στρατιά
stratiá
G4756 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A body of armed forces, an army; by extension, any large organized group or host, including non-human assemblies such as angelic or celestial entities. In military and non-military contexts, refers to a gathered assembly, particularly one arranged in order or formation. Can refer concretely to armies of people or metaphorically to multitudes, such as the hosts of heaven (stars, celestial beings, or angels).
Semantic Range
army, military band, body of soldiers, host (of angels or celestial beings), multitude, organized assembly
Root / Etymology
Derived from the base stem στρατ- (related to στράτος, 'army'), with the feminine ending -ιά denoting a collective or group. The root is related to words for 'army' and 'encamped.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
In classical Greek, στρατιά typically referred to an organized army, particularly a land force. By Hellenistic and Koine periods, the semantic range broadened: in the Septuagint (LXX), στρατιά frequently translates Hebrew צָבָא (tsavā’), which denotes 'host' or 'army,' especially in military or celestial (heavenly) contexts. Thus, στρατιά in the LXX and the New Testament appears in reference to both human armies and non-human hosts, such as angels (cf. Luke 2:13) or cosmic bodies (cf. LXX Genesis 2:1). The standard English translation 'host' hearkens to this broader Greek/Hebrew overlap, but can obscure the word’s concrete military sense. Septuagint usage shaped later Jewish and Christian reference to a heavenly 'host' or multitude (see also Σαβαώθ, 'Sabaoth'). The term does not inherently carry religious overtones; it assumes celestial nuance primarily in relation to the Hebrew Bible and Hellenistic Jewish usage.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
feminine of a derivative of (an army; from the base of στρώννυμι, as encamped); camp-likeness, i.e. an army, i.e. (figuratively) the angels, the celestial luminaries:--host.
Root Family
στρατ- (strateía) — to wage war, to make a campaign, to serve as a soldier
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| G4752 | στρατεία | military campaign |
| G4753 | στράτευμα | a military force |
| G4754 | στρατεύομαι | you may engage in warfare |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G4756-01 |
στρατιᾷ | stratia | N DAT F SG |
host | to an army | army | 1 |
G4756-02 |
στρατιᾶς | stratias | N GEN F SG |
host | of an army | of an army | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 occurrences