In the Bible, the term "governor" is translated from at least ten different Hebrew words and five Greek words. English Bible translations do not always use the same word for these terms. They often use many titles to describe the same Hebrew word, like:
Overseer
Officer
Leader
Deputy
The same problem appears in the Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament).
A governor was a high-ranking person with authority over people, land, or both. Sometimes, a governor’s rank and power came from the position itself. Other times, it was based on noble birth, wealth, or public achievements. A governor usually got his authority from a king, making him a deputy in the area he ruled. This was true for figures like:
Daniel (Daniel 2:48)
However, one Hebrew word for “governor” could also mean “absolute ruler” (Joshua 12:2) or a person acting under someone else’s authority.
The most common Old Testament term for "governor" likely comes from an Akkadian phrase meaning “lord of a district.” These governors usually used military power to stay in control (2 Kings 18:24; Nehemiah 2:7; Jeremiah 51:23, 28). During the Persian and Greek periods, a governor called a "satrap" was likely a civil official. Before the Babylonian exile, the leader of a city-state was often called “governor” (1 Kings 22:26; 2 Chronicles 34:8). The writer of Psalm 22:28 used the title to describe God as the ruler of his people. A temple official who put the prophet Jeremiah in the stocks (a form of punishment) was also called a “governor” (sometimes translated as “officer”). A military governor likely commanded one or more units of soldiers. In some cases, “governor” was a special title, as seen in Ezra 2:63 and Nehemiah 7:65.
Translation issues from Greek are also common. The different Greek words used for “governor” often referred to different levels of leadership. This is clear with terms like "ethnarch" (1 Maccabees 14:47; 2 Corinthians 11:32, in the New American Standard Bible), which means someone who ruled as a deputy of a king. Other words referred to Roman provincial officials. These governors are mentioned in New Testament writings (Matthew 10:18; Luke 2:2; 3:1; Acts 23:24; 1 Peter 2:14) and were responsible for maintaining law and order in their areas. In New Testament times, Judea was under the control of the governor of Syria. In the King James Version, “governor” is sometimes used in an old-fashioned way. For example, the “governor” in the King James Version of James 3:4 refers to a ship’s pilot.