Deputy: In
(1 Kings 22:47) means a prefect; one set over others. The same Hebrew
word is rendered "officer;" i.e., chief of the commissariat appointed
by Solomon
(1 Kings 4:5) etc.). In
(Esther 8:9; 9:3) (R.V., "governor") it
denotes a Persian prefect "on this side" i.e., in the region west of
the Euphrates. It is the modern word pasha. In
(Acts 13:7,8,12; 18:12)
it denotes a proconsul; i.e., the governor of a Roman province
holding his appointment from the senate. The Roman provinces were of
two kinds,
1. senatorial and
2. imperial.
The appointment of a governor to the former was in the hands of the
senate, and he bore the title of proconsul (Gr. anthupatos). The
appointment of a governor to the latter was in the hands of the
emperor, and he bore the title of propraetor (Gr. antistrategos).