5438. phulaké
Lexical Summary
phulaké: Guard, watch, prison, custody

Original Word: φυλακή
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: phulaké
Pronunciation: foo-lak-ay'
Phonetic Spelling: (foo-lak-ay')
KJV: cage, hold, (im-)prison(-ment), ward, watch
NASB: prison, watch, prisons, imprisonments, guard, imprisonment, time of the night
Word Origin: [from G5442 (φυλάσσω - guard)]

1. a guarding
2. (concretely) guard (the act, the person)
3. (figuratively) the place, the condition
4. (specially) the time (as a division of day or night)
{literally or figuratively}

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
cage, hold, imprisonment, ward

From 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 Origin
from 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: φυλακή

φυλακή, φυλακῆς, (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)); (Herodotus 3, 152; Thucydides 3, 34; Plutarch, others; the Sept. for מַטָּרָה, כֶּלֶא בֵּית, and הַכֶּלֶא בֵּית, מִשְׁמָר); βάλλειν or τιθέναι τινα εἰς (τήν) φυλακήν or ἐν (τῇ) φυλακή: Matthew 5:25; Matthew 14:3 (R G, others, ἀπέθετο); ; Luke 12:58; Luke 23:19, 25; John 3:24; Acts 5:25; Acts 8:3 (here παραδιδόναι εἰς φυλακήν); ; Revelation 2:10.

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 ; B. D. under the phrase, ).

Topical Lexicon
Meaning and Scope

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.
2. Jesus’ Teaching – Christ identifies Himself with the incarcerated: “I was in prison, and you came to Me” (Matthew 25:36). The sheep-and-goats judgment makes ministry to prisoners a benchmark of genuine faith.
3. Immediate Consequences of Discipleship – While warning of persecution Jesus tells the Twelve, “They will seize you and persecute you; they will deliver you to synagogues and prisons” (Luke 21:12), showing φυλακή as an expected cost of witness.

The “Watch” of the Night

A second stream of meaning concerns time. The night was divided into four φυλακαί.
• “During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the sea” (Matthew 14:25; Mark 6:48).
• In a parable Jesus commends servants “if he comes in the second or even the third watch and finds them alert” (Luke 12:38).

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.
• The apostles: “An angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison” (Acts 5:19-25).
• Peter: “Prayer for him was being made fervently… suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared” (Acts 12:5-10,17).
• Paul and Silas in Philippi: “The jailer… having received this order, put them into the inner cell… About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns” (Acts 16:23-27,37,40). Earthquakes, opened doors, conversions—all exhibit the gospel’s unstoppable advance.

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.
• “He also went and preached to the spirits in prison” (1 Peter 3:19)—fallen spirits held for judgment, demonstrating Christ’s cosmic triumph.
Revelation 18:2 pictures Babylon as “a haunt of demons and a cage [φυλακή] of every unclean spirit,” depicting end-time spiritual bondage.
• Satan himself is “released from his prison” after the millennium (Revelation 20:7), proving that every captor is ultimately captive to God.

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.
2. Courage: Imprisonment is no barrier to effective witness; Scripture written from cells (Philippians, 2 Timothy, Revelation) proves that chains can spread the Word.
3. Vigilance: Every believer is on watch duty. Whether guarding doctrine (1 Timothy 6:20), the flock (Acts 20:28), or personal holiness (1 Peter 5:8), the call echoes the night watches.

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.

Forms and Transliterations
φυλακαις φυλακαίς φυλακαῖς φυλακας φυλακάς φυλακὰς φυλακη φυλακή φυλακὴ φυλακῇ φυλακην φυλακήν φυλακὴν φυλακης φυλακής φυλακῆς phulakais phulakas phulake phulakē phulaken phulakēn phulakes phulakēs phylakais phylakaîs phylakas phylakás phylakàs phylake phylakē phylakḕ phylakêi phylakē̂i phylaken phylakēn phylakḗn phylakḕn phylakes phylakês phylakēs phylakē̂s
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Matthew 5:25 N-AFS
GRK: 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
GRK: καὶ ἐν φυλακῇ ἀπέθετο διὰ
NAS: him and put him in prison because
KJV: put [him] in prison for Herodias'
INT: and in prison put [him] on account of

Matthew 14:10 N-DFS
GRK: ἐν τῇ φυλακῇ
NAS: and had John beheaded in the prison.
KJV: John in the prison.
INT: in the prison

Matthew 14:25 N-DFS
GRK: Τετάρτῃ δὲ φυλακῇ τῆς νυκτὸς
NAS: And in the fourth watch of the night
KJV: in the fourth watch of the night
INT: in fourth moreover watch of the night

Matthew 18:30 N-AFS
GRK: αὐτὸν εἰς φυλακὴν ἕως ἀποδῷ
NAS: and threw him in prison until
KJV: him into prison, till he should pay
INT: him into prison until he should pay

Matthew 24:43 N-DFS
GRK: οἰκοδεσπότης ποίᾳ φυλακῇ ὁ κλέπτης
NAS: at what time of the night the thief
KJV: in what watch the thief
INT: master of the house in what time of night the thief

Matthew 25:36 N-DFS
GRK: με ἐν φυλακῇ ἤμην καὶ
NAS: and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came
KJV: I was in prison, and ye came
INT: me in prison I was and

Matthew 25:39 N-DFS
GRK: ἢ ἐν φυλακῇ καὶ ἤλθομεν
NAS: or in prison, and come
KJV: or in prison, and came
INT: or in prison and came

Matthew 25:43 N-DFS
GRK: καὶ ἐν φυλακῇ καὶ οὐκ
NAS: Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit
KJV: and in prison, and ye visited
INT: and in prison and not

Matthew 25:44 N-DFS
GRK: ἢ ἐν φυλακῇ καὶ οὐ
NAS: or in prison, and did not take care
KJV: or in prison, and did
INT: or in prison and not

Mark 6:17 N-DFS
GRK: αὐτὸν ἐν φυλακῇ διὰ Ἡρῳδιάδα
NAS: and bound in prison on account
KJV: him in prison for Herodias'
INT: him in prison on account of Herodias

Mark 6:27 N-DFS
GRK: ἐν τῇ φυλακῇ
KJV: him in the prison,
INT: in the prison

Mark 6:48 N-AFS
GRK: περὶ τετάρτην φυλακὴν τῆς νυκτὸς
NAS: the fourth watch of the night
KJV: the fourth watch of the night
INT: about [the] fourth watch of the night

Luke 2:8 N-AFP
GRK: καὶ φυλάσσοντες φυλακὰς τῆς νυκτὸς
NAS: and keeping watch over
KJV: keeping watch over their
INT: and keeping watch by night

Luke 3:20 N-DFS
GRK: Ἰωάννην ἐν φυλακῇ
NAS: he locked John up in prison.
KJV: John in prison.
INT: John in prison

Luke 12:38 N-DFS
GRK: τῇ τρίτῃ φυλακῇ ἔλθῃ καὶ
NAS: in the second watch, or even
KJV: in the second watch, or come
INT: the third watch he comes and

Luke 12:58 N-AFS
GRK: βαλεῖ εἰς φυλακήν
NAS: and the officer throw you into prison.
KJV: thee into prison.
INT: should cast into prison

Luke 21:12 N-AFP
GRK: συναγωγὰς καὶ φυλακάς ἀπαγομένους ἐπὶ
NAS: you to the synagogues and prisons, bringing
KJV: and into prisons, being brought
INT: synagogues and prisons bringing [you] before

Luke 22:33 N-AFS
GRK: καὶ εἰς φυλακὴν καὶ εἰς
NAS: to go both to prison and to death!
KJV: both into prison, and to
INT: both to prison and to

Luke 23:19 N-DFS
GRK: ἐν τῇ φυλακῇ
NAS: had been thrown into prison for an insurrection
KJV: was cast into prison.)
INT: into the prison

Luke 23:25 N-AFS
GRK: βεβλημένον εἰς φυλακὴν ὃν ᾐτοῦντο
NAS: for who had been thrown into prison for insurrection
KJV: into prison, whom
INT: had been cast into prison whom they asked for

John 3:24 N-AFS
GRK: εἰς τὴν φυλακὴν ὁ Ἰωάννης
NAS: been thrown into prison.
KJV: cast into prison.
INT: into the prison John

Acts 5:19 N-GFS
GRK: θύρας τῆς φυλακῆς ἐξαγαγών τε
NAS: the gates of the prison, and taking
KJV: night opened the prison doors, and
INT: doors of the jail having brought out moreover

Acts 5:22 N-DFS
GRK: ἐν τῇ φυλακῇ ἀναστρέψαντες δὲ
NAS: did not find them in the prison; and they returned
KJV: not in the prison, they returned, and
INT: in the prison having returned moreover

Acts 5:25 N-DFS
GRK: ἐν τῇ φυλακῇ εἰσὶν ἐν
NAS: you put in prison are standing
KJV: ye put in prison are standing
INT: in the prison are in

Strong's Greek 5438
47 Occurrences


φυλακαῖς — 3 Occ.
φυλακὰς — 3 Occ.
φυλακῇ — 20 Occ.
φυλακὴν — 15 Occ.
φυλακῆς — 6 Occ.

5437
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