Executioner

Executioner [EBD]

(Mark 6:27). Instead of the Greek word, Mark here uses a Latin word, speculator, which literally means "a scout," "a spy," and at length came to denote one of the armed bodyguard of the emperor. Herod Antipas, in imitation of the emperor, had in attendance on him a company of speculatores. They were sometimes employed as executioners, but this was a mere accident of their office. (See MARK, GOSPEL OF.)

Executioner [NAVE]

EXECUTIONER,
Gen. 37:36; Prov. 16:14; Jer. 39:9; Dan. 2:14; Matt. 14:10.
See: Punishment.

EXECUTIONER [SMITH]

The post of executioner was one of high dignity. Potiphar was "captain of the executioners." (Genesis 37:36) see margin. That the "captain of the guard" himself occasionally performed the duty of an executioner appears from (1 Kings 2:25,34)

EXECUTE; EXECUTIONER [ISBE]

EXECUTE; EXECUTIONER - ek'-se-kut, ek-se-ku'-shun-er (`asah, "to do," din,"to judge," "decide"; poieo, "to do"; spekoulator, Latin speculator, "an attendant"): "Execute" in the sense of "executing judgment," "vengeance," etc., is often found in the Old Testament (Ex 12:12; Dt 10:18; Ps 149:7; Jer 22:3; Ezek 25:11; Mic 5:15; compare Jer 21:12, "Execute justice in the morning") and a few times in the New Testament (Jn 5:27; Rom 13:4 the King James Version; Jude 1:15). In the sense of punishing capitally, by legal process, it is not found. "Executioner" is found only in Mk 6:27 the King James Version, where Herod, the king, is said to have "sent an executioner" (spekoulator) to behead John the Baptist, but the Revised Version (British and American) and the American Standard Revised Version have instead, according to the stricter meaning of the text, "The king sent forth a soldier of his guard." The office of executioner, however, was a recognized office in all the great nations of antiquity.

George B. Eager