots:
Why This Word Matters
Demonstrates the seriousness of protection provided.Acts 23:23-35
For the Preacher and Teacher
Stratēgós helps Luke describe public and institutional authority without granting it automatic moral legitimacy. Temple officers possess real responsibility for order, yet they participate in arrests directed against Jesus and the apostles. The captain in Acts 5 uses restraint, but Luke reports that fear of the crowd shapes that choice. At Philippi, magistrates allow accusation and public pressure to become stripping, beating, and imprisonment; only later does the disclosure of Roman citizenship produce alarm.
The office is neither imaginary nor sacred in itself. It can act within a recognized jurisdiction and still commit injustice. That distinction gives Christian readers language for honoring truthful public service while naming procedural abuse, coercion, fear-driven decisions, and bodily harm. The text does not provide individualized legal advice, but it does show that accountability, truth, and correction belong inside any faithful account of official power.
Anchor passage
Acts.16.38
Doctrinal connections
- Truthful public order is a neighbor-serving good, but official titles do not transform false accusation or violence into justice.
- Human sin distorts institutions when crowd pressure, fear, prejudice, and convenience replace careful inquiry and proportionate action.
- Jesus remains morally authoritative when armed officers approach him, and he openly challenges the manner of their action.
- Christian witness can name mistreatment and require public acknowledgment without making personal revenge the goal.
- Restraint matters, yet a fear-driven decision should not be confused automatically with principled justice or courageous integrity.
- Repentance and accountability require more than ending immediate harm when an institution has already injured innocent people.
Stratēgós is a masculine noun for a military commander, civic governor or magistrate, or commander of the temple guard. Luke’s contexts determine whether captain, temple officer, or magistrate best communicates the institutional role.
From Old to New Testament
Biblical judges, rulers, and officers are repeatedly charged to reject partiality, hear truthfully, and protect the innocent. The New Testament can recognize governing responsibility while also narrating unlawful punishment and appeals to public accountability. Together these strands resist both blanket contempt for officials and unquestioning submission to wrongdoing.