Original Word: παρεμβολή
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: parembole
Pronunciation: pah-rem-bol-AY
Phonetic Spelling: (par-em-bol-ay')
KJV: army, camp, castle
Word Origin: [from a compound of G3844 (παρά - than) and G1685 (ἐμβάλλω - cast)]

1. a throwing in beside (juxtaposition)
2. (specially), battle-array, encampment or barracks (tower Antonia)

army, camp, castle.

From a compound of para and emballo; a throwing in beside (juxtaposition), i.e. (specially), battle-array, encampment or barracks (tower Antonia) -- army, camp, castle.

see GREEK para

see GREEK emballo

STRONGS NT 3925: παρεμβολή

παρεμβολή, παρεμβολῆς. ἡ (from παρεμβάλλω, which see);

1. interpolation, insertion (into a discourse of matters foreign to the subject in hand, Aeschines).

2. In the Maced. dialect (cf. Sturz, De dial. Maced. et Alex., p. 30; Lob. ad Phryn., p. 377; (Winers Grammar, 22)) an encampment (Pclyb., Diodorus, Josephus, Plutarch);

a. the camp of the Israelites in the desert (an enclosure within which their tents were pitched), Exodus 29:14; Exodus 19:17; Exodus 32:17; hence, in Hebrews 13:11 used for the city of Jerusalem, inasmuch as that was to the Israelites what formerly the encampment had been in the desert; of the sacred congregation or assembly of Israel, as that had been gathered formerly in camps in the wilderness, Hebrews 13:13.

b. the barracks of the Roman soldiers, which at Jerusalem were in the castle Antonia: Acts 21:34, 37; Acts 22:24; Acts 23:10, 16, 32.

3. an army in line of battle: Hebrews 11:34; Revelation 20:9 (here A. V. camp), (Exodus 14:19, 20; Judges 4:16; Judges 8:11; 1 Samuel 14:16; very often in Polybius; Aelian v. h. 14, 46). Often in the Sept. for מַחֲנֶה, which signifies both camp and army; frequent in both senses in 1 Maccabees (); cf. Grimm on 1 Macc. 3:3.

Root Concept and Old Testament Background

The idea of a “camp” runs through the Pentateuch, where Israel’s orderly encampment signified both divine presence and covenant identity (Numbers 2:1-34). That camp was holy because the Lord walked in its midst (Deuteronomy 23:14), and anything defiled was sent “outside the camp.” The same vocabulary is preserved in the Septuagint and carried into the New Testament by παρεμβολή (Strong’s 3925) and its verb forms. Thus every New Testament use reverberates with the imagery of covenant community, separation, protection, and warfare.

Prophetic Warning—Luke 19:43

When Jesus neared Jerusalem, He wept and foretold a siege: “For the days will come upon you when your enemies will barricade you with an embankment, surround you, and hem you in on every side” (Luke 19:43). Here the verb signals enemy troops setting up their siegeworks. Less than four decades later Rome fulfilled the prophecy, underscoring Christ’s authority and the certainty of divine judgment when a people rejects the day of visitation.

Victory of Faith—Hebrews 11:34

In the roll call of faith the writer recalls saints who “became mighty in battle and routed foreign armies” (Hebrews 11:34). The phrase “foreign armies” renders παρεμβολὰς ἀλλοτρίων—literally “encampments of foreigners.” Faith turns apparent weakness into strength, driving hostile forces from the covenant camp. Thus spiritual triumph is portrayed in military terms.

Paul and the Roman Barracks—Acts 21–23

Eight of the eleven occurrences cluster in Paul’s arrest narrative. The “barracks” (παρεμβολή) was the Antonia Fortress, garrison for the Jerusalem cohort.
• Acts 21:37: “As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he asked the commander, ‘May I say something to you?’”
• Acts 22:24: The commander ordered an interrogation “inside the barracks.”
• Acts 23:10, 16, 32 record further transfers for Paul’s safety.

These scenes illustrate God’s providence: the very military enclave that enforced pagan rule became the arena for gospel testimony before Roman authority, fulfilling Acts 9:15.

Outside the Camp—Hebrews 13:11-13

“For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the Most Holy Place by the high priest for sin are burned outside the camp. So then, let us go to Him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace He bore” (Hebrews 13:11-13). The inspired writer links the Day of Atonement ritual with Christ’s crucifixion beyond Jerusalem’s walls. Followers of Jesus must identify with Him in the place of reproach, separated from worldly systems yet inside the truest fellowship—the gathered people of God.

Eschatological Confrontation—Revelation 20:9

At history’s climax hostile nations “marched across the broad expanse of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city” (Revelation 20:9). The church, secure in its covenant “camp,” is the final target of evil, but divine fire consumes the attackers. The passage completes the biblical arc: what began as Israel’s desert camp culminates in the protected people of God in the New Jerusalem.

Theological Themes

1. Covenant Identity: Whether Israel in the wilderness or the church in the age to come, the camp denotes God’s dwelling among His people.
2. Separation and Holiness: Being “outside the camp” can indicate uncleanness or, in Christ’s case, redemptive suffering. Believers embrace both cleansing and costly discipleship.
3. Spiritual Warfare: Faith overthrows hostile encampments (Hebrews 11:34) and ultimately prevails against the final siege (Revelation 20:9).
4. Providence in Persecution: Paul’s confinement in the Roman barracks shows that no earthly power can hinder the gospel; the Lord uses even military strongholds for witness.

Practical Ministry Applications

• Discipleship involves willingness to bear reproach “outside the camp,” forsaking cultural comfort to stand with Christ.
• Corporate worship should reflect the holiness of God’s covenant camp, encouraging mutual accountability and purity.
• Believers face spiritual opposition, yet faith equips them to rout “foreign armies,” whether literal or figurative.
• Confidence in God’s ultimate victory steadies the church amid societal pressures, reminding her that the final siege ends in triumphant deliverance.

Summary

Strong’s 3925 and its cognate forms trace the movement of God’s people from Sinai to Zion, from earthly barracks to heavenly city. The vocabulary of camp, barracks, and siege frames prophecies, historical narrative, exhortation, and eschatology, all converging on the truth that the Lord encamps around those who fear Him and delivers them (cf. Psalm 34:7).

παρεμβαλουσιν παρεμβαλοῦσιν παρεμβολαί παρεμβολαίς παρεμβολας παρεμβολάς παρεμβολὰς παρεμβολή παρεμβολην παρεμβολήν παρεμβολὴν παρεμβολης παρεμβολής παρεμβολῆς παρεμβολών parembalousin parembaloûsin parembolas parembolàs parembolen parembolēn parembolḗn parembolḕn paremboles parembolês parembolēs parembolē̂sInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts