τετρᾰδ-ιον G5069
squad, quaternion; a guard detail of four soldiers
This noun refers to a squad of four soldiers, the standard Roman guard unit. In Acts 12:4, Herod assigns 'four squads of four soldiers each' to guard Peter—sixteen soldiers total with rotating four-man watches. The term reflects Roman military organization. Classical usage could also mean quaternion of parchment (four sheets), but here the military sense dominates. Spanish 'escuadrones' (squadrons) and French 'quatre' (four) both reflect the four-soldier composition. This is maximum security, emphasizing the miraculous nature of Peter's escape.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Found in Acts 12:4 describing Peter's guard: 'four squads of four soldiers each.' Each quaternion would take a watch, ensuring constant heavy guard. The detail emphasizes the human impossibility of escape, heightening the miracle of angelic deliverance. Cross-linguistic evidence varies ('squads,' 'escuadrones,' 'four') but all recognize this as military units. The precision underscores Herod's determination to prevent escape. 1×
AR["رُبَاعِيَّاتٍ"]·ben["চতুর্থাংশকে"]·DE["τετραδίοις"]·EN["squads"]·FR["quatre"]·heb["רְבִיעִיּוֹת"]·HI["चौकड़ियों-को"]·ID["regu"]·IT["gruppo-di-quattro"]·jav["regu"]·KO["네-명-씩의"]·RU["четвёркам"]·ES["escuadrones"]·SW["vya-wanne"]·TR["dörderli-gruplara"]·urd["پہرےداروں"]
Related Senses
H4421 1. war, battle, armed conflict (319×)H0341 1. enemy, adversary, foe (284×)H3898a 1. Nifal: to fight, wage war (167×)H2026 1. kill, slay (active) (146×)H2451 1. wisdom, discernment (146×)H5483b 1. horse (the animal) (138×)H0006 1. to perish, be destroyed (105×)H7843 1. Hifil: destroy, annihilate (83×)H2491a 1. slain, fatally pierced (74×)H6862c 1. adversary, enemy, foe (69×)H8045 1. destroy, exterminate (69×)G0615 1. kill, put to death (60×)H6571b 1. horseman, cavalryman (52×)H8077a 1. desolation, waste (abstract state) (52×)G4678 1. of wisdom (51×)G4717 1. crucify, fasten to a cross (46×)H2763a 1. utterly destroy (Hifil active) (44×)G0622 1. perish, be destroyed (intransitive) (41×)H0006 2. to destroy, annihilate (Piel) (38×)H8074 1. be desolate, lie waste (36×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
τετρᾰδ-ιον, τό, a guard of soldiers (normally consisting of four men), NT+1st c.AD+ __II quaternion of parchment, Refs 4th c.AD+; compare τετράδειον.