Lexical Summary phulaké: Guard, watch, prison, custody Original Word: φυλακή Strong's Exhaustive Concordance cage, hold, imprisonment, wardFrom phulasso; a guarding or (concretely, guard), the act, the person; figuratively, the place, the condition, or (specially), the time (as a division of day or night), literally or figuratively -- cage, hold, (im-)prison(-ment), ward, watch. see GREEK phulasso NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom phulassó Definition a guarding, guard, watch NASB Translation guard (1), imprisonment (1), imprisonments (2), prison (34), prisons (3), time of the night (1), watch (4). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 5438: φυλακήφυλακή, φυλακῆς, ἡ (φυλάσσω), from Homer down, the Sept. for מִשְׁמֶרֶת, מִשְׁמָר, מַטָּרָה (a prison), כֶּלֶא (enclosure, confinement), guard, watch, i. e. a. in an active sense, a watching, keeping watch: φυλάσσειν φυλακάς, to keep watch, Luke 2:8 (often in the Greek writings from Xenophon, an. 2, 6, 10, etc.; Plato legg. 6, p. 758 d. down; (cf. φυλακάς ἔχειν, etc. from Homer (Iliad 9, 1 etc.) on); often also in the Sept. for מִשְׁמָרות שָׁמַר). b. like the Latincustodia and more frequently the pluralcustodiae (see Klotz, Hdwrbch. (or Harpers' Latin Dict.) under the word), equivalent to persons keeping watch, a guard, sentinels: Acts 12:10 (here A. V. ward) (and very often in secular authors from Homer down). c. of the place where captives are kept, a prison: Matthew 14:10; Matthew 25:36,(39),43f; Mark 6:17, 27(28); Luke 3:20; Luke 21:12; Luke 22:33; Acts 5:19, 22; Acts 8:3; Acts 12:5f, 17; Acts 16:27, 40; Acts 22:4; Acts 26:10; 2 Corinthians 6:5 (here, as in Hebrews 11:36, A. V. imprisonment); 2 Corinthians 11:23; 1 Peter 3:19; Revelation 18:2 (twice; rendered in A. V. hold and cage (R. V. hold)); d. of the time (of night) during which guard was kept, a watch i. e. the period of time during which a part of the guard were on duty, and at the end of which others relieved them. As the earlier Greeks divided the night commonly into three parts (see Liddell and Scott, under the word I. 4), so, previously to the exile, the Israelites also had three watches in a night; subsequently, however, after they became subject to Rome, they adopted the Roman custom of dividing the night into four watches: Matthew 24:43; ἐν τῇ δευτέρᾳ, τρίτῃ, Luke 12:38; τετάρτῃ, Matthew 14:25; Mark 6:48. Cf. Winer's RWB under the word Nachtwache; (McClintock and Strong's Cyclopaedia, under the word Strong’s 5438 gathers the ideas of confinement, custody, vigilance, and time-keeping into one word. Whether denoting a literal jail, a cohort of guards, or a portion of the night, it always points to something (or Someone) actively restraining or watching for a purpose determined by God’s providence. Old Testament Roots and Intertestamental Context In the Septuagint φυλακή frequently translates Hebrew mishmar (“guard, prison, ward”) and mishmeret (“watch, charge”). Thus by the first century it already carried both the penal and the protective nuances. Second-Temple Judaism knew prisons more as holding cells than as places of long-term sentences; judgment was swift, and confinement was mainly to await trial, punishment, or execution (compare Jeremiah 37:15-16 LXX). That background informs New Testament scenes involving φυλακή. Physical Imprisonment in the Gospels 1. John the Baptist – Herod shut him up “in prison” (Matthew 14:3; Mark 6:17; Luke 3:20). The savage beheading that followed (Matthew 14:10) reveals how φυλακή could be a prelude to death. The “Watch” of the Night A second stream of meaning concerns time. The night was divided into four φυλακαί. Because these watches occur when human strength wanes, the passages underscore the need for spiritual vigilance dependent on divine power. Apostolic Arrests, Angelic Deliverances Acts offers a theology of φυλακή that magnifies the sovereignty of God over earthly shackles. Paul’s Perspective on Suffering Behind Bars Paul twice links φυλακαί with exemplary endurance (2 Corinthians 6:5; 11:23). He presents imprisonment not as defeat but as a platform for authenticating the gospel before rulers (compare Acts 26:10; Philippians 1:13 where the noun is implied by context). Spiritual Imprisonment and Cosmic Conflict Not every φυλακή is made of iron. Watchfulness in Eschatology The homeowner who would have watched his house “if the master of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming” (Matthew 24:43) turns φυλακή into an exhortation: believers must keep constant guard over their own lives and doctrine as they await Christ’s return. Ministry Implications for the Church 1. Compassion: Visiting prisoners (Matthew 25) embodies the mercy of the gospel. Theological Synthesis φυλακή reveals God’s mastery over time, circumstance, and authority. It calls His people to vigilant faithfulness, assures them that no prison can silence divine truth, and warns that ultimate bondage or freedom hinges on relationship to Christ. Thus the term spans the entire redemptive drama—from earthly jails to eschatological judgment—underscoring the unbreakable consistency of Scripture in proclaiming a sovereign, delivering God. Englishman's Concordance Matthew 5:25 N-AFSGRK: καὶ εἰς φυλακὴν βληθήσῃ NAS: and you be thrown into prison. KJV: thou be cast into prison. INT: and into prison you be cast Matthew 14:3 N-DFS Matthew 14:10 N-DFS Matthew 14:25 N-DFS Matthew 18:30 N-AFS Matthew 24:43 N-DFS Matthew 25:36 N-DFS Matthew 25:39 N-DFS Matthew 25:43 N-DFS Matthew 25:44 N-DFS Mark 6:17 N-DFS Mark 6:27 N-DFS Mark 6:48 N-AFS Luke 2:8 N-AFP Luke 3:20 N-DFS Luke 12:38 N-DFS Luke 12:58 N-AFS Luke 21:12 N-AFP Luke 22:33 N-AFS Luke 23:19 N-DFS Luke 23:25 N-AFS John 3:24 N-AFS Acts 5:19 N-GFS Acts 5:22 N-DFS Acts 5:25 N-DFS Strong's Greek 5438 |
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