φρουρέω

From the study of Philippians 4:7

Range of meaning

From phrouros, 'a guard, sentry', and phroura, 'a garrison'. To keep watch, to protect a city with a garrison against attack, and also to hold under guard and keep someone from escaping (Gal 3:23, 'held in custody under the law'). Elsewhere in the NT: 2 Cor 11:32, the governor 'was guarding the city of Damascus' to catch Paul; 1 Pet 1:5, believers 'guarded by God's power'.

Against the English

KJV 'keep' today can sound like 'retain' or 'hold onto'. In 1611 it carried the sense of keeping safe, but the military picture is gone. 'Guard' (most modern versions) is right. 'Stand guard over' or 'garrison' brings out the picture fully.

How it drifted

The KJV rendering 'keep' went into the well-known church blessing ('…keep your hearts and minds'). There the soldier picture faded into a general idea of preservation.

Used elsewhere in the period

Common in Greek historians and in Josephus for troops occupying and defending towns and fortresses. Wisdom of Solomon 17:16 uses it for being shut up and kept under guard. The future tense here ('will guard') is a promise.

From the study of 1 Peter 1:5

Range of meaning

From phrouros, 'watchman, guard.' It means to keep watch over, to garrison, to hold a place under guard. That can mean protecting it from attack from outside, or keeping it shut in so no one escapes (custody). Which one depends on context.

Against the English

KJV 'kept' is accurate but loses the military picture. BSB/NIV 'shielded' suggests one defensive object, not a garrison standing watch. WEB/ESV/YLT 'being guarded' comes closest, and the ESV and YLT keep the ongoing present tense.

How it drifted

'Kept' has weakened in modern English toward 'stored' or 'retained' ('kept in a drawer'), which hides the picture of an armed watch.

Used elsewhere in the period

2 Cor 11:32: the ethnarch of King Aretas 'was guarding (ephrourei) the city of Damascus' to catch Paul, a garrison holding a city. Gal 3:23: 'we were held in custody (ephrouroumetha) under the law,' the custodial sense. Phil 4:7: God's peace 'will guard your hearts,' the protective sense. Wisdom 17 uses it of someone kept shut in as if in a prison. In Greek writers and the papyri the related noun phroura is the ordinary word for a garrison or guard post.

From the study of Galatians 3:23

Range of meaning

From phrouros, 'a guard, sentry'. It means to keep watch with a garrison: (1) to guard a city or place against attack, (2) to hold someone in custody so they cannot escape, (3) by extension, to protect or preserve. The same word covers both protecting and restraining. Which one dominates depends on context (BDAG s.v.).

Against the English

KJV 'kept' sounds mild, even caring. BSB, NIV and WEB 'held/kept in custody' keep the legal and military feel. ESV 'held captive' pushes toward hostility, and NLT 'protective custody' pushes toward kindness. Each English choice takes a side in a word that holds both.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the NT: the ethnarch of King Aretas 'guarded' (garrisoned) Damascus to catch Paul (2 Cor 11:32); God's peace 'will guard' hearts (Phil 4:7); believers are 'guarded by God's power through faith' (1 Pet 1:5). In Wisdom of Solomon 17, Egyptians in the plague of darkness are pictured kept as in a prison without iron bars, which shows the word's confining side. It is common in papyri and historians for military garrisons.