Governor

Easton, 1897

(1.) Heb. nagid, a prominent, conspicuous person, whatever his capacity: as, chief of the royal palace (2 Chronicles 28:7; comp. 1 Kings 4:6), chief of the temple (1 Chronicles 9:11; Jeremiah 20:1), the leader of the Aaronites (1 Chronicles 12:27), keeper of the sacred treasury (1 Chronicles 26:24), captain of the army (1 Chronicles 13:1), the king (1 Samuel 9:16), the Messiah (Daniel 9:25).

(2.) Heb. nasi, raised; exalted. Used to denote the chiefs of families (Numbers 3:24, Numbers 3:30, Numbers 3:32, Numbers 3:35); also of tribes (Numbers 2:3; Numbers 7:2; Numbers 3:32). These dignities appear to have been elective, not hereditary.

(3.) Heb. pakid, an officer or magistrate. It is used of the delegate of the high priest (2 Chronicles 24:11), the Levites (Nehemiah 11:22), a military commander (2 Kings 25:19), Joseph's officers in Egypt (Genesis 41:34).

(4.) Heb. shallit, one who has power, who rules (Genesis 42:6; Ezra 4:20; Ecclesiastes 8:8; Daniel 2:15; Daniel 5:29).

(5.) Heb. aluph, literally one put over a thousand, i.e., a clan or a subdivision of a tribe. Used of the "dukes" of Edom (Genesis 36), and of the Jewish chiefs (Zechariah 9:7).

(6.) Heb. moshel, one who rules, holds dominion. Used of many classes of rulers (Genesis 3:16; Genesis 24:2; Genesis 45:8; Psalms 105:20); of the Messiah (Micah 5:2); of God (1 Chronicles 29:12; Psalms 103:19).

(7.) Heb. sar, a ruler or chief; a word of very general use. It is used of the chief baker of Pharaoh (Genesis 40:16); of the chief butler (Genesis 40:2, etc. See also Genesis 47:6; Exodus 1:11; Daniel 1:7; Judges 10:18; 1 Kings 22:26; 1 Kings 20:15; 2 Kings 1:9; 2 Samuel 24:2). It is used also of angels, guardian angels (Daniel 10:13, Daniel 10:20, Daniel 10:21; Daniel 12:1; Daniel 10:13; Daniel 8:25).

(8.) Pehah, whence pasha, i.e., friend of the king; adjutant; governor of a province (2 Kings 18:24; Isaiah 36:9; Jeremiah 51:57; Ezekiel 23:6, Ezekiel 23:23; Daniel 3:2; Esther 3:12), or a perfect (Nehemiah 3:7; Nehemiah 5:14; Ezra 5:3; Haggai 1:1). This is a foreign word, Assyrian, which was early adopted into the Hebrew idiom (1 Kings 10:15).

(9.) The Chaldean word segan is applied to the governors of the Babylonian satrapies (Daniel 3:2, Daniel 3:27; Daniel 6:7); the prefects over the Magi (Daniel 2:48). The corresponding Hebrew word segan is used of provincial rulers (Jeremiah 51:23, Jeremiah 51:28, Jeremiah 51:57); also of chiefs and rulers of the people of Jerusalem (Ezra 9:2; Nehemiah 2:16; Nehemiah 4:14, Nehemiah 4:19; Nehemiah 5:7, Nehemiah 5:17; Nehemiah 7:5; Nehemiah 12:40).

In the New Testament there are also different Greek words rendered thus.

(1.) Meaning an ethnarch (2 Corinthians 11:32), which was an office distinct from military command, with considerable latitude of application.

(2.) The procurator of Judea under the Romans (Matthew 27:2). (Comp. Luke 2:2, where the verb from which the Greek word so rendered is derived is used.)

(3.) Steward (Galatians 4:2).

(4.) Governor of the feast (John 2:9), who appears here to have been merely an intimate friend of the bridegroom, and to have presided at the marriage banquet in his stead.

(5.) A director, i.e., helmsman; Lat. gubernator, (James 3:4).