στρατιά (stratia)
stratia
army
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 2 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The noun stratia refers to an organized military force or host. In the New Testament, it appears only twice, yet it carries significant weight by describing non-human armies. Luke uses it to depict the heavenly hosts that appeared to shepherds at Jesus’ birth (Luke 2:13), while Stephen employs it in Acts to describe the stars of heaven as a celestial army (Acts 7:42).
This usage reflects its Old Testament background, where it often translates Hebrew terms for divine armies. The sources note that the word emphasizes order and multitude, fitting both angelic hosts and the starry sky. Though rare in the New Testament, this term connects the earthly scene of Luke’s gospel with the cosmic scale of Stephen’s speech, highlighting God’s command over all visible and invisible powers.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word stratia points to an organized army, but in Scripture it often describes forces beyond human reach. In Luke’s gospel, shepherds witness a vast heavenly army praising God at Jesus’ birth. This moment reveals that the birth of Christ is not a quiet, isolated event. It is accompanied by the full might and joy of heaven.
Stephen later uses this same term in Acts to describe the stars as an army of the sky. He reminds his listeners that God commands both the earth and the heavens. When we face uncertainty or fear, remembering this cosmic order brings comfort. The same God who hosts angelic choirs also holds the stars in place.
This word invites us to see our lives within a much larger story. We are part of a reality where divine power and peace are already present. It encourages trust that no force, seen or unseen, stands outside God’s care.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 2 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- of [the] host1×
- host1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- στρατιᾷ1×
- στρατιᾶς1×
Key Verses
-
Luke 2:13
Suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army praising God and saying,
This verse uses stratia to depict the heavenly hosts praising God at Jesus’ birth, showing divine joy accompanying the incarnation.
-
Acts 7:42
But God turned away and gave them up to serve the army of the sky, as it is written in the book of the prophets, ‘Did you offer to me slain animals and sacrifices forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
Stephen employs stratia to describe the stars as a celestial army, emphasizing God’s sovereignty over creation when Israel turned to idolatry.