σπεῖρα G4686
A Roman military cohort; a detachment of soldiers, typically about 600 men, stationed as a garrison unit.
In its original Greek sense, speira meant anything coiled or twisted — a rope, a serpent's coils, a ball of thread. But in the Roman-era New Testament, it exclusively denotes a 'cohort,' a standard Roman military unit of roughly 600 soldiers. It appears at key moments: the soldiers who mock Jesus after his trial are the 'whole cohort' (Matt 27:27; Mark 15:16), the arrest party in Gethsemane includes a speira with officers (John 18:3, 12), and in Acts it names the Italian Cohort of Cornelius (Acts 10:1) and the Augustan Cohort that escorts Paul (Acts 27:1). Spanish 'cohorte,' French 'cohorte,' and German 'Schar' all reflect the military unit meaning.
Senses
1. cohort, military band — A Roman military cohort or detachment, typically consisting of about 600 soldiers under the command of a tribune (chiliarchos). In the NT it always carries this technical Roman military sense rather than the classical meanings of coils or rope. It appears in the Passion narratives for the soldiers who arrest and mock Jesus (Matt 27:27; Mark 15:16; John 18:3, 12) and in Acts for named garrison units: the 'Italian Cohort' of Cornelius at Caesarea (Acts 10:1) and the 'Augustan Cohort' escorting Paul to Rome (Acts 27:1). Spanish and French both borrow the Latin term directly as 'cohorte,' while German uses the broader 'Schar' (band, troop). 7×
AR["الْكَتِيبَةِ", "كَتِيبَةٍ", "كَتِيبَةَ", "كَتِيبَةُ", "كَتِيبَةِ"]·ben["দলকে", "দলের", "বাহিনী", "সৈন্যদল,", "সৈন্যদলকে,"]·DE["Schar", "σπείρης", "σπεῖραν"]·EN["cohort", "of-a-cohort"]·FR["cohorte"]·heb["גְּדוּד", "הַגְּדוּד", "מִגְּדוּד"]·HI["पलटन", "पलटन-की", "पल्टनकी"]·ID["pasukan"]·IT["coorte", "speira", "speiran"]·jav["pasukan", "pasukan,", "pasukan;"]·KO["군대-를", "군대-와", "군대를", "대대-에서", "대대-의", "대대의", "부대-를"]·PT["coorte", "coorte,", "de-coorte"]·RU["когорта,", "когорту", "когорту,", "когорты", "полка,"]·ES["cohorte", "de-la-cohorte"]·SW["kikosi", "wa-kikosi"]·TR["alayı", "tabur", "taburu", "taburun", "taburundan"]·urd["فوج", "پلٹن"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
σπεῖρα, ἡ, anything twisted or wound, ποιεῖν τι οἷον σπεῖραν twist it into a ball, Refs 5th c.BC+ __2 plural, coils or spires of a serpent, Refs 5th c.BC+; πολύπλοκοι σ. Refs 5th c.BC+: so in singular, Refs 4th c.BC+ __3 rope, cord, Refs 5th c.BC+; σπείραισι δικτυοκλώστοις with the net's meshy folds, Refs 5th c.BC+; ship's cable, Refs 1st c.AD+; padded circle used by women carrying weights on…