What Does “Magistrates” Mean in the Bible?
Office or title
The authorities who governed and judged in a Roman city.
A detail
- In the Bible: in Philippi, the magistrates had Paul and Silas beaten with rods and thrown into prison.
Where it appears in the Bible
Acts 16:22; Acts 16:20; Acts 16:37
What the Bible says
Acts 16:22
And the people ran together against them; and the magistrates rending off their clothes, commanded them to be beaten with rods.
Acts 16:20
And presenting them to the magistrates, they said: These men disturb our city, being Jews;
Acts 16:37
But Paul said to them: They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men that are Romans, and have cast us into prison: and now do they thrust us out privately? Not so; but let them come,
Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner revision), public domain.
Source: RAE, “magistrado”; Acts 16:20-22