"the station of a guard or watch; a preservative, safeguard; hence, a phylactery or amulet, worn about the person; from which circumstance the word is used in the NT as a term for the Jewish Tephillin or prayer-case, which took their rise from the injunction in Deut. 6:8; 11:18; M..."
Definition and meaning
the station of a guard or watch; a preservative, safeguard; hence, a phylactery or amulet, worn about the person; from which circumstance the word is used in the NT as a term for the Jewish Tephillin or prayer-case, which took their rise from the injunction in Deut. 6:8; 11:18; Mt. 23:5*
In the original Greek the word is written: φυλακτήριον
Historical context
Rome had controlled Judea since 63 BC. Herod the Great rebuilt the Temple into one of the most magnificent structures in the ancient world — and simultaneously murdered members of his own family. The common people paid multiple layers of taxation and were politically powerless. Into that world a carpenter from Galilee began teaching that the kingdom of God had arrived.
The people who first heard this word were not reading a book — they were living through empires, oppression, exile, and covenant. Every word carried the weight of that reality. Understanding it changes how you read Scripture.
Scripture references
These are the most notable occurrences of phylakterion (G5440) across the King James Bible.
But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,
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Common questions
Strong's G5440 (phylakterion) is a Greek word that means: the station of a guard or watch; a preservative, safeguard; hence, a phylactery or amulet, worn about the person; from which circumstance the word is used in the NT as a term for the Jewish Tephillin ... It appears 1 times in the King James Bible.
The word phylakterion (G5440) appears 1 times in the original Greek text.
Strong's G5440 is phylakterion, a Greek word defined as: the station of a guard or watch; a preservative, safeguard; hence, a phylactery or amulet, worn about the person; from which circumstance the word is . James Strong catalogued this in his 1890 concordance to help English readers study the original languages of the Bible.
phylakterion is a Greek word found in the New Testament.