Abarim Publications' online Biblical Greek Dictionary

στρατος

• The verb στρατευομαι (strateuomai), meaning to be within the bottom layer of a command structure and getting deployed along with it: to be enlisted, to do soldiering, to go to war, to be on campaign. This verb doesn't simply mean to fight but rather to fight within a larger structure of command: to join the ranks and either jointly pursue a common objective or jointly follow orders that trickle down from high-command way above.
  Until the final century of the Roman republic, the Roman army was an old-school militia, which consisted of land-owning citizens, who provided their own weapons and fought at their own expense and thus would think twice before going into war. After the Marian reforms (by Gaius Marius, in 107 BCE), the Republic welcomed anybody to be a soldier, supplied weapons and uniforms and paid wages. Since any product demands a market, the mercenaries would think twice before passing on an opportunity to pick a fight. Half a century later, the Republic had destabilized, the generals had become rich and insolent, and starting with general Pompey began to walk all over the senate. That was stopped by Julius Caesar, a competing general at the time, who marched his legion onto Rome to oust Pompey, therewith effectively ending the Republic. Rome was born again as an Empire, with Caesar's adopted son Octavian as its first emperor. Both men were deified, which introduced to the world the resounding titles of Savior of the World, King of Kings and Son of God; all Roman imperial titles that were later reappropriated by Paul to explain how power really works and were it actually came from.
  Followers of Christ, whether single or joined, don't take their orders from anyone but Christ. Followers of Christ partake in the kingdom like the old-school citizens of the Roman republic. They're not hired goons who take their orders from the highest bidder but are sovereign co-rulers. Followers of Christ have skin in the game. They contemplate and converse, are calm and wise, and avoid any kind of military engagement quite literally at all cost. In 1 Corinthians 9:7, Paul rhetorically asks: who goes soldiering on his own expense? The obvious answer: conscientious land-owning citizens of a Republic, and certainly not the hired mercenaries of some hideous empire. Likewise in 2 Corinthians 10:3 he states: although we walk around in an animal body, we don't go out soldiering like beasts.
  Our verb is used 7 times, see full concordance, and from it in turn derive:
  • Together with the preposition αντι (anti), meaning counter, or in place of: the verb αντιστρατευομαι (antistrateuomai), meaning to war against, to join many men of a similar social and economic background and march in an organized and orderly manner upon a common enemy (Romans 7:23 only).
  • The noun στρατεια (strateia), broadly describing an act of war: a stint within an organized militia, an expedition, a campaign, but also money levied to pay for it all, military discipline or military appointment (2 Corinthians 10:4 and 1 Timothy 1:18 only).
  • The noun στρατευμα (strateuma), broadly describing a military unit, either a contingent of soldiers or the campaign they're on. It's used 8 times; see full concordance.
• Together with the verb αγω (ago), to lead: the noun στρατεγος (strategos), meaning army-leader (the source of our word "strategy"). This noun στρατεγος (strategos) was an official mid-level military title in Athens and Rome; comparable to our word "captain". It's used 10 times in the New Testament; see full concordance.
• The noun στρατια (stratia), which is a feminine form of στρατος (stratos) of unclear distinction. In the Greek classics this noun is rarer than its male counterpart but mostly used as synonyms of στρατος (stratos), army, or even στρατεια (strateia), expedition. The distinction between masculine and feminine words in Greek isn't very clear but in Hebrew, masculinity usually points toward individuality (which is why God, being one, is masculine and thus groom or father), whereas femininity usually conveys collectivity (which is why peoples are feminine and thus bride or mother). That suggests that our word στρατια (stratia) may emphasize an army's internal stratification, or even describe a collective or (con)federation of independent military units under one supreme command. In the New Testament, our word στρατια (stratia) is used in Luke 2:13 and Acts 7:42 only, both times in reference to a singular heavenly troop (albeit angelic and stellar). Heavenly high command has of course very little in common with human emperors and Führers, as heavenly high command issues what we moderns call natural law, which can't be ignored or disobeyed. From this noun in turn derive:
  • The noun στρατιωτης (stratiotes), which describes a soldier, or rather one element of a στρατια (stratia). Note that our English word soldier comes from the Latin solidus, meaning whole or undivided (hence also our words solid, solder and solidarity), which was the name of a Roman coin. This suggests that what we call a soldier is essentially a mercenary who fights for coin. But it also suggests that a soldier is the indivisible atom of the larger beast that is the army, which is also the essential meaning of our noun στρατιωτης (stratiotes): a unit of a στρατια (stratia), not necessarily a man of war or even a military man, but indeed an atom of a larger Body with a singular mind and identity (2 Timothy 2:3). This noun is used 26 times, see full concordance, and from it in turn derives:
    • Together with the preposition συν (sun), meaning together or with: the noun συστρατιωτης (sustratiotes), meaning fellow soldier (Philippians 2:25 and Philemon 1:2 only).
  • Together with the otherwise unused noun πεδον (pedon), ground or base, from πους (pous), foot: the noun στρατοπεδον (stratopedon), meaning military base or military camp ground (Luke 21:20 only). From this noun in turn comes:
    • Together with the verb αρχω (archo), to rule over: the noun στρατοπεδαρχης (stratopedarches), meaning camp commander (Acts 28:16 only).
• Together with the verb λεγω (lego), to speak or proclaim: the verb στρατολογεω (stratologeo), which denotes the enlisting of men in an army; to draft. It occurs only as a participle: a drafter, or one who drafts (2 Timothy 2:4 only).

στρωννυμι

• Together with the preposition κατα (kata), meaning down from, down upon: the verb καταστρωννυμι (katastronnumi), meaning to spread down (1 Corinthians 10:5 only). This verb plays with the idea that societal strength comes from accumulations of pooled resources, which in the Bible are commonly metaphorized as hills and mountains (see our articles on הר, har and ορος, oros, both meaning mountain). Our verb καταστρωννυμι (katastronnumi) speaks of the opposite of being a mountain, which is being spread so thin that one's society is like a thin layer of dust.
• Together with the noun λιθος (lithos), stone: the adjective λιθοστρωτος (lithostrotos), meaning stone-strewn (John 19:13 only).
• Together with the preposition υπο (hupo) meaning under: the verb υποστρωννυω (hupostronnuo), meaning to spread under (Luke 19:36 only).

στρηνος

• The verb στρηνιαω (streniao), meaning to live broadly, to live in arrogant confidence in one's broad array of securities (Revelation 18:7 and 18:9 only). From this verb in turn comes:
  • Together with the preposition κατα (kata), meaning down from, down upon: the verb καταστρηνιαω (katastreniao), meaning to diminish someone by broadening one's own interests, to compete someone out of the broad-living game, to spread one's attentions too thin because of irrelevant preoccupations (1 Timothy 5:11 only).

στρουθιον