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The Blue Letter Bible

Lexicon :: Strong's G4686 - speira

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σπεῖρα
Transliteration
speira (Key)
Pronunciation
spi'-rah
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Part of Speech
feminine noun
Root Word (Etymology)
Of immed. Latin origin, but ultimately a derivative of αἱρέω (G138) in the sense of its cognate εἱλίσσω (G1507)
mGNT
7x in 3 unique form(s) TR
7x in 3 unique form(s) LXX
1x in 1 unique form(s)
Dictionary Aids

Vine's Expository Dictionary: View Entry

Strong’s Definitions

σπεῖρα speîra, spi'-rah; of immediate Latin origin, but ultimately a derivative of G138 in the sense of its cognate G1507; a coil (spira, "spire"), i.e. (figuratively) a mass of men (a Roman military cohort; also (by analogy) a squad of Levitical janitors):—band.

KJV Translation Count — Total: 7x

The KJV translates Strong's G4686 in the following manner: band (7x).

KJV Translation Count — Total: 7x
The KJV translates Strong's G4686 in the following manner: band (7x).

  1. anything rolled into a circle or ball, anything wound, rolled up, folded together

  2. a military cohort

    1. the tenth part of legion

      1. about 600 men i.e. legionaries

      2. if auxiliaries either 500 or 1000

      3. a maniple, or the thirtieth part of a legion

    2. any band, company, or detachment, of soldiers

Strong’s Definitions [?](Strong’s Definitions Legend)
σπεῖρα speîra, spi'-rah; of immediate Latin origin, but ultimately a derivative of G138 in the sense of its cognate G1507; a coil (spira, "spire"), i.e. (figuratively) a mass of men (a Roman military cohort; also (by analogy) a squad of Levitical janitors):—band.
STRONGS G4686:
σπεῖρα (on the accent cf. Buttmann, 11; Chandler § 161; Tdf. Proleg., p. 102), ἡ, genitive σπείρης (Acts 10:1; Acts 21:31; Acts 27:1; see (Tdf. Proleg., p. 117; WH's Appendix, p. 156; and) μάχαιρα, at the beginning) (cognate with σπυρίς (which see));
a. Latinspira; anything rolled into a circle or ball, anything wound, rolled up, folded together.
b. a military cohort (Polybius 11, 23, 1 τρεῖς σπείρας. τοῦτο δέ καλεῖται τό σύνταγμα τῶν πεζῶν παρά Ῥωμαίοις κωρτις), i. e. the tenth part of a legion (i. e. about 600 men (i. e. legionaries), or if auxilialies either 500 or 1,000; cf. Marquardt, Römisch. Alterth. III. ii., p. 371. But surely τοῦτο τό σύνταγμα in the quotation comprehends the τρεῖς σπεῖρα; hence, Polybius here makes a σπεῖρα equal to a maniple, cf. 2, 3, 2; 6, 24, 5; cf. Zonaras, Lex., p. 1664, σπεῖρα σύνταγμα διακοσίων ἀνδρῶν. On the other hand, "the later Greek writings almost uniformly employ σπεῖρα as the representative of cohors" (Smith, Dict. of Antiq., edition 2, under the word exercitus, p. 500); and the rise of χιλίαρχος (which was the equivalent of tribunus, the commander of a cohort) in connection with it (John 18:12; Acts 21:31), together with the uniform rendering of the word by cohors in the Latin versions, warrants the margin cohort uniformly added in R. V. to the rendering band): Matthew 27:27; Mark 15:16; Acts 10:1; Acts 21:31; Acts 27:1, and often in Josephus; a maniple, or the thirtieth part of a legion, often so in Polybius ((see above)); any band, company, or detachment, of soldiers (2 Macc. 8:23; Judith 14:11): John 18:3, 12.
THAYER’S GREEK LEXICON, Electronic Database.
Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2006, 2011 by Biblesoft, Inc.
All rights reserved. Used by permission. BibleSoft.com

BLB Scripture Index of Thayer's

Matthew
27:27
Mark
15:16
John
18:3; 18:12; 18:12
Acts
10:1; 10:1; 21:31; 21:31; 21:31; 27:1; 27:1

Word / Phrase / Strong's Search

Strong's Number G4686 matches the Greek σπεῖρα (speira),
which occurs 7 times in 7 verses in the TR Greek.

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Unchecked Copy Box Mat 27:27

Unchecked Copy BoxMat 27:27 - Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters,[fn] and they gathered the whole battalion[fn] before him.

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Unchecked Copy Box Mar 15:16

Unchecked Copy BoxMar 15:16 - And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor’s headquarters),[fn] and they called together the whole battalion.[fn]

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Unchecked Copy Box Jhn 18:3

Unchecked Copy BoxJhn 18:3 - So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons.

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Unchecked Copy Box Jhn 18:12

Unchecked Copy BoxJhn 18:12 - So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews[fn] arrested Jesus and bound him.

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Unchecked Copy Box Act 10:1

Unchecked Copy BoxAct 10:1 - At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort,

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Unchecked Copy Box Act 21:31

Unchecked Copy BoxAct 21:31 - And as they were seeking to kill him, word came to the tribune of the cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion.

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Unchecked Copy Box Act 27:1

Unchecked Copy BoxAct 27:1 - And when it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort named Julius.
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