τήρησις (G5084) — Greek Lexicon

τήρησις

tḗrēsis

G5084 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

The act of guarding, keeping, or careful watch; by extension, a place or condition of confinement (detention, imprisonment), or the practice of observance (especially of law or commandment) depending on context. The primary sense is the act or state of keeping watch or custody, but it may also refer figuratively to observance or concretely to a prison or holding place.

Semantic Range

watching, guarding, keeping, observance, detention, imprisonment, a place of custody (prison), the act or condition of being kept or watched, compliance with law or commandment

Root / Etymology

Derived from the verb τηρέω (to keep, guard, watch over), with the abstract noun suffix -σις indicating the act or result of the verb (i.e., the action/state of guarding or keeping).

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, τήρησις occurs rarely and generally means 'a guarding' or 'the act of watching.' In Hellenistic and Koine Greek, such as the Septuagint and New Testament, its usage develops to include both the act of guarding/keeping and the result (the state of being held or imprisoned, or the place where one is kept). In Jewish and early Christian literature, the sense of 'observance' appears, signifying the keeping of laws or commandments, derived from its broader semantic field of attentive maintenance. In New Testament and related sources, standard English translations frequently render τήρησις as 'custody,' 'prison,' or 'detention,' especially when referencing a place of confinement, but this may obscure the more active nuance of 'guarding' or 'keeping.' Compared with related terms such as φυλακή (which centers more on the idea of a guardpost or watch, or the time of keeping watch), τήρησις emphasizes the act or state of careful guarding or maintenance. The nuance of observance in the sense of adhering to custom or commandment is present but less common.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from τηρέω; a watching, i.e. (figuratively) observance, or (concretely) a prison:--hold.

Root Family

τήρησις (tērēsis) — guarding, keeping, observance, custody

Root τηρ- to keep, to guard, to maintain, to observe

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2	Occurrences
`G5084-02`	τήρησιν	teresin	`N ACC F SG`	custody	guarding	custody	1
`G5084-01`	τηρήσει	teresei	`N DAT F SG`	prison	he will guard	prison	1
`G5084-03`	τήρησις	teresis	`N NOM F SG`	keeping	guarding	keeping	1

Occurrences in Scripture

3 occurrences

Filter by SIDANCE:

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2
`G5084-02`	Acts 4:3	τήρησιν	teresin	`N ACC F SG`	custody	guarding	custody
`G5084-01`	Acts 5:18	τηρήσει	teresei	`N DAT F SG`	prison	he will guard	prison
`G5084-03`	1 Corinthians 7:19	τήρησις	teresis	`N NOM F SG`	keeping	guarding	keeping

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