UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament

Sense 1: prison guard, torturer

Semantic entry: 37.126

Semantic domains: Control, Rule

Subdomains: Guard, Watch Over

Definition: (derivative of βασανίζω ‘to torture,’ 38.13: βασανίζω / 38.13: τυμπανίζω) a person serving as a guard in a prison, whose function was to torture prisoners as a phase of judicial examination

Notes: It is difficult to know in the case of RV MAT 18:34 · LV MAT 18:34 · Read together MAT 18:34 if βασανιστής is to be understood in the specific sense of ‘torturer’ (in which case it could be classified after 38.13: βασανίζω / 38.13: τυμπανίζω) or only in terms of ‘prison guard.’ The use of βασανιστής in RV MAT 18:34 · LV MAT 18:34 · Read together MAT 18:34 may simply be an instance of literary hyperbole. As such it may be possible to translate the expression in RV MAT 18:34 · LV MAT 18:34 · Read together MAT 18:34 as ‘his master was very angry and handed him over to prison guards to torture him until he should pay back the whole amount.’