OFFICER. This is the rendering in the A. V. of several Hebrew and Greek terms. 1. V10 (Gen. xxxvii. 36 ; xxxix. I ; xl. 2). The word usually designates a eunuch ; and probably it ought always to be so understood. It is no valid objec tion to this that Potiphar had a wife ; for eunuchs are not strangers to the sexual passion, and some times live in matrimony (Ecclus. xx. 4 ; Mishna, Tr. 7ebamoth, viii. 4; Juv. Sat. i. 22 ; Ter. Eun, iv. 3. 23 ; Chardin, Voyages, III. 397). 2. lt;i9, part. of itv, to cut, to grave, properly a writer ; Sept. and, from the use of writing in judicial administration, a magistrate or prefect. It is used of the officers who were set over the Israelites in Egypt (Exod. v. 6-19) ; of the officers who were appointed along with the elders to ad minister the public affairs of the Israelites (Num. xi. 16 ; Dent. xx. 5, 8, 9 ; xxix. ro; xxxi. 28 ; Josh. i. to ; iii. 2 ; viii. 33, etc.) ; of magistrates in the cities and towns of Palestine (Dent. xvi. 18 ; Sept. 7papparoetuet-yuryels ; r Chron. xxiii. 4 ; xxvi. 29 ; 2 Chron. xix. II ; Prov. vi. 7 [A. V. overseer], etc.) ; and apparently also of a military chief (2 Chron. xxvi. Tr [A. V. ruler]). 3. 3V), part. Niph. of 1V], to set or place, a prefect or director (I Kings iv. 5, 7 ; v. 3o [A. V. 16], ix. 23, etc.) ; and 3") (I Kings iv. 7, 19). 4.
11 (Esth. i. 8: Dan. 1. 2 IA. V. nzaslerl: Sent.
5. from ipp, to visit, Hiph. to set over, an overseer or magistrate (Gen. xli. 34, Sept. Trarcfpxas ; Judg. ix. 28, Sept. 'eriatcoros; Esth. ii. 3, Sept. Kuncdpxas ; 2 Chron. xxiv. r 1, Sept. irpocrrcirns) ; and rrip4, properly ogee, but used collectively for a body of officers (Is. lx. 17 ; Sept. dpxovrar; also 2 Chron. xxiv. [A. V.
office]; Sept. irpoardro.$). 6. those who did the business,' marg. A. V., Sept. ypagAareis (Esth. ix. 3).
In the N. T. the words translated officer' are inrnperns and rpakrwp. The former is a word of general significancy, denoting one who renders service of any kind ; it is used with the rendering officer' in the A. V. of a functionary whose duty it was to apprehend offenders, or to exact legal penalties from those who had incurred them (Matt. v. 25 [for which Luke uses wpcircrcup, xii. 58]; John vii. 32, 46 ; xviii. 3, 12 ; Acts v. 22). Josephus uses the word inrripgrns of an officer two of whom being Levites were attached to each magistrate (Antiq. iv. 8. 14) ; but it is probable that these were rather clerks or assessors of the court than servants of the class above described. The wpcbcrcop was properly the exactor of the penalty assigned by the judge, and so the word is correctly used by Luke (xii. 58). There were at Athens officers bearing this name, whose business it was to enact legal fines and forfeits (Hermann, 01106V0/.105.
Po& Antiq. of Greece, r51 ; cf. Kuinoel, in loc., Luc. xii. 58). The officers (oi Curd of tin T. X.) of king Demetrius mentioned t Macc. x. 41 ; xii. 45 [A. V. ' that have any charge'] ; xiii. 37, were tax-collectors appointed for a special service.—W. L. A.
OG (n, giant; Sept. an Amoritish king of Bashan (Num. xxi. 33 ; xxxii. 33 ; Deut. iv. 47 xxxi. 4). In form he was a giant, so that his bed stead [or rather sarcophagus] was preserved as a memorial of his huge stature (Deut. iii. ri ; Josh. xiii. 12). He was defeated by the Israelites under Moses (Num. xxi. 33; Deut. i. 4; iii. 3) ; and his country, which contained many walled cities (Deut. iii. 4.10), was assigned to the tribe of Ma nasseh (Dent. iii. 13 ; Josh. xiii. 3o) [AmoRITEs ;