King James Bible Dictionary

OF'FICE, noun [Latin officium; ob and facio, to make or do.]

1. A particular duty, charge or trust conferred by public authority and for a public purpose; an employment undertaken by commission or authority from government or those who administer it. Thus we speak of the office of secretary of state, of treasurer, of a judge, of a sheriff, of a justice of the peace, etc. Offices are civil, judicial, ministerial, executive, legislative, political, municipal, diplomatic, military, ecclesiastical, etc.

2. A duty, charge or trust of a sacred nature, conferred by God himself; as the office of priest, in the Old Testament; and that of the apostles, in the New Testament.

Insomuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify my office Romans 11:13.

3. Duty or employment of a private nature; as the office of a midwife. Exodus 1:16.

4. That which is performed, intended or assigned to be done by a particular thing, or that which any thing is fitted to perform; answering to duty in intelligent beings. We enjoy health when the several organs of the body perform their respective offices.

In this experiment, the several intervals of the teeth of the comb do the office of so many prisms.

5. Business; particular employment.

Hesperus, whose office is to bring twilight upon the earth.

6. Act of good or ill voluntarily tendered; usually in a good sense; as kind offices; offices of pity; pious offices.

7. Act of worship.

8. Formulary of devotion.

The Lord's prayer, the ten commandments and the creed, is a very good office for children if they are not fitted for more regular offices.

9. A house or apartment in which public officers and others transact business; as the register's office; a lawyer's office

10. In architecture, an apartment appropriated for the necessary business or occasions of a palace or nobleman's house. The word is used also for a building pertaining to a farm.

11. In the canon law, a benefice which has no jurisdiction annexed to it.

12. The person or persons entrusted with particular duties of a public nature.

- This office [of quarter-master-general] not to have the disposal of public money, except small occasional sums.

OF'FICE, verb transitive To perform; to do; to discharge. [Not used.]

It is obvious that most, if not all, of the Hebrew words rendered "officer" are either of an indefinite character or are synonymous terms for functionaries known under other and more specific names, as "scribe," "eunuch" etc. The two words so rendered in the New Testament denote

1. An inferior officer of a court of justice, a messenger or bailiff, like the Roman viator or lictor. (Matthew 5:25; Acts 5:22)
2. Officers whose duty it was to register and collect fines imposed by courts of justice. (Luke 12:58)

OF'FICER, noun A person commissioned or authorized to perform any public duty. Officers are civil, military or ecclesiastical. There are great officers of state, and subordinate officers. Military and naval officers of the same grade usually take rank according to the dates of their commissions. Non-commissioned officers are nominated by their captains, and appointed by the commanding officers of regiments.

OF'FICER, verb transitive To furnish with officers; to appoint officers over.

Count Pulaski raised a legionary corps, which he officered principally with foreigners.

Chosen by the people
Deuteronomy 1:13-16

Appointed by kings
2 Samuel 8:16-18; 2 Samuel 20:23-26; 1 Kings 4:1-19; 1 Kings 9:22; Ezra 7:25
Government; Judge; Ruler

Ecclesiastical
Priest; Levite; Apostle; Elder; Deacon; Minister, A Sacred Teacher

OF'FICERED, participle passive Furnished with officers.