στρατιά

στρατιά — stratiá

στρατιά, στρατιᾶς, ἡ (στρατός (cf. στρατεύω)), from Aeschylus and Herodotus down, the Sept. for צָבָא;

1. an army, band of soldiers.

2. sometimes in the poets equivalent to στρατεία, as Aristophanes eqq. 587 (ἐν στρατιαις τέ καί μάχαις), 2Co 10:4 Tdf. after the best manuscripts ((see his note; cf. Liddell and Scott, under the word II.); Passow, under the word στρατεία, at the end).

3. in the N. T. ἡ οὐράνιος στρατιά, or ἡ στρατιά τοῦ οὐρανοῦ (Hebrew הַשָּׁמַיִם צְבָא), the host of heaven (see δύναμις, f.), i. e.

a. troops of angels (1Ki 22:19; Neh 9:6): Luk 2:13.

b. the heavenly bodies, stars of heaven (so called on account of their number and their order): Act 7:42 (2Ch 33:3; 2Ch 33:5; Jer 8:2, etc.).