Ward (Hastings' Dictionary)
The Eng. word ' ward ' is another spell- ing of 'guard.' 'Ward' is tlie older Teut. form (An^lo-Sax. wcard), ' guard ' came in through the Old Fr. garder: cf. wage-gauge, warrant-guarantee. Both forms are used in AV, though, with one ex- ception,* the same words are not translated by both. The form ' guard ' had not then been very long in use, but was already freely used synonym- ously N\ ith ' ward.' The Anglo-Sax. weard is the same in the masc. = ' a guard,' ' defender,' and in the fern.
= ' guarding,' ' defence ' ; hence ' ward ' is used in both these senses, as well as for a body of men on guard and the place in which one is guarded, a prison. Bunyan makes a di.stinctiun between 'ward' and 'guard': Holy War, p. "J4, ' He sent special orders to Captain Boanerges . . to put them all three in ward, and that they should set a strong guard upon them.' ' Ward ■ in AV means ; (1) A body of men on guard ; Jer 3713 [pikitluth, only occurrence ; lit. * oversigrht,' OHL tr.
E ^V3 ' sentinel ') ; Ac 12^0 {^y\tx.3tr.) (2) The office of guarding, the de- fence : I Ch 1225 (mishmerfth, RV 'allegiance'); Neh r245'>w (_mish7tu!reth), (3) The position of the guard, post ; 1 Ch 25' &w ' ward against ward ' (RV ' for their cliarges," Hel». win/imeretk) ; 26>", Neh 12« 25 (.ill mi»hmar); Is i\» {mislunfivl/i); Jth S^ (SiaroiK, RV 'station'). (4) The place for guanling. prison, cell : Gn 40a- *■ ' 4110 421?, Lv 2412, Nu 16:" (all ,„ij,7im(ir| ; 2 S 2u-i(mt.
\/i//(ereiA), Ezkl9y («ij7ar, only occurrence ; RV 'cage'); 1 Mac 14S (fuktcxY.) The adverbial sufhx ' ward,' expressing direction towards a jdace, was formerly used with great freedom. In AV we (ind ' to Godward ' Ex IS'", 2 Co 3^ 1 Th 18; 'to theeward' 1 .S 19<; 'to u.-^ward' Ps 40=, Eph 1'9, 2 P 3» ; 'to youward ' 2 Co 1" 13^ Eph 3- : and ' to the mercy-seatward ' Ex 37', be- sides the ad verbs north ward, rereward, thitherward, and the like. Cf. ' To him ward ' Dt 32^ Tind.
; ' to themward,'Berncrs, Fnis.inrt, 16; 'to Israel warde' Nn 3"2''' Tind. ; ' to the city-ward,' Berners, Fruis- sart, 16 ; ' whiche waye soo ever wanle,' Erasniu.s, Crede, 46. J. Hastings. WARE (Anglo-Sax. warn; Skeat tliinks the orig. sense was 'valuables') is used in AV (in botli sing, and pin.) for merchandise. The sin" occurs Neh 10« (mn^,?), 13" (irr), 13™ (i3-:=) ; and the plu. in Jer 10" (lyj?)
, Ez'k 27" (-iTOO, AV 'the wares of thy making,' RV 'thy handi- works'), 27" (I'niy), Jon P (3''?3). We still retain ' warehouse,' which Coverdale gives as two words, Jer 40'° ' Therefore gather you wyne, come and oyle, and kepe them in youre ware houses.' — See FAiiis. J. Hastings.
This topic also has an entry in the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Both articles offer independent scholarly perspectives.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia on Ward
Ward word: "Ward" and "guard" are two different spellings of the same word, and in consequence no clear line can be drawn between them. English Versions of the Bible, however, has used "guard" only in the sense of "a special body of soldiers" (Ge 37:36, etc.), while "ward" is used, not only in this sense (Jer 37:13; contrast Jer 39:9), but also in a variety of others. So a "ward" may mean "any body of men on special duty," as 1Ch 9:23; the King James Version 1 Ch 26:16; Ne 12:24-25 (the Revised Version (British and American) "watch"), or the duty itself, as Isa 21:8; 1Ch 12:29 the King James Version (the Revised Version (British and American) "allegiance"); 1Ch 25:8; 26:12 (the Revised Version (British and American) "office," margin "ward"); Ne 12:45; 13:30 (the Revised Version (British and American) "charge"). Or "ward" may mean "guarded place," always in the phrase "put in ward." the Revised Version (British and American) has kept this phrase throughout (Ge 40:3, etc.), changing it only in Eze 19:9, where "cage" better carries out the figure of the context. ⇒Topical Bible outline f…
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- Easton, M.G. (1893) Easton's Bible Dictionary. 3rd edn. Thomas Nelson. [Public Domain]
- Nave, O.J. (1897) Nave's Topical Bible. Topical Bible Publishing Co.. [Public Domain]
- Hastings, J. (ed.) (1909) A Dictionary of the Bible. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Smith, W. (ed.) (1884) Smith's Bible Dictionary. London: John Murray. [Public Domain]
- Fausset, A.R. (1878) Fausset's Bible Dictionary. [Public Domain]A Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopaedia