ἐφυλάξατε
phylássō
kept
To keep watch over, guard, protect. Primary meaning is to act as a guard or sentinel, watching to prevent harm, loss, or intrusion. By extension, to preserve, keep safe, maintain a state, observe carefully (e.g., laws, instructions), abstain from something considered dangerous, or avoid. In some contexts, used of keeping a commandment or tradition, or guarding oneself from wrong or danger.
Acts 7:53 · Word #10
Lexicon G5442
| Lemma | φυλάσσω |
| Transliteration | phylássō |
| Strong's | G5442 |
| Definition | To keep watch over, guard, protect. Primary meaning is to act as a guard or sentinel, watching to prevent harm, loss, or intrusion. By extension, to preserve, keep safe, maintain a state, observe carefully (e.g., laws, instructions), abstain from something considered dangerous, or avoid. In some contexts, used of keeping a commandment or tradition, or guarding oneself from wrong or danger. |
Morphology V AOR ACT IND 2P PL
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | V — Verb — An action or state of being |
| Tense | AOR — Aorist — Simple occurrence, often past |
| Voice | ACT — Active — The subject performs the action |
| Mood | IND — Indicative — States a fact or reality |
| Person | 2P — 2nd person — The one spoken to ("you") |
| Number | PL — Plural — More than one |
Common Translation
| Phrase | kept |
| Literal | kept-guarded |
Lexical Info
| Lemma | φυλάσσω |
| Strong's | G5442 |
SIBI-P1 Translation G5442-03
you guarded
| Morphological Notes | Verb; aorist tense (simple past), active voice, indicative mood, 2nd person plural. |
| Rendering Rationale | The aorist active indicative, 2nd person plural, denotes a simple completed action performed by "you" (plural). "You guarded" preserves the root sense of acting as a sentinel or protector without adding contextual nuance. |
View full lexicon entry for G5442 →
SILEX v2
SIBI-P2 (Context-Aware)
you kept
| Same as P1 | No — adjusted for context |
| Rationale | P1 'you guarded' is too restrictive; the context (keeping law) favors 'you kept,' which is the standard translation when referring to laws or commands. |