Governor

Governor (1.) Heb. nagid, a prominent, conspicuous person, whatever his capacity: as, chief of the royal palace (2Chr 28:7; comp. 1Kings 4:6), chief of the temple (1Chr 9:11; Jer 20:1), the leader of the Aaronites (1Chr 12:27), keeper of the sacred treasury (26:24), captain of the army (13:1), the king (1Sam 9:16), the Messiah (Dan 9:25).

(2.) Heb. nasi, raised; exalted. Used to denote the chiefs of families (Num 3:24, 30, 32, 35); also of tribes (2:3; 7:2; 3:32). These dignities appear to have been elective, not hereditary.

(3.) Heb. pakid, an officer or magistrate. It is used of the delegate of the high priest (2Chr 24:11), the Levites (Neh 11:22), a military commander (2Kings 25:19), Joseph's officers in Egypt (Gen 41:34).

(4.) Heb. shallit, one who has power, who rules (Gen 42:6; Ezra 4:20; Eccl 8:8; Dan 2:15; 5:29).

(5.) Heb. aluph, literally one put over a thousand, i.e., a clan or a subdivision of a tribe. Used of the "dukes" of Edom (Gen 36), and of the Jewish chiefs (Zech 9:7).

(6.) Heb. moshel, one who rules, holds dominion. Used of many classes of rulers (Gen 3:16; 24:2; 45:8; Ps 105:20); of the Messiah (Micah 5:2); of God (1Chr 29:12; Ps 103:19).

(7.) Heb. sar, a ruler or chief; a word of very general use. It is used of the chief baker of Pharaoh (Gen 40:16); of the chief butler (40:2, etc. See also Gen 47:6; Ex 1:11; Dan 1:7; Judg 10:18; 1Kings 22:26; 20:15; 2Kings 1:9; 2Sam 24:2). It is used also of angels, guardian angels (Dan 10:13, 20, 21; 12:1; 10:13; 8:25).

(8.) Pehah, whence pasha , i.e., friend of the king; adjutant; governor of a province (2Kings 18:24; Isa 36:9; Jer 51: 57; Ezek 23:6, 23; Dan 3:2; Esther 3: 12), or a perfect (Neh 3:7; 5:14; Ezra 5:3; Hag 1:1). This is a foreign word, Assyrian, which was early adopted into the Hebrew idiom (1Kings 10:15).

(9.) The Chaldean word segan is applied to the governors of the Babylonian satrapies (Dan 3:2, 27; 6:7); the prefects over the Magi (2:48). The corresponding Hebrew word segan is used of provincial rulers (Jer 51:23, 28, 57); also of chiefs and rulers of the people of Jerusalem (Ezra 9:2; Neh 2:16; 4:14, 19; 5:7, 17; 7:5; 12:40).

In the New Testament there are also different Greek words rendered thus.

(1.) Meaning an ethnarch (2Cor 11:32), which was an office distinct from military command, with considerable latitude of application.

(2.) The procurator of Judea under the Romans (Matt 27:2). (Comp. Luke 2:2, where the verb from which the Greek word so rendered is derived is used.)

(3.) Steward (Gal 4:2).

(4.) Governor of the feast (John 2:9), who appears here to have been merely an intimate friend of the bridegroom, and to have presided at the marriage banquet in his stead.

(5.) A director, i.e., helmsman; Lat. gubernator, (James 3:4).