Original Word: φυλακή
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: phulaké
Pronunciation: foo-lak-ay'
Phonetic Spelling: (foo-lak-ay')
Definition: Guard, watch, prison, custody
Meaning: a watching, keeping guard; a guard, prison; imprisonment.

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

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).

STRONGS NT 5438: φυλακή

φυλακή, φυλακῆς, ἡ (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, ).

Word Origin: Derived from the Greek verb φυλάσσω (phylassō), meaning "to guard" or "to watch."

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: The Greek φυλακή corresponds to several Hebrew terms related to guarding or imprisonment, including מִשְׁמָר (mishmar, Strong's 4929), which denotes a guard or watch, and בֵּית הַסּוֹהַר (beth hassohar, Strong's 1004 and 5470), meaning "house of imprisonment" or "prison." These terms reflect similar themes of confinement and vigilance found in the Old Testament.

Usage: In the New Testament, φυλακή is used to describe a physical prison or place of confinement, the act of keeping watch, and metaphorically, a state of being guarded or protected. It appears in various contexts, including literal imprisonment and spiritual vigilance.

Context: • Literal Usage: φυλακή is frequently used in the New Testament to describe a physical place of imprisonment. For example, in Matthew 25:36, Jesus speaks of visiting those in prison: "I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you visited Me." This usage underscores the physical and social realities of confinement during biblical times.

• Metaphorical Usage: Beyond its literal sense, φυλακή is employed metaphorically to describe spiritual vigilance and readiness. In Mark 13:34, Jesus uses the term in a parable about watchfulness: "It is like a man going on a journey, who left his house, put each servant in charge of his own task, and instructed the doorkeeper to keep watch." Here, φυλακή emphasizes the importance of spiritual alertness and preparedness for the Lord's return.

• Theological Implications: The concept of φυλακή extends to the spiritual realm, where believers are called to be on guard against spiritual dangers and to maintain a state of readiness. This is evident in passages like 1 Peter 5:8, where believers are admonished to be sober-minded and watchful, as the devil prowls like a roaring lion.

• Cultural Context: In the Greco-Roman world, prisons were often places of severe hardship, lacking the modern concept of rehabilitation. The use of φυλακή in the New Testament reflects both the physical reality of imprisonment and the broader spiritual metaphor of being captive to sin or liberated through Christ.

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 phylakē̂sInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts