phylakē · prison, watch

What it means

phylakē (φυλακή) is a Greek word of the Bible that means “prison, watch”.

Prison; also guard, and each of the watches of the night.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. The place where prisoners are shut in.
2. Those on duty, or a part of the night.
3. A place where evil beings lurk.

From Abbott-Smith (1922) · Thayer (1889)

Word study

Guard: the act of keeping watch, those who keep watch, and the place where prisoners are kept, the prison. Also each of the shifts into which the night was divided for watching. It comes from φυλάσσω, ‘guard’.

• Prison: John, Peter, Paul Matthew 14:3Acts 12:4Acts 16:23
• “I was in prison and you came to me” Matthew 25:36Matthew 25:43
• The watches of the night Matthew 14:25Matthew 24:43Luke 12:38
• Keeping watch; the guard posts Luke 2:8Acts 12:10
• A haunt of spirits; spirits in prison Revelation 18:21 Peter 3:19Revelation 20:7

How we translate it

“Prison” 33 times and “prisons” 3; “watch” 5 when it is the hours of the night (“in the fourth watch of the night”, Matthew 14:25). In Luke 2:8 the shepherds were “keeping watch by night”, and in Acts 12:10 Peter passes “a first guard and a second”. In Revelation 18:2, of fallen Babylon, “haunt” (3).

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• prison ×33
• watch ×5
• haunt ×3
• prisons ×3
• imprisonments ×2
• guard ×1

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Matthew×10
• Mark×3
• Luke×8
• John×1
• Acts×16
• 2 Corinthians×2
• Hebrews×1
• 1 Peter×1
• Revelation×5

• Matthew 5:25

  Come to terms quickly with your opponent while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.

• Matthew 14:3

  For Herod, having seized John, bound him and put him away in prison because of Herodias, the wife of Philip his brother,

• Matthew 14:10

  And he sent and beheaded John in the prison.

• Matthew 14:25

  And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea.

• Matthew 18:30

  But he was not willing, but went and threw him into prison until he should repay what was owed.

• Matthew 24:43

  But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.

• Matthew 25:36

  naked, and you clothed me; I was sick and you visited me; I was in prison and you came to me.’

• Matthew 25:39

  And when did we see you sick or in prison and come to you?’

• Matthew 25:43

  I was a stranger and you did not welcome me; naked, and you did not clothe me; sick and in prison, and you did not visit me.’

• Matthew 25:44

  Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not serve you?’

• Mark 6:17

  For Herod himself had sent and seized John and bound him in prison because of Herodias, the wife of Philip his brother, because he had married her.

• Mark 6:27

  And at once the king sent an executioner and ordered him to bring his head. And he went and beheaded him in the prison

• Mark 6:48

  And seeing them straining at the rowing, for the wind was against them, about the fourth watch of the night he comes to them, walking on the sea; and he meant to pass by them.

• Luke 2:8

  And there were shepherds in that same region, living out in the fields and keeping watch by night over their flock.

• Luke 3:20

  added this also to them all, and locked up John in prison.

• Luke 12:38

  And if in the second watch or if in the third watch he comes and finds them so, happy are those slaves.

• Luke 12:58

  For as you are going with your opponent before a ruler, on the way make an effort to be released from him, lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the bailiff, and the bailiff will throw you into prison.

• Luke 21:12

  But before all these things they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, handing you over to the synagogues and prisons, you being led away before kings and governors for the sake of my name.

• Luke 22:33

  And he said to him, “Lord, with you I am ready to go both to prison and to death.”

• Luke 23:19

  (one who had been thrown into prison because of a certain uprising that had happened in the city, and for murder.)

• Luke 23:25

  and he released the one who had been thrown into prison for uprising and murder, whom they were asking for, but Jesus he handed over to their will.

• John 3:24

  For John had not yet been thrown into prison.

• Acts 5:19

  But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison and, bringing them out, he said,

• Acts 5:22

  But the officers who came did not find them in the prison, and they returned and reported,

• Acts 5:25

  But someone came and reported to them, “Look, the men whom you put in the prison are in the temple, standing and teaching the people.”

• Acts 8:3

  But Saul was ravaging the assembly, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women, he was handing them over to prison.

• Acts 12:4

  When he had seized him, he also put him in prison, handing him over to four squads of four soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people.

• Acts 12:5

  So Peter was being kept in the prison; but prayer was being made earnestly by the assembly to God for him.

• Acts 12:6

  And when Herod was about to bring him out, on that night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and guards before the door were keeping watch over the prison.

• Acts 12:10

  And passing a first guard and a second, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which opened for them by itself; and going out they went along one street, and at once the angel left him.

• Acts 12:17

  But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Report these things to James and to the brothers.” And he went out and went to another place.

• Acts 16:23

  And after laying many blows on them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to guard them securely.

• Acts 16:24

  He, having received such an order, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

• Acts 16:27

  And the jailer, waking up and seeing the doors of the prison opened, drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped.

• Acts 16:37

  But Paul said to them, “They beat us publicly, uncondemned, men who are Romans, and threw us into prison, and now are they throwing us out secretly? No indeed! Rather, let them come themselves and bring us out.”

• Acts 16:40

  And coming out of the prison, they went in to Lydia, and when they saw the brothers, they encouraged them and departed.

• Acts 22:4

  I persecuted this Way to the point of death, binding and handing over to prisons both men and women,

• Acts 26:10

  which I also did in Jerusalem; and many of the saints I shut up in prisons, having received the authority from the chief priests, and when they were being put to death I cast my vote against them.

• 2 Corinthians 6:5

  in beatings, in imprisonments, in riots, in labors, in sleepless nights, in fastings,

• 2 Corinthians 11:23

  Are they servants of the Messiah? —I am speaking as one out of his mind— I am more so: in labors far more, in imprisonments far more, in beatings beyond measure, in deaths often.

And 7 more times.