Greek word · G4575

σεβαστός

sebastos

august

'Revered, worthy of veneration' (from sebomai, 'to revere'). From 27 BC it became the official Greek translation of the Latin title Augustus, given to Octavian and then carried by each reigning emperor. As an adjective it marks something as imperial or 'Augustan'.

Appears 3 times in 3 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

σεβαστός, -ή, -όν (σεβάζομαι)

1. reverend, august.

2. In late writers, with reference to the Roman Imperial name;

(a) ὁ Σ., Augustus, i.e. the Roman Emperor: Acts 25:21, 25;

(b) Augustan: σπείρα σ., Acts 27:1 (See further, Deiss., BS, 218.) †

(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 Acts 27:1

Range of meaning

'Revered, worthy of veneration' (from sebomai, 'to revere'). From 27 BC it became the official Greek translation of the Latin title Augustus, given to Octavian and then carried by each reigning emperor. As an adjective it marks something as imperial or 'Augustan'. Cities (Sebaste in Samaria, Sebaste in Pontus), the imperial cult (the Sebasteion), and military units used it as an honorary title.

Against the English

KJV 'Augustus' band' reads like a possessive with a personal name. WEB, ESV and NASB 'Augustan' keep it as an adjective. BSB and NIV 'Imperial' bring out the force of the title but lose its link to the specific word Augustus.

How it drifted

Modern readers know 'Augustus' as the name of one emperor (died AD 14). In the first century, Sebastos was also a living title held by the current emperor. In Acts 25–27 that was Nero.

Used elsewhere in the period

Acts 25:21 and 25:25 use ho Sebastos for the reigning emperor. Josephus and countless inscriptions use Sebastos as the imperial title. Herod the Great renamed Samaria 'Sebaste' in Augustus' honour. Josephus mentions auxiliary troops called 'Sebastenes', recruited from Sebaste and Caesarea (e.g. Jewish War 2.52, 58; Antiquities 19.365; 20.122).

Where it appears

Acts · 3

  1. Acts 25:21 Σεβαστοῦ Emperor's

    But when Paul appealed to be held over for the decision of the Emperor, I ordered that he be held until I could send him to Caesar.”

  2. Acts 25:25 Σεβαστὸν Emperor

    But I found he had done nothing worthy of death, and since he has now appealed to the Emperor, I decided to send him.

  3. Acts 27:1 Σεβαστῆς. of Augustus.

    When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment.

    Here: 'Augustan.' Sebastos is the Greek form of the imperial title Augustus ('the Revered One'). Here it names the unit as an 'Augustan' cohort, an honorary title. It echoes 25:21 and 25:25, where Paul appeals to ho Sebastos, 'the Emperor'.

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