CAPTAIN

(1.) Heb. sar (1-Sam 22:2; 2-Sam 23:19). Rendered "chief," Gen. 40:2;41:9; rendered also "prince," Dan. 1:7; "ruler," Judg. 9:30; "governor,' 1-Kings 22:26. This same Hebrew word denotes a military captain (Exo 18:21; 2-Kings 1:9; Deut. 1:15; 1-Sam 18:13, 1-Sam 18: etc.), the "captain of the body-guard" (Gen. 37:36;39:1;41:10; Jer. 40:1), or, as the word may be rendered, "chief of the executioners" (marg.). The officers of the king's body-guard frequently acted as executioners. Nebuzar-adan (Jer. 39:13) and Arioch (Dan. 2:14) held this office in Babylon.

The "captain of the guard" mentioned in Acts 28:16 was the Praetorian prefect, the commander of the Praetorian troops.

(2.) Another word (Heb. katsin) so translated denotes sometimes a military (Josh. 10:24; Judg. 11:6, Judg. 11: 11; Isa. 22:3 "rulers;" Dan. 11:18) and sometimes a civil command, a judge, magistrate, Arab. _kady_, (Isa. 1:10;3:6; Micah 3:1, Micah 3: 9).

(3.) It is also the rendering of a Hebrew word (shalish) meaning "a third man," or "one of three." The LXX. render in plural by _tristatai_; i.e., "soldiers fighting from chariots," so called because each war-chariot contained three men, one of whom acted as charioteer while the other two fought (Exo 14:7;15:4; 1-Kings 9:22; comp. 2-Kings 9:25). This word is used also to denote the king's body-guard (2-Kings 10:25; 1-Chr 12:18; 2-Chr 11:11) or aides-de-camp.

(4.) The "captain of the temple" mentioned in Acts 4:1 5:24 was not a military officer, but superintendent of the guard of priests and Levites who kept watch in the temple by night. (Comp. "the ruler of the house of God," 1-Chr 9:11; 2-Chr 31:13; Neh. 11:11.)

(5.) The Captain of our salvation is a name given to our Lord (Heb. 2:10), because he is the author and source of our salvation, the head of his people, whom he is conducting to glory. The "captain of the Lord's host" (Josh. 5:14, Josh. 5: 15) is the name given to that mysterious person who manifested himself to Abraham (Gen. 12:7), and to Moses in the bush (Exo 3:2, Exo 3: 6, etc.) the Angel of the covenant. (See ANGEL.)