Quick Definition
στρατηγός, οῦ, ὁ n.m. a general, magistrate, captain of the temple
Strong's Definition
a general, i.e. (by implication or analogy) a (military) governor (prætor), the chief (præfect) of the (Levitical) temple-wardens
Derivation: from the base of G4756 (στρατιά) and G71 (ἄγω) or G2233 (ἡγέομαι);
KJV Usage: captain, magistrate
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament
noun, m. | -οῦ | στρατεύομαι + ἄγω
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
στρατηγός, -ov, 6, (στρατός and ἄγω), fr. Hdt. down, Sept. chiefly for 12 [only plur. 0°310]; 1. the commander of an army. 2. in the N. T. a civic commander, a governor, (the name of the duumviri or highest magistrates in the municipia and colonies; they had the power of administering justice in the less important cases; of τῆς πόλεως στρατηγοί, Artem. oneir. 4, 49; of civil magistrates as early as Hdt.5, 38; [see reff. in Meyer on Acts xvi. 20; L. and S. s. v. II. 2 86.; cf. Farrar, St. Paul, i. excurs. xvi.]): plur. [R. V. magistrates (after A.V.), with mrg. Gr. pretors], Acts xvi. 20, 22, 35 sq. [38]. 3. στρατ. τοῦ ἱεροῦ, ‘captain of the temple’ [A.V.], i. e. the commander of the Levites who kept guard in and around the temple (Joseph. antt. 20, 6, 2; [Β. Ὁ. 8. ν. Captain, 3; Edersheim, The Temple ete. ch. vii., 2ed. p. 119sq.]) : Acts iv. 1; v. 24; plur. Lk. xxii. 52; simply [A. V. captain], Acts y. 26; Lk. xxii. 4.
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
στρατηγός stratēgos 10x
a leader or commander of an army, general; a Roman praetor, provincial magistrate, Acts 16:20, 22, 35, 36, 38; στρατηγός τοῦ ἱεροῦ, the captain or prefect of the temple, the chief of the Levites who kept guard in and around the temple, Lk. 22:4, 52; Acts 4:1; 5:24, 26*
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
στρατηγός, -οῦ, ὁ
(< στρατός, ἄγω), [in LXX chiefly for סָגָן (always in pl.), שַׂר ;]
a military commander, a general (Hdt., al.).
A civic commander, a governor, magistrate (Hdt., Xen., al.): Ac 16:20, 22, 35, 36, 38.
The commander of the Levitical guard of the Temple, ὁ σ. τ. ἱεροῦ (EV, captain of the Temple): Ac 4:1 5:24, 26; pl., Lk 22:4, 52.†
SYN.: ἄρχων (cf. EGT on Ac 16:20; Ramsay, St. Paul, 217).
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
στρατηγός. It would take us too far from our immediate object to discuss the various uses of στρατηγός as a civic and military title. Convenient reff. to the relevant literature will be found in Preisigke Fachwirter, p. 158f. See also J. 6. Tait in J. Ze. Arch. viii. (1922), p. 166 ff. In NT usage the word is applied (1) to the commander of the Levitical guard of the temple (Ac 4! a/.), a position next in honour to the High Priest, and to the Captains of the temple under him
Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon
στρατηγός (stratēgos) — officer/magistrate. στρᾰτηγ-ός, ὁ (the feminine in [Refs 5th c.BC+] and Doric dialect στρᾰτᾱγός [Refs 4th c.BC+]; Aeolic dialect στρότᾱγος [Refs]:— leader or commander of an army, general, [Refs 7th c.BC+]; ἀνὴρ σ. [Refs 5th c.BC+]; opposed to ναύαρχος (admiral), [Refs 5th c.BC+]
2. generally, commander, governor, πόλει κήρυγμα θεῖναι τὸν σ. [Refs 4th c.BC+]
3. with genitive, στρατηγοὶ τοῦ πεζοῦ [Refs 5th c.BC+]
4. metaphorically, παραλαβὼν.. οἶνον σ. [Refs 4th c.BC+]; στρατηγοὶ κυνηγεσίων masters of hounds, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; so strategum te facio huic convivio, [Refs 3rd c.BC+]
II. at Athens, the title of 10 officers elected by yearly vote to command the army and navy, and conduct the war-department at home, commanders in chief and ministers of war, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; when distinguished from ναύαρχος and ἵππαρχος, the στρατηγός is commander of the infantry, Decrees cited in [Refs 4th c.BC+]; χειροτονηθεὶς σ. ἐπὶ τὸ ναυτικόν, ἐπὶ τὰ ὅπλα, [Refs]
II.2. also of chief magistrates of the cities of Asia Minor, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; of many other Greek states, [Refs 4th c.BC+]
II.3. in Ptolemaic and Roman Egypt, military and civil governor of a nome, [Refs 3rd c.BC+]; also in other parts of the Ptolemaic empire, e.g. at Calynda in Caria, [Refs 3rd c.BC+]; in Cyprus, [Refs 3rd c.BC+]; σ. τῆς πόλεως at Alexandria, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]; at Ptolemais, [Refs 1st c.BC+]
II.4. σ. ὕπατος consul, [Refs 2nd c.BC+]; also ς. alone, [Refs 2nd c.BC+] alone, see at {ὕπατο; σ. ἀνθύπατος} proconsul, [Refs 2nd c.BC+]; ἑξαπέλεκυς σ. praetor, [Refs 2nd c.BC+]; used of the praetor urbanus, [Refs 1st c.BC+]; ς. alone, = praetor, [Refs 1st c.BC+]: also of the duumviri or chief magistrates of Roman colonies, as of Philippi, [NT]: later of the Comes Orientis, [Refs 4th c.AD+]
II.5. an officer who had the custody of the Temple at Jerusalem, ὁ σ. τοῦ ἱεροῦ [NT+1st c.AD+]
II.6. νυκτερινὸς σ. superintendent of police at Alexandria, [Refs 1st c.BC+]
II.7. ={φαλαγγάρχης} (which see), [Refs 2nd c.AD+]