Bible Lexicons

φρουρέω is used literally ";guard,"; ";protect,"; in such passages as P Amh II. 43.17 (B.C. 173) where a contract is witnessed by six persons, τῶν ἐν τῆι Σοκνοπαίου Νήσωι φρουρούντων καὶ μισθο (φόρων), ";belonging to the guard at Socnopaei Nesus and in receipt of pay,"; P Bilabel 9.6 (B.C. 103) τοῖς ] ε ̣̓ν Κρο (κοδείλων) πό (λει) φερομένοις φρου (ροῦσιν), and P Tebt I. 92.2 (late ii/B.C.) Κερκεοσίρεως τῆς μὴ φρουρουμένης μηδ᾽ οὔσης ἐπὶ τοῦ μεγάλου ποταμοῦ, ";at Kerkeosiris, which is unguarded and is not situated upon the great river"; (Edd) : cf. 2Co. 11:32 and Field Notes, p. 186f. See also an important note by E. L. Hicks in CR i. p. 7 f. : in the other NT passages (Gal. 3:23, Php. 4:7, 1Pe. 1:5) he prefers the idea of ";a garrison keeping ward over a town"; to the idea of ";soldiers keeping guard either to prevent escape, or to protect the weak.";

For φρουρός, cf. P Oxy IX. 1193.4 (iv/A.D.) ὄνον ἕνα πα [ράσχου ] μετὰ καὶ ἑνὸς φύλακος τῷ ἀποσταλέντι φρ <ο >υρῷ, ";supply one donkey together with one guard to the sentinel whom I have sent"; (Ed.) : for φρουρά, cf. P Tebt II. 315.31 (ii/A.D.) ἔχι γὰρ συστατικὰς ̣ [ὅ ]π ̣ως τὸν ἀπιθοῦντα μετὰ φρουρᾶς τῷ ἀρχιερῖ πέμπιν, ";he has instructions to send recalcitrants under guard to the high-priest"; (Edd.) : and for φρούριον, cf. P Amh II. 31.27 (B.C. 112) περίστασ ̣ι ̣ς ̣ τοῦ φρουρίου, ";the free space round the guardhouse.";

In P Petr I. 29.14 (iii/B.C.) τῶν ὅρων apparently applies to the ";watchers"; of a vineyard, and Mahaffy following Bury regards ὅροι as the word from which φρουροί (προ -οροι) is derived, and compares the Homeric οὖρος.