Lexical Summary sebastos: Revered, Venerable, August Original Word: σεβαστός Strong's Exhaustive Concordance AugustusFrom sebazomai; venerable (august), i.e. (as noun) a title of the Roman Emperor, or (as adjective) imperial -- Augustus(-'). see GREEK sebazomai NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom sebazomai Definition reverend, august, hence Augustus, a Rom. emperor NASB Translation Augustan (1), Emperor (1), Emperor's (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 4575: σεβαστόςσεβαστός, σεβαστη, Σεβαστόν (σεβάζομαι); 1. reverend, venerable. 2. ὁ σεβαστός, Latinaugustus, the title of the Roman emperors: Acts 25:21, 25 (Strabo, Lucian, Herodian, Dio Cassius, others); adjective σεβαστός, σεβαστη, Σεβαστόν, Augustan, i. e. taking its name from the emperor; a title of honor which used to be given to certain legions, or cohorts, or battalions, for valor (ala augusta ob virtutem appellata. Corpus inscriptions Latin vii. n. 340, 341, 344): σπείρης Σεβαστῆς, the Augustan (Imperial) cohort, Acts 27:1 (λεγεών σεβαστη, Ptolemy, 2, 3, 30; 2, 9, 18; 4, 3, 30). The subject is fully treated by Schürer in the Zeitsehr. für wissensch. Theol. for 1875, p. 413ff Derived from the verb meaning “to revere,” Σεβαστός became the Greek equivalent of the Latin honorific “Augustus,” a title reserved for the Roman emperor and, by extension, anything directly connected to his person or authority. The feminine form modifies “cohort” in Acts 27:1, indicating a military unit honored with the imperial name. Occurrences in Scripture • Acts 25:21 – Paul “appealed to be held over for the decision of the Emperor.” Historical Context 1. Imperial Authority: The title Σεβαστός signified supreme civil power in the Roman world. By the first century, an appeal to “the Emperor” was the ultimate legal recourse for a Roman citizen, guaranteeing personal hearing before Caesar or his delegate. Theological Implications 1. Sovereign Over Sovereigns: Scripture presents God as the highest authority (Psalm 103:19), yet it also portrays legitimate civil structures as instruments within His providence (Romans 13:1-4). Paul’s recourse to Σεβαστός illustrates this dual reality: honoring earthly authority while trusting divine sovereignty. Ministry Applications • Legal Rights in Service of the Gospel: Believers may responsibly invoke available protections to advance kingdom purposes, following Paul’s example. Related Concepts Imperial citizenship (Acts 22:25-29); Roman law (Acts 24–26); Providence (Genesis 50:20; Romans 8:28); Civil obedience (1 Peter 2:13-17). Englishman's Concordance Acts 25:21 Adj-GMSGRK: τὴν τοῦ Σεβαστοῦ διάγνωσιν ἐκέλευσα NAS: in custody for the Emperor's decision, KJV: the hearing of Augustus, I commanded INT: the of the emporer decision I commanded Acts 25:25 Adj-AMS Acts 27:1 Adj-GFS Strong's Greek 4575 |