Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

OFFICER, OFFICIAL

A person imbued with civil, political, military, or religious responsibility. No one word in Hebrew is used for “office” or “official” in the OT because the office of an individual was implied through the description of the position. The roles of officials vary greatly because of the different types of administrative structures found throughout biblical history: tribal government, the monarchy, and the government of the ruling empire. The palace, temple, and military contained a complete contingent of officers for administration. Heb. śar is most widely used for a variety of official titles, often translated “prince,” “chief,” “noble,” or “official.” Leadership roles are also evidenced by more general terms such as “head” (rōʾš; Josh. 22:14; 1 Sam. 15:17); “great” (raḇ; Dan. 4:22[MT 19]); “servant” (ʿeḇeḏ; Gen. 40:20; 1 Sam. 18:5); “boy” (naʿar; 2 Sam. 16:1; often translated “steward” or “household servant”); and the preposition “over” (ʿal; 2 Kgs. 10:5; Isa. 36:3).

The scribe (sōpēr) served as the personal secretary to the king or other official, such as a priest or prophet (2 Sam. 8:17; Neh. 8:1; Jer. 36:32). The nĕṣîḇ was a regional administrative official of the Philistines (often translated “garrison,” 1 Sam. 10:5; 13:3) and of the Solomonic districts (1 Kgs. 4:7). Other words designate a certain type of official, although in some cases, precise meanings have been lost through time. The sagan (MT only pl.) was described as an official of Babylon, Assyria (Ezek. 23:6), and Judah (Neh. 2:16). The sarîs was a eunuch who held a distinguished office in the governments of such countries as Egypt (Gen. 37:36), Babylon (2 Kgs. 20:18; Dan. 1:7), and Persia (Esth. 2:3). It has been suggested that sārîs in the OT may not refer to a specific officer who was a eunuch but may be a general term for an officer; however, eunuchs were apparently present in the administration of ancient Israel (1 Sam. 8:15; 1 Kgs. 22:9; 2 Kgs. 24:15; 1 Chr. 28:1). The šōṭēr (MT usually pl.) was a secondary officer in Israel (Num. 11:16; Josh. 8:33).

In the NT a variety of terms denote officials and officers. Gk. hypērétēs denotes officials, guards, or servants (John 18:3; Mark 14:54; 1 Cor. 4:1). Gk. hekatontárchēs denotes the Roman centurion (Matt. 8:5) and chilíarchos, a commander or general (Acts 21:31; Rev. 6:15).

Bruce W. Gentry

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

OFFICER, OFFICIAL

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)