CategoryArchaic Word / Military Term
Modern Equivalentgroup of four soldiers.
KJV Word TypeNoun / military unit term
DefinitionA group of four soldiers. In Acts, Peter is guarded by four quaternions of soldiers, meaning four groups of four.
Key Verses"And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him." (Acts 12:4)
KJV Usage NoteRefers to a four-person guard unit; “four quaternions” means sixteen soldiers arranged in four groups.
Common MisunderstandingIt does not refer to a mathematical quaternion in this biblical context; it means a group of four soldiers.
EtymologyFrom Latin quaterni, meaning four each or by fours.