Greek word · G4233

πράκτωρ

praktōr

bailiff

Literally 'one who does or exacts' (from prassō, which can mean to collect money). An official who collects what is owed: taxes, fines, or debts decreed by a court, often with authority to hold defaulters.

Appears 2 times in 1 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

πράκτωρ, -ορος, ὁ

(πράσσω), [in LXX: Isaiah 3:12 (נָגַשׁ) * ;]

1. (poët.) one who does or accomplishes.

2. In Athens, one who exacts payment, a collector; hence, generally (frequently in π., see Deiss., BS, 154), a court officer: Luke 12:58.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Luke 12:58

Range of meaning

Literally 'one who does or exacts' (from prassō, which can mean to collect money). An official who collects what is owed: taxes, fines, or debts decreed by a court, often with authority to hold defaulters.

Against the English

Nearly all English versions say 'officer', which is accurate but colourless. Some commentators prefer 'bailiff'. Only the Vulgate's exactor, 'one who exacts', keeps the point. Matthew 5:25 uses a different word, hupēretēs, a general court attendant.

How it drifted

'Officer' now calls up a police officer arresting a criminal. That frames the scene as crime and punishment, when the Greek points to debt and collection.

Used elsewhere in the period

In classical Athens the praktores collected fines owed to the state. In Greek-speaking Egypt, documents mention praktores who enforced payment, and a related word was used for a debtors' lockup. In the Greek of Isaiah 3:12 the word describes those who exact from and oppress God's people. In the New Testament it appears only in this verse, twice.

Where it appears

Luke · 2

  1. Luke 12:58 πράκτορι, πράκτωρ officer,, officer

    Make every effort to reconcile with your adversary while you are on your way to the magistrate. Otherwise, he may drag you off to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and the officer may throw you into prison.

    Here: From a verb meaning 'to exact, to collect'. He is the court official who enforces payment of what is owed, not a general police officer.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.