Lexical Definition
σπεῖρα speîra (spi'-rah) band G:N-F
of immediate Latin origin, but ultimately a derivative of αἱρέομαι in the sense of its cognate εἱλίσσω
band.
- a coil (spira, "spire"), i.e. (figuratively) a mass of men (a Roman military cohort
- also (by analogy) a squad of Levitical janitors)
| Form | Translated As | In Verse(s) |
|---|---|---|
| σπεῖραν | cohort | Matt.27.27 • Mark.15.16 • John.18.3 |
| σπεῖρα | the cohort | John.18.12 |
| σπείρησ | Cohort | Acts.10.1 • Acts.21.31 |
| of the cohort | Acts.27.1 |
Abbott-Smith
** σπείρα, -ης (on this form of gen., v. M, Pr., 38, 48; Bl., § 7, 1; Mayser, 12; Deiss., BS, 186), [in LXX: Jth 14:11, II Mac 8:23 12:20, 22 * ;]
1. (= Lat. spira) anything or rolled up, a coil.
2. As a military term used (by Polyb. and later writers) of a body of soldiers, a maniple (third part of a cohort) or cohort (v. Swete, Mk., 375; Westc., Jo., 251 f.): Mt 27:27, Mk 15:16, Jo 18:3, 12, Ac 10:1 21:31 27:1.†
Abbott-Smith References
| Book | Refs |
|---|---|
| Matthew | 27:27 |
| Mark | 15:16 |
| John | 18:3 · 18:12 |
| Acts | 10:1 · 21:31 · 27:1 |
Liddell-Scott-Jones
σπεῖρα, ἡ,
anything twisted or wound, ποιεῖν τι οἷον σπεῖραν twist it into a ball, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__2 plural, coils or spires of a serpent, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; πολύπλοκοι σ. [Refs 5th c.BC+]: so in singular, [Refs 4th c.BC+]
__3 rope, cord, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; σπείραισι δικτυοκλώστοις with the net's meshy folds, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ship's cable, [Refs 1st c.AD+]; padded circle used by women carrying weights on their head, [Refs 6th c.AD+]; so by Atlas, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]; as a lamp-stand, ἀρτεμισίας σ. ἐπὶ τὸν λύχνον [Refs]; round cushion, [Refs 1st c.BC+]
__4 a mode of dressing the hair, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]
__5 σ. βόειαι thongs or straps of ox-hide to guard and arm a boxer's fist, [Refs 3rd c.BC+]
__6 knot or curl in wood, [Refs 4th c.BC+]
__7 a kind of cheesecake[Refs 2nd c.AD+]
__8 rounded moulding in the base of an Ionic or Corinthian column, torus, [Refs 1st c.BC+]
__9 Geometry texts, anchor-ring, tore, produced by revolution of a circle about a line in its plane but not passing through the centre, [Refs 2nd c.BC+]
__II Milit., tactical unit, in the Ptolemaic army, [Refs 1st c.BC+]; used to translate the Roman manipulus, [Refs 2nd c.BC+]; κατὰ σπείρας,= Latin manipulatim, [Refs 2nd c.BC+]; later, cohort, [NT+1st c.AD+]
__II.2 ={θίασος}, religious college or guild, genitive σπείρης [σπεῖρα “AEM” 14.28 (from Roumania)">Refs]; Latin spira, [Refs]
LSJ Scripture Refs: Acts.10.1