GREEK · G1200
δεσμοφύλαξ
desmophulax — jailer
δεσμο-φύλαξ, -κος, ὁ (δεσμός, φύλαξ), a prison-keeper, gaoler: Act.16:23, 27, 36 (cf. ἀρχιδ-, Gen.39:21).† (AS)
3 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →BIBLE DICTIONARY + WORD STUDY
Jailer
Original Hebrew / Aramaic / Greek connected to this term
How to read this: there is rarely one magic “true meaning” hidden behind an English word. A lexicon records a word’s semantic range. The intended meaning is narrowed by grammar, sentence, author, historical usage and context.
GREEK · G6550
ἀρχιδεσμοφύλαξ
archidesmophulax — chief jailer
chief jailer
0 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →GREEK · G6551
ἀρχιδεσμώτης
archidesmōtēs — chief jailer
chief jailer
0 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →Historical dictionary entry
(of Philippi), Acts 16:23. The conversion of the Roman jailer, a man belonging to a class “insensible as a rule and hardened by habit, and also disposed to despise the Jews, who were the bearers of the message of the gospel,” is one of those cases which illustrate its universality and power.
Scripture references
Source: Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897). Historical dictionary wording reflects the scholarship and language of its era.