QUATERNION

(qua·terʹni·on).

A group of four persons or things; a squad of four soldiers. The only occurrence of the word is at Acts 12:4, which reads “four quaternions of soldiers” in older English translations. (AV, AS, Ro, ER, ED) Modern translations render the expression in various ways: “sixteen soldiers,” We; “guard of sixteen soldiers,” Mo; “four squads of soldiers,” RS; “a guard of four Soldiers, relieved four times a day,” Kx; “four shifts of four soldiers each,” NW.

In the Roman army four soldiers often worked together, the smallest military unit mentioned in the Bible. Four soldiers impaled Jesus. (John 19:23) Four made up the customary night guard. Each quaternion stood watch for three hours before changing shifts with another. Such an arrangement of sixteen men and frequent relief would lessen the possibility of bribery or escape. So it was that Peter was chained between two soldiers, while two others stood guard as “first” and “second” sentinels. (Acts 12:6, 10) Herod attributed Peter’s miraculous escape to negligence of the quaternion on duty at the time and ordered them punished.—Acts 12:18, 19.