Easton's Bible Dictionary (Mark 6:27). Instead of the Greek word, Mark here uses a Latin word, speculator, which literally means "a scout," "a spy," and at length came to denote one of the armed bodyguard of the emperor. Herod Antipas, in imitation of the emperor, had in attendance on him a company of speculatores. They were sometimes employed as executioners, but this was a mere accident of their office. (See Mark, GOSPEL OF.) Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) One who executes; an executer. 2. (n.) One who puts to death in conformity to legal warrant, as a hangman. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia EXECUTE; EXECUTIONER ek'-se-kut, ek-se-ku'-shun-er (`asah, "to do," din,"to judge," "decide"; poieo, "to do"; spekoulator, Latin speculator, "an attendant"): "Execute" in the sense of "executing judgment," "vengeance," etc., is often found in the Old Testament (Exodus 12:12 Deuteronomy 10:18 Psalm 149:7 Jeremiah 22:3 Ezekiel 25:11 Micah 5:15; compare Jeremiah 21:12, "Execute justice in the morning") and a few times in the New Testament (John 5:27 Romans 13:4 the King James Version; Jude 1:15). In the sense of punishing capitally, by legal process, it is not found. "Executioner" is found only in Mark 6:27 the King James Version, where Herod, the king, is said to have "sent an executioner" (spekoulator) to behead John the Baptist, but the Revised Version (British and American) and the American Standard Revised Version have instead, according to the stricter meaning of the text, "The king sent forth a soldier of his guard." The office of executioner, however, was a recognized office in all the great nations of antiquity. George B. Eager

Multi-Version Concordance Executioner (1 Occurrence) Mark 6:27 And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, (KJV WBS NAS NIV)