φυλακή

Matthew 5:25 φυλακὴν prison

Reconcile quickly with your adversary, while you are still on the way to court. Otherwise, he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison.

Here: A place of guarding. In this case it is debtors' custody, where you are held until the debt is paid (v. 26).

Matthew 14:3 φυλακῇ prison

Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife,

Here: 'Prison', literally a place of guarding. It means being held in custody, not serving a sentence. Josephus names the place as the fortress of Machaerus, east of the Dead Sea.

Matthew 14:10 φυλακῇ. prison.

and sent to have John beheaded in the prison.

Here: The place of guarded custody where John was held. Ancient custody of this kind was for holding a person until the ruler decided what to do with them. It was not a sentence served for a set term.

Matthew 14:25 φυλακῇ watch

During the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went out to them, walking on the sea.

Here: Here it means a 'watch', one of the stretches of time the night was divided into, named after sentry shifts. The dative case marks when something happened: 'in the fourth watch.'

Matthew 18:30 φυλακὴν prison

But he refused. Instead, he went and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay his debt.

Here: A place where someone is kept under guard. Here it is debtors' detention: the man is held until the debt is settled. It is not a prison sentence for a crime.

Matthew 24:43 φυλακῇ time of night

But understand this: If the homeowner had known in which watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.

Here: One of the set divisions of the night, a 'watch'. Matthew elsewhere counts four, Roman-style (14:25, 'fourth watch'). The word shares its root idea with guarding. The irony is that the thief has a 'watch' in mind while the householder is keeping none.

Matthew 25:36 φυλακῇ prison

I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you visited Me.’

Here: Literally 'a place where one is guarded.' In the first century this usually meant being held until trial, until a debt was paid, or until sentence, not serving a prison term. Prisoners relied on outsiders for food and clothing.

Matthew 25:39 φυλακῇ prison

When did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?’

Here: A place of guarding, that is, a prison or lock-up. In Matthew's world it was mostly a place where people were held awaiting trial or execution, or kept until a debt was paid. It was rarely a sentence in itself (cf. 5:25; 14:3; 18:30).

Matthew 25:43 φυλακῇ prison

I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, I was naked and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after Me.’

Matthew 25:44 φυλακῇ prison

And they too will reply, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’

Here: 'In prison', in custody. Ancient prisons usually did not feed their inmates, so prisoners lived on what outsiders brought them.

Mark 6:17 φυλακῇ prison

For Herod himself had ordered that John be arrested and bound and imprisoned, on account of his brother Philip’s wife Herodias, whom Herod had married.

Mark 6:27 φυλακῇ prison

So without delay, the king commanded that John’s head be brought in. He sent an executioner, who went and beheaded him in the prison.

Mark 6:48 φυλακὴν watch

He could see that the disciples were straining to row, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went out to them, walking on the sea. He intended to pass by them,

Luke 2:8 φυλακὰς watch

And there were shepherds residing in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks by night.

Here: The noun from the same root as the verb before it, and plural: "guarding guards", that is, keeping the watches, the shifts into which the night was divided. The plural suggests the men took turns staying awake.

Luke 3:20 φυλακῇ.¶ prison.

Herod added this to them all: He locked John up in prison.

Luke 12:38 φυλακῇ watch

Even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night and finds them alert, those servants will be blessed.

Luke 12:58 φυλακήν. prison.

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: A place of custody. With verse 59 in view it works as a debtor's holding place: you stay until the debt is paid, not for a fixed sentence.

Luke 21:12 φυλακάς, prisons,

But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. On account of My name they will deliver you to the synagogues and prisons, and they will bring you before kings and governors.

Here: Places where someone was kept under guard, usually while waiting for a hearing or a verdict. This was custody, not a fixed sentence.

Luke 22:33 φυλακὴν prison

“Lord,” said Peter, “I am ready to go with You even to prison and to death.”

Here: Custody under guard, meaning being held after arrest. In the ancient world this usually came before a trial or execution and was not itself the sentence. It picks up Jesus' warning in 21:12 that his followers would be handed over 'to synagogues and prisons'.

Luke 23:19 φυλακῇ.¶ prison.

(Barabbas had been imprisoned for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.)

Luke 23:25 φυλακὴν prison

As they had requested, he released the one imprisoned for insurrection and murder, and he handed Jesus over to their will.

John 3:24 φυλακὴν prison

(For John had not yet been thrown into prison.)

Here: Place of custody. In the ancient world this usually meant being held until a ruler decided what to do with you, not serving a sentence. In John's case that decision was execution.

Acts 5:19 φυλακῆς, prison,

But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out, saying,

Here: The place of custody, the 'public jail' (τήρησις δημοσία) of v.18. The word comes from 'guarding', and verse 23 brings in the guards (φύλακες) standing at the doors.

Acts 5:22 φυλακῇ. prison.

But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they returned with the report:

Acts 5:25 φυλακῇ, prison

Then someone came in and announced, “Look, the men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people!”

Acts 8:3 φυλακήν.¶ prison.

But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.

Here: A guarded place of detention. In the ancient world prison mostly meant being held until a hearing or punishment, not serving a sentence.

Acts 12:4 φυλακὴν prison

He arrested him and put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out to the people after the Passover.

Here: The place of custody, from the same root as the verb 'to guard' later in the verse. This is a holding place before a ruler's decision, not a sentence being served.

Acts 12:5 φυλακῇ· prison;

So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was fervently praying to God for him.

Here: The place of custody. The same word can mean a guard post or a watch of the night, and Luke repeats it in verses 4, 6 and 10. The point is how heavily Peter was guarded.

Acts 12:6 φυλακήν. prison.

On the night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, with sentries standing guard at the entrance to the prison.

Here: 'The prison.' The word comes from the same root as 'guards' (phylakes), so in Greek it sounds like 'the guards were guarding the guard-house.' The repetition piles up the sense of security.

Acts 12:10 φυλακὴν guard

They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city, which opened for them by itself. When they had gone outside and walked the length of one block, the angel suddenly left him.

Acts 12:17 φυλακῆς· prison;

Peter motioned with his hand for silence, and he described how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. “Send word to James and to the brothers,” he said, and he left for another place.

Here: The word means both 'guarding' and 'place of guarding'. Here it is the prison, which in this story is heavily guarded: four squads of soldiers, two chained to Peter (vv.4, 6, 10).

Acts 16:23 φυλακὴν prison

And after striking them with many blows, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to guard them securely.

Here: The place of guarded custody. In Roman practice this was where people were held until a magistrate dealt with them, not where they served a sentence.

Acts 16:24 φυλακὴν prison

On receiving this order, he placed them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

Here: The place of custody. The word is built on the idea of guarding, which fits the order in verse 23 to 'guard' (tērein) them securely.

Acts 16:27 φυλακῆς, prison,

When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, presuming that the prisoners had escaped.

Acts 16:37 φυλακήν, prison,

But Paul said to the officers, “They beat us publicly without a trial and threw us into prison, even though we are Roman citizens. And now do they want to send us away secretly? Absolutely not! Let them come themselves and escort us out!”

Here: A guarded holding place. Here it is the inner cell with stocks (v.24). Jailing a citizen without a hearing was another illegal step.

Acts 16:40 φυλακῆς prison

After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house to see the brothers and encourage them. Then they left the city.

Acts 22:4 φυλακὰς prisons

I persecuted this Way even to the death, detaining both men and women and throwing them into prison,

Here: Places where people were held under guard. The plural suggests more than one place and many occasions. These were holding places before punishment rather than sentences being served, as verse 5's "to be punished" shows.

Acts 26:10 φυλακαῖς prisons

And that is what I did in Jerusalem. With authority from the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were condemned to death, I cast my vote against them.

2 Corinthians 6:5 φυλακαῖς, imprisonments,

in beatings, imprisonments, and riots; in labor, sleepless nights, and hunger;

Here: Imprisonments: times of being held in custody. The plural again means more than one occasion.

2 Corinthians 11:23 φυλακαῖς imprisonments

Are they servants of Christ? (I am speaking as if I were out of my mind.) I am so much more: in harder labor, in more imprisonments, in worse beatings, in frequent danger of death.

Here: Plural: repeated spells in custody. Acts records only one imprisonment (Philippi) before this letter, so Paul is referring to more than Acts narrates.

Hebrews 11:36 φυλακῆς· imprisonment;

Still others endured mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment.

Here: "Of prison": being held under guard. In the ancient world this usually meant custody while awaiting trial, execution or pressure to give in, not a fixed sentence. Conditions were harsh, and prisoners relied on outsiders for food.

1 Peter 3:19 φυλακῇ prison

in whom He also went and preached to the spirits in prison

Here: A place where someone is held under guard. It is a holding place before judgment, not a place of final punishment. Jewish writings of the time use this kind of language for rebel angels kept bound until the last judgment.

Revelation 2:10 φυλακὴν prison

Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will suffer tribulation for ten days. Be faithful even unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.

Here: Custody. In Roman practice this usually meant being held until trial and sentence, often execution or exile, rather than serving a prison term as the punishment itself.

Revelation 18:2 φυλακὴ φυλακὴ φυλακὴ a prison

And he cried out in a mighty voice: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a lair for demons and a haunt for every unclean spirit, every unclean bird, and every detestable beast.

Here: A guarded place. In the rest of the New Testament this almost always means a prison, including Satan's prison in Revelation 20:7. Here it is either a place where unclean beings are shut up, or a 'hold' or haunt where they gather (see Debates).

Revelation 20:7 φυλακῆς prison

When the thousand years are complete, Satan will be released from his prison,

Here: A guarded place of custody. The word goes back to 'guarding' and 'keeping watch', so it means somewhere a person is held under watch. In 20:1–3 this is the abyss, locked and sealed over. The word names custody pending judgment. It is not the final punishment, which comes in 20:10.