Encyclopedia entry
Captain
Disambiguation
The source enumerates 5 distinct subjects under Captain. Jump to one below, or read in order.
Captain (1)
#Heb. sar (1 Sam. 22:2; 2 Sam. 23:19). Rendered “chief,” Gen. 40:2; 41:9; rendered also “prince,” Dan. 1:7; “ruler,” Judg. 9:30; “governor,’ 1 Kings 22:26. This same Hebrew word denotes a military captain (Ex. 18:21; 2 Kings 1:9; Deut. 1:15; 1 Sam. 18:13, etc.), the “captain of the body-guard” (Gen. 37:36; 39:1; 41:10; Jer. 40:1), or, as the word may be rendered, “chief of the executioners” (marg.). The officers of the king’s body-guard frequently acted as executioners. Nebuzar-adan (Jer. 39:13) and Arioch (Dan. 2:14) held this office in Babylon.
The “captain of the guard” mentioned in Acts 28:16 was the Praetorian prefect, the commander of the Praetorian troops.
Captain (2)
#Another word (Heb. katsin) so translated denotes sometimes a military (Josh. 10:24; Judg. 11:6, 11; Isa. 22:3 “rulers;” Dan. 11:18) and sometimes a civil command, a judge, magistrate, Arab. kady, (Isa. 1:10; 3:6; Micah 3:1, 9).
Captain (3)
#It is also the rendering of a Hebrew word (shalish) meaning “a third man,” or “one of three.” The LXX. render in plural by tristatai; i.e., “soldiers fighting from chariots,” so called because each war-chariot contained three men, one of whom acted as charioteer while the other two fought (Ex. 14:7; 15:4; 1 Kings 9:22; comp. 2 Kings 9:25). This word is used also to denote the king’s body-guard (2 Kings 10:25; 1 Chr. 12:18; 2 Chr. 11:11) or aides-de-camp.
Captain (4)
#The “captain of the temple” mentioned in Acts 4:1 and 5:24 was not a military officer, but superintendent of the guard of priests and Levites who kept watch in the temple by night. (Comp. “the ruler of the house of God,” 1 Chr. 9:11; 2 Chr. 31:13; Neh. 11:11.)
Captain (5)
#The Captain of our salvation is a name given to our Lord (Heb. 2:10), because he is the author and source of our salvation, the head of his people, whom he is conducting to glory. The “captain of the Lord’s host” (Josh. 5:14, 15) is the name given to that mysterious person who manifested himself to Abraham (Gen. 12:7), and to Moses in the bush (Ex. 3:2, 6, etc.) the Angel of the covenant. (See ANGEL.)
Also from Smith's (1884) +−
As a purely military title, “captain” answers to sar in the Hebrew army and tribune in the Roman. The captain of the guard in (Acts 28:16) was probably the prefectus pratorio . Katsin, occasionally rendered captain, applies Sometimes to a military, (Joshua 10:24; Judges 11:6,11; Isaiah 22:3; Daniel 11:18) sometimes to a civil command, e.g. (Isaiah 1:10; 3:6) The captain of the temple, mentioned (Luke 22:4; Acts 4:1; 5:24) superintended the guard of priests and Levites who kept watch by night in the temple.
In the Bible
141
Verses where Captain is named. Berean Standard Bible (public domain).
- 1 Chronicles 11:6
Now David had said, “Whoever is the first to strike down a Jebusite will become chief commander.” And Joab son of Zeruiah went up first, and he became the chief.
- 1 Chronicles 11:21
He was doubly honored above the Three, and he became their commander, even though he was not included among the Three.
- 1 Chronicles 11:42
Adina son of Shiza the Reubenite, chief of the Reubenites, and the thirty with him,
- 1 Chronicles 19:16
When the Arameans saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they sent messengers to bring more Arameans from beyond the Euphrates, with Shophach the commander of Hadadezer’s army leading them.
- 1 Chronicles 19:18
But the Arameans fled before Israel, and David killed seven thousand of their charioteers and forty thousand foot soldiers. He also killed Shophach the commander of their army.
- 1 Chronicles 27:5
The third army commander, as chief for the third month, was Benaiah son of Jehoiada the priest. There were 24,000 men in his division.
+135 more verses naming Captain.
Scripture on Captain
86
See all 86 +−
- Acts 23Jeremiah 39Acts 22Judges 11Jeremiah 40Acts 21Genesis 40Joshua 51 Samuel 221 Kings 112 Kings 91 Chronicles 11Daniel 2Acts 4Acts 28Genesis 21Genesis 37Genesis 41Joshua 10Judges 41 Samuel 171 Samuel 182 Samuel 52 Samuel 102 Samuel 231 Kings 161 Chronicles 19Isaiah 1Isaiah 22Daniel 11Acts 5Acts 24Hebrews 2Genesis 12Genesis 26Genesis 39Exodus 3Exodus 14Exodus 18Numbers 14Deuteronomy 1Judges 91 Samuel 91 Samuel 101 Samuel 121 Samuel 131 Samuel 141 Samuel 262 Samuel 22 Samuel 172 Samuel 192 Samuel 241 Kings 11 Kings 21 Kings 91 Kings 222 Kings 42 Kings 52 Kings 102 Kings 152 Kings 182 Kings 201 Chronicles 91 Chronicles 122 Chronicles 112 Chronicles 132 Chronicles 172 Chronicles 31Nehemiah 9Nehemiah 11Isaiah 3Isaiah 36Jeremiah 37Jeremiah 41Jeremiah 43Jeremiah 51Daniel 1Jonah 1Micah 3Luke 22John 18
Entries that reference Captain
4
Captain references
19
Voices on Captain
12
Surfaced by name match — accuracy varies by title clarity.
Sources · Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897) · Smith's Bible Dictionary (1884)
Public-domain text. Modernized only where archaic spelling impedes reading; original facts preserved. Verify against an authoritative modern reference before quoting.