ὑπηρέτ-ης G5257
An attendant or subordinate official; either a temple/court officer executing orders or a personal servant and ministry assistant.
Derived from the world of rowing (hypo + eretes, 'under-rower'), hyperetes came to mean any subordinate who serves under authority. In the Gospels, the word most often refers to the officers and guards of the Sanhedrin and chief priests, the temple police who arrest Jesus (John 7:32), strike him during his trial (Mark 14:65), and warm themselves alongside Peter in the courtyard (John 18:18). But the same word also describes John Mark serving as assistant to Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:5), the synagogue attendant who receives the scroll from Jesus (Luke 4:20), and even the apostles as servants of Christ (1 Cor 4:1). Spanish captures the split crisply: 'alguacil/guardias' for the officers, 'servidor/ayudante' for the ministerial attendants.
Senses
1. officer, temple guard — An officer, guard, or court attendant serving under the authority of the chief priests, Sanhedrin, or a judicial figure. These are the temple police who arrest, detain, and carry out orders during the trial narratives. In John 7:32 and 7:45-46, the hyperetai are sent to seize Jesus but return empty-handed. In Matthew 5:25, the hyperetes is the court officer who imprisons a debtor. Spanish 'alguacil' (constable) and 'guardias' (guards) clearly mark the official, enforcement role. 15×
AR["الحُرَّاسُ","الحُرَّاسِ","الشُّرْطِيِّ","الْخُدَّامِ","حُرَّاسًا","حُرَّاسُ","خُدَّامًا","خُدَّامُ","خُدَّامِ"]·ben["কদাপি","পরিচারকদের","পরিচারকদের,","পরিচারকরা","পরিচারকরা,","পরিচারকেরা","পাহারাদের","পাহারারা","সেবকের,"]·DE["Diener"]·EN["officer","officers","servants"]·FR["serviteur"]·heb["מְשָׁרְתִים","מְשָׁרֵת","שׁוֹטְרִים"]·HI["उन्हें","सिपाहियों,","सिपाही","सेवक","सेवक-को","सेवकों","सेवकों-ने"]·ID["pelayan","pengawal","pengawal-pengawal","penjaga"]·IT["servitore"]·jav["abdi","juru-jagi","juru-kunci","juru-pangabekti","juru-pangabekti,","para-abdi","para-abdi,","para-pelayan","para-pembantu,","punggawa"]·KO["관리들을","관리들이","도착하여","신하들-과","하인","하인들","하인들-을","하인들-의","하인들-이","하인들과","하인들이"]·PT["guardas","oficial","servos"]·RU["слуг","слуг,","слугами","слуги","слуги,","служителей","служители","служителю","служителями"]·ES["alguacil","guardias"]·SW["askari","maafisa","walinzi","watumishi"]·TR["görevliler","görevlileri","görevlilerle","görevliye","hizmetkârlar","muhafızlar","muhafızlarla","muhafızları","muhafızların"]·urd["سپاہی","سپاہیوں","سپاہیوں نے","سپاہیوں-نے","ملازموں-کے","نوکروں","نوکروں-نے"]
Matt 5:25, Matt 26:58, Mark 14:54, Mark 14:65, John 7:32, John 7:45, John 7:46, John 18:3, John 18:12, John 18:18, John 18:22, John 18:36 (+3 more)
2. servant, minister, attendant — A personal servant, assistant, or minister who attends to someone or serves a cause. Luke 1:2 speaks of eyewitnesses who became hyperetai of the word; the synagogue attendant (hyperetes) in Luke 4:20 hands Jesus the scroll; John Mark acts as hyperetes to Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:5); and Paul is appointed a hyperetes and witness of Christ (Acts 26:16). Spanish 'servidor' and 'ayudante,' along with French 'serviteur,' mark the personal, ministerial quality distinct from judicial enforcement. 5×
AR["خادِمًا","خادِمِ","خَادِمًا","خُدَّامًا","خُدّامٍ"]·ben["পরিচারককে","সহকারী","সেবক","সেবকদের"]·DE["Diener"]·EN["a-servant","as-assistant","attendant","servants"]·FR["serviteur"]·heb["מְשָׁרְתִים","מְשָׁרְתֵי","מְשָׁרֵת"]·HI["सेवक","सेवक-को","सेवकों"]·ID["itu","pelayan,","pelayan-pelayan","pembantu"]·IT["servitore"]·jav["abdi","abdi,","juru-lade,","pambiyantu.","para-abdi"]·KO["섬기는-자로","수행원으로","일꾼-에게","일꾼들로","일꾼들이"]·PT["como-auxiliar.","servo,","servos"]·RU["слугой","служителей","служителем","служители","служителю,"]·ES["como-ayudante","servidor","servidores"]·SW["msaidizi.","mtumishi","watumishi"]·TR["hizmetkarları","hizmetkâr","hizmetkâra","hizmetkârları","yardımcı"]·urd["خادم","خادم-","خادموں"]
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
ὑπηρέτ-ης, ου, ὁ, (ἐρέτης) Doric dialect ὑπηρέτας Refs 4th c.BC+:— rower, τοὶ ὑ. τᾶν μακρᾶν ναῶν Refs __II underling, servant, attendant, Refs 5th c.BC+; ὑ. [τῆς πόλεως], opposed to ἄρχων, Refs 4th c.BC+; τῶν ἰατρῶν, τῶν δικαστῶν ὑ., Refs 5th c.BC+; used in Trag. and Attic dialect to express all kinds of subordinate relations, as Hermes is ὑ. θεῶν, Refs 4th c.BC+; the Delphians are Φοίβου…