5139. Trachónitis
Lexical Summary
Trachónitis: Trachonitis

Original Word: Τραχωνῖτις
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: Trachónitis
Pronunciation: trakh-o-NEE-tees
Phonetic Spelling: (trakh-o-nee'-tis)
KJV: Trachonitis
NASB: Trachonitis
Word Origin: [from a derivative of G5138 (τραχύς - rocks)]

1. rough district
2. Trachonitis, a region of Syria

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Trachonitis.

From a derivative of trachus; rough district; Trachonitis, a region of Syria -- Trachonitis.

see GREEK trachus

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from trachus
Definition
Trachonitis, a rough region S. of Damascus
NASB Translation
Trachonitis (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 5139: Τραχωνῖτις

Τραχωνῖτις, Τραχωνίτιδος, , Trachonitis, a rough ((Greek τραχύς)) region, tenanted by robbers, situated between Antilibanus (on the west) and the mountains of Batanaea (on the east), and bounded on the N. by the territory of Damascus: Luke 3:1 (Josephus, Antiquities 16, 9, 3 and often). (See Porter in BB. DD.)

Topical Lexicon
Geographical Location and Physical Characteristics

Trachonitis denotes the volcanic highlands lying east and slightly northeast of the Sea of Galilee, bounded roughly by the Hauran plain on the south and the region of Damascus on the north. The very name (“stony region”) points to its jagged lava flows, caves, and basaltic outcrops, which made the land difficult to cultivate yet ideal for defensive strongholds and pastoral nomadism (compare Isaiah 42:11 regarding the “settlements where Kedar dwells”). Ancient travelers described a maze of natural towers and ravines providing refuge for raiders and exiles.

Historical Context and Governance

In the second century B.C. the Seleucid kings struggled to keep control of these badlands; later, Rome entrusted the territory to client princes. When Herod the Great died (4 B.C.), Augustus divided his realm among his sons. Philip received Ituraea and Trachonitis and ruled them as tetrarch from 4 B.C. to A.D. 34. Josephus recounts that Philip founded or rebuilt Caesarea Philippi (Paneas) at the region’s western edge, governing with fairness and encouraging Hellenistic civic life while respecting Jewish sensibilities. After Philip’s death, Rome added Trachonitis first to the Syrian province, then (A.D. 37) to Herod Agrippa I’s kingdom (Acts 12:1), illustrating the shifting political landscape remembered in the Gospels and Acts.

Biblical Occurrence and Immediate Narrative Setting

Luke locates Trachonitis in his meticulous dating of John the Baptist’s public appearance:

“In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar… Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis…” (Luke 3:1).

By naming contemporary rulers and their territories, Luke anchors the Gospel in verifiable history, situating John—and therefore Jesus—within the larger political world of Rome’s eastern provinces. Trachonitis thus stands as part of the historical framework that testifies to the incarnation occurring in real space and time, not in mythic geography.

Connections to Old Testament Topography

Scholars have long linked Trachonitis with the “Argob” (“stony region”) conquered by Moses (Deuteronomy 3:4). Should this identification be correct, the land carries memories of Israel’s earliest victories east of the Jordan, reinforcing Luke’s theme of prophetic continuity as John “came in the spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17) upon territory once trodden by the tribes.

Role in the Ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus

Although neither John nor Jesus is recorded as preaching inside Trachonitis, its proximity to the Jordan River wilderness underscores John’s choice of a liminal space outside established religious centers. Furthermore, itinerant audiences from the Decapolis and “beyond the Jordan” (Matthew 4:25) could easily include inhabitants of Trachonitis who later followed Jesus in Galilee. The political boundaries Luke cites also remind readers that the Gospel swiftly crossed ethnic and administrative lines, preparing the way for the later mission “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

Lessons and Theological Reflections

1. God’s word arrives amid real regimes, governors, and borders; salvation history integrates—rather than avoids—political realities.
2. The rough, forbidding landscape of Trachonitis mirrors the spiritual barrenness John addressed, calling for repentance and fruitful lives (Luke 3:8).
3. The mention of a relatively obscure territory assures believers that no place lies beyond divine notice or sovereign oversight.

Later Christian and Ecclesiastical History

Early church writers mention bishops from the nearby city of Bosra (Bostra) attending fourth-century councils, indicating that the Gospel indeed penetrated the Trachonitis-Hauran region. Ruins of basalt churches from the Byzantine period dot the area, many bearing Greek inscriptions, attesting to a vibrant Christian presence that endured until early Islamic conquests.

Archaeological and Cultural Insights

Cavernous dwellings, watchtowers, and fortified villages excavated in modern southern Syria and northern Jordan align with descriptions by Josephus of bandits suppressed by Herod’s forces. Such finds illuminate Jesus’ parables about watchtowers and secure houses (Mark 13:34; Luke 11:21), imagery familiar to audiences aware of Trachonitis’ defensive architecture.

Summary

Trachonitis, though mentioned only once in the New Testament, functions as a precise historical marker, a symbol of rugged repentance, and a testimony to the Gospel’s reach into every political and geographical corner of the first-century world.

Forms and Transliterations
Τραχωνιτιδος Τραχωνίτιδος Trachonitidos Trachonítidos Trachōnitidos Trachōnítidos
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Luke 3:1 N-GFS
GRK: Ἰτουραίας καὶ Τραχωνίτιδος χώρας καὶ
NAS: of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias
KJV: of the region of Trachonitis, and
INT: of Ituraea and of Trachonitis [the] region and

Strong's Greek 5139
1 Occurrence


Τραχωνίτιδος — 1 Occ.

5138
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