Guard: 1. Heb. tabbah (properly a "cook," and in a secondary sense
"executioner," because this office fell to the lot of the cook
in Eastern countries), the bodyguard of the kings of Egypt(Genesis 37:36) and Babylon
(2 Kings 25:8; Jeremiah 40:1; Daniel 2:14)
2. Heb. rats, properly a "courier," one whose office was to run
before the king's chariot
(2 Samuel 15:1; 1 Kings 1:5) The couriers were
also military guards
(1 Samuel 22:17; 2 Kings 10:25) They were probably the
same who under David were called Pelethites
(1 Kings 14:27; 2 Samuel 15:1)
3. Heb. mishmereth, one who watches
(Nehemiah 4:22) or a watch-station
(Nehemiah 7:3; 12:9; Job 7:12)
4. In the New Testament
(Mark 6:27) the Authorized Version renders
the Greek spekulator by "executioner," earlier English versions
by "hangman," the Revised Version by "soldier of his guard." The
word properly means a "pikeman" or "halberdier," of whom the
bodyguard of kings and princes was composed.
5. In
(Matthew 27:65,66; 28:11) the Authorized Version renders the Greek
kustodia by "watch," and the Revised Version by "guard," the
Roman guard, which consisted of four soldiers, who were relieved
every three hours
(Acts 12:4) The "captain of the guard" mentioned
(Acts 28:16) was the commander of the Praetorian troops, whose
duty it was to receive and take charge of all prisoners from the
provinces.
