Governor
(1.) Heb. nagid, a prominent, conspicuous person, whatever his capacity: as, chief of the royal palace (2 Chr 28:7; comp. 1 Kgs 4:6), chief of the temple (1 Chr 9:11; Jer 20:1), the leader of the Aaronites (1 Chr 12:27), keeper of the sacred treasury (1 Chr 26:24), captain of the army (1 Chr 13:1), the king (1 Sam 9:16), the Messiah (Dan 9:25).
(2.) Heb. nasi, raised; exalted. Used to denote the chiefs of families (Num 3:24, Num 3:30, Num 3:32, Num 3:35); also of tribes (Num 2:3; Num 7:2; Num 3:32). These dignities appear to have been elective, not hereditary.
(3.) Heb. pakid, an officer or magistrate. It is used of the delegate of the high priest (2 Chr 24:11), the Levites (Neh 11:22), a military commander (2 Kgs 25:19), Joseph’s officers in Egypt (Gen 41:34).
(4.) Heb. shallit, one who has power, who rules (Gen 42:6; Ezra 4:20; Eccl 8:8; Dan 2:15; Dan 5:29).
(5.) Heb. aluph, literally one put over a thousand, i.e., a clan or a subdivision of a tribe. Used of the “dukes” of Edom (Gen 36:1–43), and of the Jewish chiefs (Zech 9:7).
(6.) Heb. moshel, one who rules, holds dominion. Used of many classes of rulers (Gen 3:16; Gen 24:2; Gen 45:8; Ps 105:20); of the Messiah (Mic 5:2); of God (1 Chr 29:12; Ps 103:19).
(7.) Heb. sar, a ruler or chief; a word of very general use. It is used of the chief baker of Pharaoh (Gen 40:16); of the chief butler (Gen 40:2, etc. See also Gen 47:6; Ex 1:11; Dan 1:7; Judg 10:18; 1 Kgs 22:26; 1 Kgs 20:15; 2 Kgs 1:9; 2 Sam 24:2). It is used also of angels, guardian angels (Dan 10:13, Dan 10:20, Dan 10:21; Dan 12:1; Dan 10:13; Dan 8:25).
(8.) Pehah, whence pasha, i.e., friend of the king; adjutant; governor of a province (2 Kgs 18:24; Isa 36:9; Jer 51:1–64: 57; Ezek 23:6, Ezek 23:23; Dan 3:2; Esth 3:1–15: 12), or a perfect (Neh 3:7; Neh 5:14; Ezra 5:3; Hag 1:1). This is a foreign word, Assyrian, which was early adopted into the Hebrew idiom (1 Kgs 10:15).
(9.) The Chaldean word segan is applied to the governors of the Babylonian satrapies (Dan 3:2, Dan 3:27; Dan 6:7); the prefects over the Magi (Dan 2:48). The corresponding Hebrew word segan is used of provincial rulers (Jer 51:23, Jer 51:28, Jer 51:57); also of chiefs and rulers of the people of Jerusalem (Ezra 9:2; Neh 2:16; Neh 4:14, Neh 4:19; Neh 5:7, Neh 5:17; Neh 7:5; Neh 12:40).
In the New Testament there are also different Greek words rendered thus.
(1.) Meaning an ethnarch (2 Cor 11:32), which was an office distinct from military command, with considerable latitude of application.
(2.) The procurator of Judea under the Romans (Matt 27:2). (Comp. Luke 2:2, where the verb from which the Greek word so rendered is derived is used.)
(3.) Steward (Gal 4:2).
(4.) Governor of the feast (John 2:9), who appears here to have been merely an intimate friend of the bridegroom, and to have presided at the marriage banquet in his stead.
(5.) A director, i.e., helmsman; Lat. gubernator, (Jas 3:4).
From Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897), by Matthew George Easton.
