φυλακή, φυλακῆς, ἡ (φυλάσσω), from Homer down, the Sept. for îÄùÀÑîÆøÆú, îÄùÀÑîÈø, îÇèÈÌøÈä (a prison), ëÆÌìÆà (enclosure, confinement), guard, watch, i. e.

a. in an active sense, a watching, keeping watch: φυλάσσειν φυλακάς, to keep watch, Luk 2:8 (often in the Greek writings from Xenophon, an. 2, 6, 10, etc.; Plato legg. 6, p. 758 d. down; (cf. φυλακάς ἔχειν, etc. from Homer (Iliad 9, 1 etc.) on); often also in the Sept. for îÄùÀÑîÈøåú ùÈÑîÇø).

b. like the Latincustodia and more frequently the pluralcustodiae (see Klotz, Hdwrbch. (or Harpers’ Latin Dict.) under the word), equivalent to persons keeping watch, a guard, sentinels: Act 12:10 (here A. V. ward) (and very often in secular authors from Homer down).

c. of the place where captives are kept, a prison: Mat 14:10; Mat 25:36,(39),43f; Mar 6:17; Mar 6:27(28); Luk 3:20; Luk 21:12; Luk 22:33; Act 5:19; Act 5:22; Act 8:3; Acts 12:5f, 17; Act 16:27; Act 16:40; Act 22:4; Act 26:10; 2Co 6:5 (here, as in Heb 11:36, A. V. imprisonment); 2Co 11:23; 1Pe 3:19; Rev 18:2 (twice; rendered in A. V. hold and cage (R. V. hold)); (Herodotus 3, 152; Thucydides 3, 34; Plutarch, others; the Sept. for îÇèÈÌøÈä, ëÆÌìÆà áÅÌéú, and äÇëÆÌìÆà áÅÌéú, îÄùÀÑîÈø); βάλλειν or τιθέναι τινα εἰς (τήν) φυλακήν or ἐν (τῇ) φυλακή: Mat 5:25; Mat 14:3 (R G, others, ἀπέθετο); ; Luk 12:58; Luk 23:19; Luk 23:25; Joh 3:24; Act 5:25; Act 8:3 (here παραδιδόναι εἰς φυλακήν); ; Rev 2:10.

d. of the time (of night) during which guard was kept, a watch i. e. the period of time during which a part of the guard were on duty, and at the end of which others relieved them. As the earlier Greeks divided the night commonly into three parts (see Liddell and Scott, under the word I. 4), so, previously to the exile, the Israelites also had three watches in a night; subsequently, however, after they became subject to Rome, they adopted the Roman custom of dividing the night into four watches: Mat 24:43; ἐν τῇ δευτέρᾳ, τρίτῃ, Luk 12:38; τετάρτῃ, Mat 14:25; Mar 6:48. Cf. Winer’s RWB under the word Nachtwache; (McClintock and Strong’s Cyclopaedia, under the word ; B. D. under the phrase, ).