What does δεσμοφύλαξ (desmophýlax) mean in the Bible?
δεσμοφύλαξ (desmophýlax): Compound term specifically denoting the official custodian responsible for guarding imprisoned persons and maintaining security
Greek · G1200
δεσμοφύλαξ
A jailer (as guarding the prisoners)
Reading a lexicon entry
What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
Strong's number: The Strong's code (H- or G-) is the standard reference number for this word. It connects this entry to chapter and passage language tabs.
Where it appears: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
This lexicon entry is part of our ongoing editorial review. If you notice missing content, unclear wording, or a possible correction, please send us a note through the Connect page. Screenshots are helpful.
δεσμοφύλαξ G1200
Pronunciation desmophýlax
What does δεσμοφύλαξ (desmophýlax) mean in the Bible?
δεσμοφύλαξ (desmophýlax): Compound term specifically denoting the official custodian responsible for guarding imprisoned persons and maintaining security
Full entry for δεσμοφύλαξ (G1200) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G1200?
The BSB source-word alignment has 3 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include jailer (3).
Where does δεσμοφύλαξ (desmophýlax) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Acts 16:23. Its strongest book concentrations include Acts (3).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It jailer 3× Acts 16:23, Acts 16:27, Acts 16:36
Show sample aligned rows
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Acts 16:23
Aligned rows 3
Books represented 1
Acts 3
Source forms
δεσμοφύλαξ 2x desmophylax Acts 16:27, Acts 16:36
δεσμοφύλακι 1x desmophylaki Acts 16:23
Parsing patterns
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular 2x Acts 16:27, Acts 16:36
Noun - Dative Masculine Singular 1x Acts 16:23
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Compound term specifically denoting the official custodian responsible for guarding imprisoned persons and maintaining security
Strong's G1200
Lexical occurrences 3 verses Greek text appearances 3 times Word forms 2 forms 3 references Verse guides 0 guides
Source Gloss
a jailer (as guarding the prisoners)
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
3 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Acts 16:23 Noun Dative Singular Masculine
δεσμοφύλακι desmofulaki
a keeper of a prison, a jailer
Read verse Acts 16:27 Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
δεσμοφύλαξ, desmofulax
a keeper of a prison, a jailer
Read verse Acts 16:36 Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
δεσμοφύλαξ desmofulax
a keeper of a prison, a jailer
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 2 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns 2 Aligned forms 3 Case pattern Nominative (2) Number pattern Singular (3)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Nominative · Singular · Masculine Acts 16:27 · Acts 16:36 2×
Dative · Singular · Masculine Acts 16:23 1×
Word Origins
δεσμοφύλαξ is built from these roots:
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain