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The Blue Letter Bible

Dictionaries :: Governor

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Below are articles from the following dictionary:
Smith's Bible Dictionary

Governor:

In the Authorized Version this one English word is the representative of no less than ten Hebrew and four Greek words.

(1.) The chief of a tribe or family.

(2.) A ruler in his capacity of lawgiver and dispenser of justice.

(3.) A ruler considered especially as having power over the property and persons of his subjects (Genesis 24:2; Joshua 12:2; Psalm 100:20. The "governors of the people," in 2 Chronicles 23:20 appear to have been the king's body‐guard; cf. 2 Kings 11:19.

(4.) A prominent personage, whatever his capacity. It is applied to a king as the military and civil chief of his people (2 Samuel 5:2; 6:21; 1 Chronicles 29:22) to the general of an army (2 Chronicles 32:21) and to the head of a tribe (2 Chronicles 19:11). It denotes an officer of high rank in the palace, the lord high chamberlain (2 Chronicles 28:7). It is applied in 1 Kings 10:15 to the petty chieftains who were tributary to Solomon (2 Chronicles 9:14) to the military commander of the Syrians (1 Kings 20:24) the Assyrians (2 Kings 18:24; 23:8) the Chaldeans (Jeremiah 51:23) and the Medes (Jeremiah 51:38). Under the Persian viceroys, during the Babylonian captivity, the land of the Hebrews appears to have been portioned out among "governors" (pachoth) inferior in rank to the satraps (Ezra 8:30) like the other provinces which were under the dominion of the Persian king (Nehemiah 2:7; 2:9). It is impossible to determine the precise limits of their authority or the functions which they had to perform. It appears from Ezra 6:8 that these governors were entrusted with the collection of the king's taxes; and from Nehemiah 5:18; 12:26 that they were supported by a contribution levied upon the people, which was technically termed "the bread of the governor" (compare Ezra 4:14). They were probably assisted in discharging their official duties by a council (Ezra 4:7; 6:6). The "governor" beyond the river had a judgment‐seat beyond Jerusalem, from which probably he administered justice when making a progress through his province (Nehemiah 3:7). At the time of Christ Judea was a Roman province, governed by a procurator (governor) appointed by Rome.

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