G5432 — φρουρέω (phrouréō)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G5432
Original: φρουρέω
Transliteration: phrouréō
Pronunciation: froo-reh'-o
Part of Speech: Verb
Root: From πρό (pro, G4253 "before") + ὁράω (horaō, G3708 "to see") — literally "to see before," i.e., to watch in advance
Occurrences: 4 unique verses (5 tokens) in NT
First Occurrence: 2 Cor 11:32 — "In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From a compound of πρό (G4253) and ὁράω (G3708); to be a watcher in advance, i.e., to mount guard as a sentinel; figuratively, to hem in, protect.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain: 37.009 — Guard, Watch Over
Parent Domain: 37 — Control, Rule
Other words in subdomain: βασανιστής (G930), δεσμοφύλαξ (G1200), κατακλείω (G2623), συνέχω (G4912), τηρέω (G5083), τήρησις (G5084), φυλακή (G5438), φύλαξ (G5441), φυλάσσω (G5442)

Louw-Nida Domain Neighbors (37.009 — Guard, Watch Over)¶

Strong's	Lemma	Total Verses	Primary KJV Translation(s)
G930	βασανιστής	1	tormentors
G1200	δεσμοφύλαξ	3	keeper of the prison, jailor
G2623	κατακλείω	3	shut up
G4912	συνέχω	3	I am in a strait, straitened
G5083	τηρέω	27	keep, keepeth
G5084	τήρησις	3	hold, prison
G5438	φυλακή	38	prison, watch
G5441	φύλαξ	3	keepers
G5442	φυλάσσω	12	keep, observe

Morphological Distribution¶

Form	Reference	Parsing	Translation
ἐφρούρει	2 Cor 11:32	Impf Act Ind 3S	kept...with a garrison
ἐφρουρούμεθα	Gal 3:23	Impf Pass Ind 1P	we were kept
φρουρήσει	Phil 4:7	Fut Act Ind 3S	shall keep
φρουρουμένους	1 Pet 1:5	Pres Pass Ptcp Acc Pl M	are kept

Voice distribution: Active 2×, Passive 2×. Tense distribution: Imperfect 2×, Future 1×, Present 1×.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
kept	1	25%
we were kept	1	25%
shall keep	1	25%
are kept	1	25%
with a garrison	1	25%

Note: 2 Cor 11:32 accounts for two tokens ("kept" + "with a garrison"), yielding 5 tokens across 4 unique verses. Every KJV rendering uses "keep/kept" or the military "garrison" image.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
1 Peter	1	1.0
Galatians	1	0.7
2 Corinthians	1	0.4
Philippians	1	0.3

Spread across four epistles by two authors (Paul: 2 Cor, Gal, Phil; Peter: 1 Pet). No Gospel or Revelation usage. Exclusively epistolary.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Military Guarding / Physical Confinement¶

2 Cor 11:32 — "In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me"
The one clearly literal/military usage. Imperfect active: ongoing surveillance of city exits. The military etymology (sentinel watching in advance) is fully present here.

2. Confinement Under the Law (Restrictive Custody)¶

Gal 3:23 — "But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed"
Imperfect passive: sustained confinement. Paired with συγκλείω (sygkleiō, "shut up"), reinforcing the custodial image. The law functions as a guard that restricts until faith arrives.

3. Divine Protective Guarding¶

Phil 4:7 — "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus"
Future active: God's peace as sentinel over hearts and minds. The military metaphor is deliberately applied to divine protection — the peace of God garrisons the believer.
1 Pet 1:5 — "Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time"
Present passive participle: continuous divine guarding through faith unto eschatological salvation. The same military word applied to God's protective power.

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
ἀποκαλύπτω (apokalyptō)	G601	2× (50%)	Guarded until something is "revealed" — Gal 3:23, 1 Pet 1:5
πίστις (pistis)	G4102	2× (50%)	Kept "through/unto faith" — Gal 3:23, 1 Pet 1:5
θεός (theos)	G2316	2× (50%)	God as the agent of guarding — Phil 4:7, 1 Pet 1:5
εἰρήνη (eirēnē)	G1515	1× (25%)	Peace of God as the garrison — Phil 4:7
νόμος (nomos)	G3551	1× (25%)	The law as the confining guard — Gal 3:23
καρδία (kardia)	G2588	1× (25%)	Hearts guarded by peace — Phil 4:7

The "guarding until revelation" pattern (ἀποκαλύπτω + πίστις) appears in 50% of occurrences, linking phroureo to an eschatological or salvation-historical function.

Word Family / Cognates¶

G4253 πρό (pro) — preposition: before, in front of (48 occurrences). The directional prefix giving phroureo its "advance guard" sense.
G3708 ὁράω (horaō) — verb: to see, behold (59 occurrences). The visual root: a guard who watches/sees.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
τηρέω (tēreō)	G5083	"keep"	tēreō = observe, preserve, maintain (commandments, faith); broader and more common (75v). phrouréō = military guarding/sentineling; stronger confinement image
φυλάσσω (phylassō)	G5442	"keep"	phylassō = guard, watch over, observe (30v); overlaps with tēreō for commandment-keeping. phrouréō carries the specific "advance sentinel" and garrison imagery
κατακλείω (katakleíō)	G2623	"shut up"	katakleíō = shut down, lock in a dungeon (2v). phrouréō includes confinement but from the outside (watching), not locking shut

Hebrew Source¶

No Hebrew source identified via LXX mapping. φρουρέω does not appear as a standard LXX equivalent of any Hebrew word in the mapped data.