noun · feminine
speiras
Greekσπεῖρα (speira)
Strong’sG4686
a cohort
stem speir-7 times in the New Testamentin 4 of 27 books3 of 10 forms occur
Translated as
What it means
** σπείρα, -ης
(on this form of gen., v. M, Pr., 38, 48; Bl., § 7, 1; Mayser, 12; Deiss., BS, 186), [in LXX: Jth 14:11, II Mac 8:23 12:20, 22 *;]
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G4686 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saidspi'-rah
a coil (spira, "spire"), i.e. (figuratively) a mass of men (a Roman military cohort; also (by analogy) a squad of Levitical janitors)
Fromof immediate Latin origin, but ultimately a derivative of G138 in the sense of its cognate G1507;
King Jamesband.
James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, 1890 — public domain. The numbers in it link to the entries here.
Every form
| Job in the sentence case | one singular | more than one plural |
|---|---|---|
| subject nominative | speiras1×σπεῖρα | speirais |
| object accusative | speiran3×σπεῖραν | speirain |
| direct address vocative | speirar | speirair |
| of, belonging to genitive | speirau3×σπείρης | speiraiu |
| to, for dative | speira | speirai |
Tinted cells are forms the New Testament never uses, so there is no Greek to show against them — but they are still correct Biblang, built from the slots below like any other.
Why these forms, and no others — the slots that make them
speira is this word in every one of its forms. The slots after it make all the rest.
same in every form varies — every value shown
Words built on the same stem
Where it appears
7 occurrences, every one of them listed
speiras“soldiers”subjectnominative singular1×
John 18:12“soldiers”Tas oun speiras kai tos chiliarchos kai tois hupēretois toiu Ioudaioiu sullambala ton Iēsun kai dala autonThen the band of soldiers, with its commander and the officers of the Jews, arrested Jesus and bound Him.
speiran“cohort”objectaccusative singular3×
Matthew 27:27“cohort”Tote tois stratiōtois tou hēgemōnou paralambaratois ton Iēsun eis tem praitōriem sunagala epi auton holan tan speiran.Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company around Him.
Mark 15:16“cohort”Tois de stratiōtois apagala auton esō tau aulau, hem atō praitōriem, kai sunkalalō holan tan speiran.Then the soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called the whole company together.
John 18:3“cohort”tos oun Ioudaos lambaratos tan speiran kai ek toiu archierevoiu kai ek toiu Farisaioiu hupēretoin erchetō ekei meta fanoiu kai lampadaiu kai hopleiu.So Judas brought a band of soldiers and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees. They arrived at the garden carrying lanterns, torches, and weapons.
speirau“cohort”of, belonging togenitive singular3×
Acts 10:1“cohort”Anēros de tinos en Kaisareia onome Kornēlios, hekatontarchēos ek speirau tau kalirōtau Italikau,At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was called the Italian Regiment.
Acts 21:31“cohort”zētarōtoiu tē auton apokteinara anabainata fasias to chiliarcho tau speirau hoti holas sunchitō Ierousalēm,While they were trying to kill him, the commander of the Roman regiment received a report that all Jerusalem was in turmoil.
Acts 27:1“cohort”Hōs de krinita teu apoplarō nin eis tan Italian, paradōale ton tē Paulon kai tinoin heteroin desmōtoin hekatontarchēo onome Ioulio speirau Sebastau.When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment.