φυλακίζω
phylakízō
G5439 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To confine or detain, particularly by placing in a guarded or enclosed space; to imprison, to keep under guard or surveillance, to hold in custody for the purpose of restraint or protection. Includes placing individuals in official custody or imprisonment, as well as keeping someone under supervision or in a guarded location.
Semantic Range
to imprison, to detain under guard, to hold in custody, to place under supervision or restraint, to confine temporarily or formally, to watch over in a secure location
Root / Etymology
From the noun φύλαξ ('guard, watchman') or the related term φυλακή ('guarding, watch, prison'); derived with the verb-forming suffix -ίζω, indicating to perform the action of guarding or keeping someone or something in custody.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In Hellenistic and Koine usage, φυλακίζω primarily refers to the act of placing someone in a secured or confined location under supervision, ranging from official prisons to house arrest or other forms of detention. In the Septuagint and other Greek Jewish texts, it commonly renders Hebrew terms for imprisonment or temporary custody. In the New Testament, it appears rarely, with usage focused on formal detention, as in Luke 12:58, where it denotes being delivered to the officer and put into prison. Classical Greek employed equivalent language for the action of setting watch or keeping sentries (from the same root), but the specifically penal or custodial nuance emerges more distinctly in Koine. English translations often render the verb as 'imprison' or 'put in prison,' but this can obscure the broader sense of guarded restraint or holding under watch, not limited to formal incarceration. The verb is distinguished from kindred terms like δεσμεύω ('to bind') or κρατέω ('to seize, hold fast'), as φυλακίζω emphasizes the ongoing condition of being guarded or confined, rather than the initial act of capture or the physical state of restraint.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from φύλαξ; to incarcerate:--imprison.
Root Family
φυλακίζω (phylakizō) — to guard, to keep watch, to confine
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G5439-01 |
φυλακίζων | phulakizon | V PRS ACT PTCP NOM M SG |
imprisoning | confining under guard | imprisoning | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G5439-01 |
Acts 22:19 | φυλακίζων | phulakizon | V PRS ACT PTCP NOM M SG |
imprisoning | confining under guard | imprisoning |