Noah Webster's Dictionary (n.) The chief officer of a shire or county, to whom is entrusted the execution of the laws, the serving of judicial writs and processes, and the preservation of the peace. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia SHERIFF sher'-if (Aramaic tiphtaye' "judicial," "a lawyer," "a sheriff" (Daniel 3:2 f): Probably a "lawyer" or "jurist" whose business it was to decide points of law. At best, however, the translation "sheriff" is but a conjecture.