Guard

Cities in the Bible kept watchmen on the wall, and these lookouts matter. In 2 Samuel 18 one spots a runner approaching and calls out to the king. Nehemiah, facing enemies, says, “we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night” (Nehemiah 4:9). Isaiah hears a question shouted from a tower: “Watchman, what of the night?” and the answer is “The morning cometh, and also the night” (Isaiah 21:11-12). Ezekiel 33 shows the weight of the job: a watchman who sees the sword and blows no trumpet answers for it. It is a duty of staying awake for others.

20 verses

2 Samuel

2 Samuel 13:34

But Absalom fled. And the young man that kept the watch lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came much people by the way of the hill side behind him.

2 Samuel 18:24

And David sat between the two gates: and the watchman went up to the roof over the gate unto the wall, and lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold a man running alone.

2 Samuel 18:25

And the watchman cried, and told the king. And the king said, If he be alone, there is tidings in his mouth. And he came apace, and drew near.

2 Kings

2 Kings 9:17

And there stood a watchman on the tower in Jezreel, and he spied the company of Jehu as he came, and said, I see a company. And Joram said, Take an horseman, and send to meet them, and let him say, Is it peace?

2 Chronicles

2 Chronicles 20:24

And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped.

Nehemiah

Nehemiah 4:9

Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.

Nehemiah 7:3

And I said unto them, Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun be hot; and while they stand by, let them shut the doors, and bar them: and appoint watches of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, every one in his watch, and every one to be over against his house.

Song of Solomon

Song of Solomon 3:3

The watchmen that go about the city found me: to whom I said, Saw ye him whom my soul loveth?

Isaiah

Isaiah 21:5

Prepare the table, watch in the watchtower, eat, drink: arise, ye princes, and anoint the shield.

Isaiah 21:6

For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth.

Isaiah 21:7

And he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen, a chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels; and he hearkened diligently with much heed:

Isaiah 21:8

And he cried, A lion: My lord, I stand continually upon the watchtower in the daytime, and I am set in my ward whole nights:

Isaiah 21:9

And, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a couple of horsemen. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground.

Isaiah 21:10

O my threshing, and the corn of my floor: that which I have heard of the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, have I declared unto you.

Isaiah 21:11

The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?

Isaiah 21:12

The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will enquire, enquire ye: return, come.

Isaiah 52:8

Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring again Zion.

Ezekiel

Ezekiel 33:6

But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand.

Matthew

Matthew 28:14

And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you.

Acts

Acts 12:19

And when Herod had sought for him, and found him not, he examined the keepers, and commanded that they should be put to death. And he went down from Judaea to Caesarea, and there abode.

From Easton's Bible Dictionary

Matthew George Easton, 1897

(1.) Heb. tabbah (properly a “cook,” and in a secondary sense “executioner,” because this office fell to the lot of the cook in Eastern countries), the bodyguard of the kings of Egypt (Gen. 37:36) and Babylon (2 Kings 25:8; Jer. 40:1; Dan. 2:14).

(2.) Heb. rats, properly a “courier,” one whose office was to run before the king’s chariot (2 Sam. 15:1; 1 Kings 1:5). The couriers were also military guards (1 Sam. 22:17; 2 Kings 10:25). They were probably the same who under David were called Pelethites (1 Kings 14:27; 2 Sam. 15:1).

(3.) Heb. mishmereth, one who watches (Neh. 4:22), or a watch-station (7:3; 12:9; Job 7:12).

Read the full entry

In the New Testament (Mark 6:27) the Authorized Version renders the Greek spekulator by “executioner,” earlier English versions by “hangman,” the Revised Version by “soldier of his guard.” The word properly means a “pikeman” or “halberdier,” of whom the bodyguard of kings and princes was composed. In Matt. 27:65, 66; 28:11, the Authorized Version renders the Greek kustodia by “watch,” and the Revised Version by “guard,” the Roman guard, which consisted of four soldiers, who were relieved every three hours (Acts 12:4). The “captain of the guard” mentioned Acts 28:16 was the commander of the Praetorian troops, whose duty it was to receive and take charge of all prisoners from the provinces.

Based on Nave's Topical Bible by Orville J. Nave (1896). Dictionary entries from Easton's Bible Dictionary. Public domain. KJV scripture text, public domain.