Bible Encyclopedia: Watchman

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International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

WATCHMAN

woch'-man (tsopheh, shomer, metsappeh, notser): Used to designate a sentinel on the city walls (2 Samuel 18:25 2 Kings 9:18 Psalm 127:1 Isaiah 62:6) or on the hilltops (Jeremiah 31:6). Songs 3:3; Songs 5:7 introduces another class, "the watchmen that go about the city," and thus, it would seem, points to some system of municipal police. The distinction in meaning between the various words is clear, tsopheh having the idea of "outlooker" and notser that of "careful watcher" (being applied even to besiegers from outside: Jeremiah 4:16, "watchers"), while shomer also embraces the idea of "defending" or "guarding." In Isaiah 21:6 metsappeh is to be taken generally in the sense of "watch." In Sirach 37:14 skopos, means simply "looker."

W. M. Christie

Greek

4649. skopos -- a watchman, a mark (on which to fix the eye)
... a watchman, a mark (on which to fix the eye). Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine
Transliteration: skopos Phonetic Spelling: (skop-os') Short Definition: a goal ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4649.htm - 7k

Strong's Hebrew

6822. tsaphah -- to look out or about, spy, keep watch
... tsaphah. 6823 . to look out or about, spy, keep watch. Transliteration: tsaphah
Phonetic Spelling: (tsaw-faw') Short Definition: watchman. Word Origin a prim. ...
/hebrew/6822.htm - 6k

8104. shamar -- to keep, watch, preserve
... care (1), take heed (5), take note (1), take...heed (1), waiting (1), waits (1),
watch (11), watched (1), watches (3), watching (3), watchman (4), watchmen (7 ...
/hebrew/8104.htm - 7k

4412. melunah -- a lodge, hut
... Definition: shack. Word Origin from lun Definition a lodge, hut NASB Word Usage
shack (1), watchman's hut (1). cottage, lodge. Feminine ...
/hebrew/4412.htm - 6k

5341. natsar -- to watch, guard, keep
... 1), observes (1), preserve (10), preserves (1), reserve (1), secret places (1),
tends (1), watch (4), watcher (1), watches (1), watchman (1), watchmen (1). ...
/hebrew/5341.htm - 6k

Library

The Watchman
... THE WATCHMAN. Watchman, what of the night?' 'The stars are out in the sky; And the
merry round moon will be rising soon, For us to go sailing by.' ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/andromeda and other poems/the watchman.htm

Report of the Watchman.
... CHRIST; HIS CHARACTER AND OFFICES. 200. " Report of the Watchman. 200.
7s. M. Bowring. Report of the Watchman. 1 Watchman! tell ...
/.../adams/hymns for christian devotion/200 report of the.htm

Watchman, Tell us of the Night
... II. THE CHRISTIAN YEAR Sundays after Epiphany 106. Watchman, tell us of the night.
Eight 7's [404]Watchman: Lowell Mason, 1830. [405]Watchman (arranged): ...
/.../sundays after epiphany 106 watchman.htm

M. Bowring. Advent.
... Advent. 1 Watchman! tell us of the night, What its signs of promise are; Traveller!
o'er yon mountain's height, See that glory-beaming star! Watchman! ...
/.../book of hymns for public and private devotion/102 7s m bowring advent.htm

The Morning Breaketh
... THE MORNING BREAKETH. TEXT: "Watchman, what of the night? The watchman said,
The morning cometh, and also the night.""Isaiah 21:11-12. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/chapman/and judas iscariot/the morning breaketh.htm

Missionary Hymns.
... Tune"Boylston. "WATCHMAN, TELL US OF THE NIGHT.". ... A few hymnals have named it
"Bowring," (and why not?) and some later ones simply "Watchman.". ...
/.../brown/the story of the hymns and tunes/chapter iv missionary hymns.htm

On the Character and Teaching of the Bishop.
... great in the kingdom of God." [2615] For you bishops are to be guides and watchmen
to the people, as you yourselves have Christ for your guide and watchman. ...
/.../various/constitutions of the holy apostles/sec ii on the character and.htm

True Christianity Defended
... 1. "When I bring the sword upon a land, saith the Lord, if the watchman blow the
trumpet, and warn the people; then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 134 true christianity defended.htm

"And Watch unto Prayer. "
... "Watch." A Christian should watch. A Christian is a watchman by office. ... What then
should his exercise and posture be? He should be a watchman. ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon xxi and watch unto.htm

The Wail of a Broken Heart
... And David sat between the two gates: and the watchman went up to the roof over the
gate unto the wall, and lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold a man ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/the wail of a broken.htm

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

1. (n.) One set to watch; a person who keeps guard; a guard; a sentinel.

2. (n.) Specifically, one who guards a building, or the streets of a city, by night.

Thesaurus

Watchman (19 Occurrences)
... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. WATCHMAN. ... Multi-Version Concordance Watchman
(19 Occurrences). 2 Samuel 13:34 But Absalom went in flight. ...
/w/watchman.htm - 14k

Watchman's (3 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Watchman's (3 Occurrences). Job 27:18 His house has no
more strength than a spider's thread, or a watchman's tent. (BBE). ...
/w/watchman's.htm - 7k

Watch (203 Occurrences)
... 2. (n.) One who watches, or those who watch; a watchman, or a body of watchmen;
a sentry; a guard. 3. (n.) The post or office of ...
/w/watch.htm - 40k

Lookout (4 Occurrences)
... with peace? Fall in behind me!" The watchman said, "The messenger came to
them, but he isn't coming back." (See NIV). 2 Chronicles ...
/l/lookout.htm - 7k

Warn (35 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 3:17 Son of man, I have made you a watchman to the house of Israel: therefore
hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. ...
/w/warn.htm - 17k

Gardener (4 Occurrences)
... Versions of the Bible (John 20:15), the translation of kepos and ouros, "warden"
or "keeper." It is likely that the man referred to was the watchman or keeper ...
/g/gardener.htm - 8k

Watchmen (40 Occurrences)
... (n.) Plural of Watchman. ... Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that
build it; except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. ...
/w/watchmen.htm - 19k

Warned (63 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 3:17 that there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying, 'Son of man, a watchman
I have given thee to the house of Israel, and thou hast heard from My ...
/w/warned.htm - 25k

Gatekeeper (5 Occurrences)
... 2 Samuel 18:26 And the watchman seeth another man running, and the watchman calleth
unto the gatekeeper, and saith, 'Lo, a man running by himself;' and the ...
/g/gatekeeper.htm - 8k

Dumah (4 Occurrences)
... Dumah. One calls to me out of Seir, "Watchman, what of the night? Watchman,
what of the night?" (WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT RSV NIV). ...
/d/dumah.htm - 9k

Bible Concordance

Watchman (19 Occurrences)

2 Samuel 13:34 But Absalom went in flight. And the young man who kept the watch, lifting up his eyes, saw that a great band of people was coming down the slope by the way of the Horons; and the watchman came and gave word to the king, saying, I saw men coming down by the way of the Horons, from the hillside.
(BBE NAS NIV)

2 Samuel 18:24 Now David was sitting between the two gates: and the watchman went up to the roof of the gate to the wall, and lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, a man running alone.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Samuel 18:25 The watchman cried, and told the king. The king said, "If he is alone, there is news in his mouth." He came closer and closer.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Samuel 18:26 The watchman saw another man running; and the watchman called to the porter, and said, "Behold, a man running alone!" The king said, "He also brings news."
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Samuel 18:27 The watchman said, "I think the running of the first one is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok." The king said, "He is a good man, and comes with good news."
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Kings 9:17 Now the watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel, and he spied the company of Jehu as he came, and said, "I see a company." Joram said, "Take a horseman, and send to meet them, and let him say,'Is it peace?'"
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV)

2 Kings 9:20 The watchman said, "He came to them, and isn't coming back. The driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi; for he drives furiously."
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV)

2 Kings 18:8 He overcame the Philistines as far as Gaza and its limits, from the tower of the watchman to the walled town.
(BBE)

Job 27:18 He builds his house as the moth, as a booth which the watchman makes.
(WEB BBE YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Psalms 127:1 A Song of Ascents. By Solomon. Unless Yahweh builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. Unless Yahweh watches over the city, the watchman guards it in vain.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE WBS YLT NAS RSV)

Isaiah 21:6 For the Lord said to me, "Go, set a watchman. Let him declare what he sees.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT RSV)

Isaiah 21:8 And the watchman gave a loud cry, O my lord, I am on the watchtower all day, and am placed in my watch every night:
(BBE)

Isaiah 21:11 The burden of Dumah. One calls to me out of Seir, "Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?"
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Isaiah 21:12 The watchman said, "The morning comes, and also the night. If you will inquire, inquire. Come back again."
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 3:17 Son of man, I have made you a watchman to the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 33:2 Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and tell them, When I bring the sword on a land, and the people of the land take a man from among them, and set him for their watchman;
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 33:6 But if the watchman sees the sword come, and doesn't blow the trumpet, and the people aren't warned, and the sword comes, and take any person from among them; he is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 33:7 So you, son of man, I have set you a watchman to the house of Israel; therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Hosea 9:8 The watchman of Ephraim was with my God: but the prophet is a snare of a fowler in all his ways, and hatred in the house of his God.
(KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS NAS RSV NIV)

Subtopics

Watchman

Watchman of Babylon

Watchman of Jerusalem

Watchman: Alarm of, Given by Trumpets

Watchman: At the Gates of the Temple

Watchman: On the Walls of Cities

Watchman: On Towers

Watchman: Unfaithfulness in the Discharge of Duty of, Punished by Death

Related Terms

Watchman's (3 Occurrences)

Watch (203 Occurrences)