"a watchman, guard, sentinel, Acts 5:23; 12:6, 19*"
Definition and meaning
a watchman, guard, sentinel, Acts 5:23; 12:6, 19*
In the original Greek the word is written: φύλαξ
Historical context
The Roman Empire provided infrastructure no previous civilization had built — roads, sea routes, a common language in Greek, and relative peace across the Mediterranean. Jewish synagogues existed in every major city, giving Paul a starting point everywhere he traveled. The early church had no buildings, no political power, no social standing — and spread faster than any movement in ancient history.
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 phylax (G5441) across the King James Bible.
Saying, The prison truly found we shut with all safety, and the keepers standing without before the doors: but when we had opened, we found no man within.
And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison.
And when Herod had sought for him, and found him not, he examined the keepers, and commanded that they should be put to death. And he went down from Judaea to Caesarea, and there abode.
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Common questions
Strong's G5441 (phylax) is a Greek word that means: a watchman, guard, sentinel, Acts 5:23; 12:6, 19* It appears 3 times in the King James Bible.
The word phylax (G5441) appears 3 times in the original Greek text.
Strong's G5441 is phylax, a Greek word defined as: a watchman, guard, sentinel, Acts 5:23; 12:6, 19*. James Strong catalogued this in his 1890 concordance to help English readers study the original languages of the Bible.
phylax is a Greek word found in the New Testament.