Bible Dictionaries
Magistrate

Holman Bible Dictionary

A government official with administrative and judicial responsibilities. At Ezra 7:25 magistrate is perhaps a parallel title to judge. Possibly, judges and magistrates handled different cases, for example, cases involving traditional law and royal cases in which the state had special interest. The term for magistrate at Daniel 3:2-3 is an Old Persian term of uncertain meaning. Since magistrates follows judges, officials with judicial responsibilities may again be in view. The term for magistrate at Luke 12:11 (KJV) and Luke 12:58 (NRSV) is archon , a general term for ruler. The term rendered magistrates at Acts 16:20 ,Acts 16:20,16:22 ,Acts 16:22,16:35-36 ,Acts 16:35-36,16:38 strategoi is a term used both for military commanders and for civil officials of a Greek city who were charged with administering the community finances, enforcing enactments of the council or citizen body, and in some cases passing sentence in legal cases. In the case of Philippi, strategoi serves as the Greek equivalent of the Latin duumviri , the two magistrates who served as the chief judicial officials of a Roman city or colony.