5069. tetradion
Strong's Lexicon
tetradion: squad of four soldiers

Original Word: τετράδιον
Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter
Transliteration: tetradion
Pronunciation: te-trah'-dee-on
Phonetic Spelling: (tet-rad'-ee-on)
Definition: squad of four soldiers
Meaning: a quaternion, a group of four soldiers.

Word Origin: Derived from the Greek word "τέσσαρες" (tessares), meaning "four."

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: There is no direct Hebrew equivalent for "tetradion," as it is a term specific to the Roman military system. However, the concept of a guard or watch can be related to Hebrew terms like "מִשְׁמָר" (mishmar), meaning "guard" or "watch."

Usage: The term "tetradion" refers to a group or squad of four soldiers. In the context of the New Testament, it is used to describe a Roman military unit assigned to guard a prisoner. This term highlights the Roman practice of dividing soldiers into smaller groups for specific tasks, such as guarding high-profile prisoners.

Cultural and Historical Background: In Roman military practice, a "tetradion" was a common arrangement for guarding prisoners, especially those considered significant or dangerous. This method ensured constant vigilance, as the soldiers could rotate shifts, maintaining a high level of security. The use of a tetradion underscores the importance or perceived threat of the prisoner being guarded.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from tessares
Definition
a group of four, a quaternion (a guard of four soldiers)
NASB Translation
squads (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 5069: τετράδιον

τετράδιον, τετραδιου, τό (τετράς, the number four), a quarternion (τό ἐκ τεσσάρων συνεστος, Suidas): τῶν στρατιωτῶν, a guard consisting of four soldiers (for among the Romans this was the usual number of the guard to which the custody of captives and prisons was intrusted; two soldiers were confined with the prisoner and two kept guard outside), Acts 12:4, where the four quaternions mentioned were on guard one at a time during each of the four watches. (Philo in Flacc. § 13 i. e. Mang. edition vol. ii, p. 533, 25.)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
quaternion, squad of four soldiers

Neuter of a presumed derivative of tetras (a tetrad; from tessares); a quaternion or squad (picket) of four Roman soldiers -- quaternion.

see GREEK tessares

Forms and Transliterations
τετραδιοις τετραδίοις τετράδραχμον τετρακισμύριοι τετριμένος τρήσει tetradiois tetradíois
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Acts 12:4 N-DNP
GRK: παραδοὺς τέσσαρσιν τετραδίοις στρατιωτῶν φυλάσσειν
NAS: him to four squads of soldiers
KJV: [him] to four quaternions of soldiers
INT: having delivered to four sets of four soldiers to guard

Strong's Greek 5069
1 Occurrence


τετραδίοις — 1 Occ.

















5068b
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