5069. tetradion

Lexicon

tetradion: squad of four soldiers

Original Word: τετράδιον
Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter
Transliteration: tetradion
Pronunciation: te-trah'-dee-on
Phonetic Spelling: (tet-rad'-ee-on)
Definition: squad of four soldiers
Meaning: a quaternion, a group of four soldiers.

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

quaternion, squad of four soldiers

Neuter of a presumed derivative of tetras (a tetrad; from tessares); a quaternion or squad (picket) of four Roman soldiers -- quaternion.

see GREEK tessares

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from tessares
Definition
a group of four, a quaternion (a guard of four soldiers)
NASB Translation
squads (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 5069: τετράδιον

τετράδιον, τετραδιου, τό (τετράς, the number four), a quarternion (τό ἐκ τεσσάρων συνεστος, Suidas): τῶν στρατιωτῶν, a guard consisting of four soldiers (for among the Romans this was the usual number of the guard to which the custody of captives and prisons was intrusted; two soldiers were confined with the prisoner and two kept guard outside), Acts 12:4, where the four quaternions mentioned were on guard one at a time during each of the four watches. (Philo in Flacc. § 13 i. e. Mang. edition vol. ii, p. 533, 25.)

Topical Lexicon

Word Origin: Derived from the Greek word "τέσσαρες" (tessares), meaning "four."

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: There are no direct Hebrew equivalents for τετράδιον, as it is a term specific to the Greek language and Roman military practices. However, the concept of a group or division can be loosely related to Hebrew terms for groups or divisions, such as "חֵיל" (cheil, Strong's H2428) meaning "army" or "force," though these do not specifically denote a group of four.

Usage: The term τετράδιον is used in the New Testament to describe a group of four soldiers. It appears in the context of Roman military practices, where soldiers were often organized into groups of four for various duties, including guarding prisoners.

Context: The term τετράδιον is found in the New Testament in the Book of Acts. It is used to describe the Roman military practice of assigning a quaternion, or a group of four soldiers, to guard a prisoner. This practice ensured that the prisoner was under constant surveillance, with soldiers rotating shifts to maintain vigilance.

In Acts 12:4, the term is used in the context of the Apostle Peter's imprisonment by King Herod. The verse states: "When he had seized him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each (τετράδιον), intending to bring him out to the people after the Passover." (BSB)

This passage highlights the seriousness with which Herod regarded Peter's imprisonment, as the use of a quaternion indicates a high level of security. The Roman practice of using quaternions was a standard procedure for guarding important prisoners, ensuring that they were watched over by multiple soldiers at all times.

The use of τετράδιον in this context underscores the tension and the miraculous nature of Peter's subsequent escape, as it emphasizes the formidable human barriers that were overcome by divine intervention.

Forms and Transliterations

τετραδιοις τετραδίοις τετράδραχμον τετρακισμύριοι τετριμένος τρήσει tetradiois tetradíois

Englishman's Concordance

Acts 12:4 N-DNP
GRK: παραδοὺς τέσσαρσιν τετραδίοις στρατιωτῶν φυλάσσειν
NAS: him to four squads of soldiers
KJV: [him] to four quaternions of soldiers
INT: having delivered to four sets of four soldiers to guard

Strong's Greek 5069
1 Occurrence

τετραδίοις — 1 Occ.