4465. rhabdouchos

Lexicon

rhabdouchos: Magistrate, Officer, Lictor

Original Word: ῥαβδοῦχος
Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine
Transliteration: rhabdouchos
Pronunciation: hrab-DOO-khos
Phonetic Spelling: (hrab-doo'-khos)
Definition: Magistrate, Officer, Lictor
Meaning: a holder of the rods, a lictor, Roman officer, judge.

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

officer, sergeant

From rhabdos and echo; a rod- (the Latin fasces) holder, i.e. A Roman lictor (constable or executioner) -- serjeant.

see GREEK rhabdos

see GREEK echo

HELPS Word-studies

4465 rhabdoúxos (from 4464 /rhábdos, "a rod" and 2190/exō, "have") – properly, an official who beat people with lictor-rods to maintain law-and-order (i.e. as "a policeman"); literally, someone carrying a bundle of rods to administer punishment.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from rhabdos and echó
Definition
a rod holder, i.e. (a Roman) lictor (one holding the rod of office)
NASB Translation
policemen (2).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 4465: ῤαβδοῦχος

ῤαβδοῦχος, ῥαβδουχου, ὁ (ῤάβδος and ἔχω; cf. εὐνοῦχος), one who carries the rods i. e. the fasces, a lictor (a public officer who bore the fasces or staff and other insignia of office before the magistrates) (A. V. serjeants): Acts 16:35, 38. (Polybius; Diodorus 5, 40; Dionysius Halicarnassus; Herodian, 7, 8, 10 (5 edition, Bekker); διά τί λικτωρεις τούς ῤαβδούχους ὀνομαζουσι; Plutarch, quaest. Rom c. 67.)

Topical Lexicon

Word Origin: From ῥάβδος (rhabdos, meaning "rod" or "staff") and ἔχω (echo, meaning "to have" or "to hold").

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: There is no direct Hebrew equivalent for ῥαβδοῦχος, as it is a term specific to the Greco-Roman context. However, the concept of an official or officer can be loosely related to Hebrew terms for officials or leaders, such as שׁוֹטֵר (shoter, meaning "officer" or "official") found in the Old Testament.

Usage: The term ῥαβδοῦχος is used in the New Testament to refer to officials who were responsible for enforcing the decisions of magistrates, often involved in maintaining public order and executing punishments.

Context: The term ῥαβδοῦχος appears in the New Testament in the context of Roman governance and legal proceedings. Specifically, it is found in Acts 16:35, 38, where it describes the officers who were responsible for carrying out the orders of the magistrates in Philippi. These officials, often referred to as "lictors" in Roman culture, were tasked with enforcing the law and maintaining civic order. They carried rods as symbols of their authority and were involved in the administration of justice, including the execution of corporal punishment.

In Acts 16, Paul and Silas were imprisoned in Philippi, and the ῥαβδοῦχοι were the ones who received the command from the magistrates to release them. The presence of these officials highlights the Roman influence in the region and the structured legal system that was in place. The role of the ῥαβδοῦχος underscores the authority of Roman law and the enforcement mechanisms that supported it.

The use of this term in the New Testament provides insight into the interaction between early Christians and Roman authorities, illustrating the challenges faced by the apostles as they spread the Gospel in a world governed by Roman law.

Forms and Transliterations

ραβδουχοι ραβδούχοι ῥαβδοῦχοι ραβδουχους ραβδούχους ῥαβδούχους ραγάδα rabdouchoi rabdouchous rhabdouchoi rhabdoûchoi rhabdouchous rhabdoúchous

Englishman's Concordance

Acts 16:35 N-AMP
GRK: στρατηγοὶ τοὺς ῥαβδούχους λέγοντες Ἀπόλυσον
NAS: sent their policemen, saying,
KJV: sent the serjeants, saying,
INT: magistrates the officers saying Let go

Acts 16:38 N-NMP
GRK: στρατηγοῖς οἱ ῥαβδοῦχοι τὰ ῥήματα
NAS: The policemen reported these
KJV: And the serjeants told these
INT: captains the officers the words

Strong's Greek 4465
2 Occurrences

ῥαβδοῦχοι — 1 Occ.
ῥαβδούχους — 1 Occ.