Lexical Summary Trachónitis: Trachonitis Original Word: Τραχωνῖτις 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 Originfrom trachus Definition Trachonitis, a rough region S. of Damascus NASB Translation Trachonitis (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 5139: ΤραχωνῖτιςΤραχωνῖτις, Τραχωνίτιδος, ἡ, 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. 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 TrachōnítidosLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts |
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