H5460 H5460
prefect, provincial governor or high-ranking administrative official in the Babylonian/Persian empire
An Aramaic noun denoting a high-ranking provincial official in the Babylonian-Persian administrative hierarchy. All five occurrences appear in Daniel, where prefects are listed alongside satraps, counselors, and judges in formal enumerations of imperial officials (Dan 3:2-3, 27). Daniel himself is elevated above these prefects after interpreting Nebuchadnezzar's dream (Dan 2:48), and Darius's officials conspire among them (Dan 6:7). The term is an Assyrian loanword reflecting Mesopotamian bureaucratic structure.
Senses
1. sense 1 — A high-ranking administrative officer in the Babylonian-Persian governmental hierarchy, consistently listed among other imperial officials in formal court enumerations. English 'prefects,' Spanish 'los-prefectos,' French 'préfet,' and German 'Beamte' (officials) all point to the bureaucratic rank. Daniel is elevated above these officials (Dan 2:48), and they appear as a class in Nebuchadnezzar's assembly (Dan 3:2-3) and Darius's court (Dan 6:7). 5×
AR["الـ-وُلَاةِ", "الْوُلاَةَ", "الْوُلاَةُ"]·ben["গভর্নরদের", "রাজ্যপালদের", "রাজ্যপালরা", "শাসনকর্তারা"]·DE["Beamte"]·EN["prefects", "the-prefects"]·FR["préfet"]·heb["סגנים"]·HI["अधिपति", "अधिपतियों", "हाकिमों"]·ID["para-gubernur", "para-prefek"]·IT["funzionari"]·jav["para-nayaka", "para-préfèk"]·KO["관리자들의", "장관들과", "장관들이", "지사들"]·PT["os-prefeitos", "prefeitos"]·RU["-правителей", "начальники", "начальников", "префекты"]·ES["los-prefectos"]·SW["magavana"]·TR["valiler", "valileri"]·urd["نائبوں", "گورنر", "گورنروں-کا", "گورنروں-کو"]
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
† [סְגַן] n.m. prefect (𝔗 (rare), Egyptian Aramaic S-CD 13; v. BH (late), Assyrian loan-word);—pl. abs. סִגְנִין Dn 2:48; emph. סִגְנַיָּא 3:2, 3, 27; 6:8.