DEPUTY

dep·u·ty   (děp'yə-tē)    n.   pl. dep·u·ties A person appointed or empowered to act for another. An assistant exercising full authority in the absence of his or her superior and equal authority in emergencies: a deputy to the sheriff. A representative in a legislative body in certain countries. [Middle English depute, from Old French, from past participle of deputer, to depute; see depute.]

deputy 

Main Entry: dep·u·ty
Pronunciation: 'de-py&-tE
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -ties
Etymology: Middle French deputé person appointed to exercise authority, from past participle of deputer to appoint, depute
1 : a person appointed as a substitute with power to act
2 : a second in command or assistant who usually takes charge when his or her superior is absent; specifically : DEPUTY SHERIFF

Deputy

in 1 Kings 22:47, means a prefect; one set over others. The same Hebrew word is rendered "officer;" i.e., chief of the commissariat appointed by Solomon (1 Kings 4:5, etc.). In Esther 8:9; 9:3 (R.V., "governor") it denotes a Persian prefect "on this side" i.e., in the region west of the Euphrates. It is the modern word _pasha_. In Acts 13:7, 8, 12; 18:12, it denotes a proconsul; i.e., the governor of a Roman province holding his appointment from the senate. The Roman provinces were of two kinds, (1) senatorial and (2) imperial. The appointment of a governor to the former was in the hands of the senate, and he bore the title of proconsul (Gr. anthupatos). The appointment of a governor to the latter was in the hands of the emperor, and he bore the title of propraetor (Gr. antistrategos).