King living at the time of the New Testament
Aretas, the king of the Nabataeans, governed Damascus and tried to arrest Paul.
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Aretas is mentioned in the New Testament, in 2Co.11.32, where Paul recounts his escape from Damascus. According to Paul, the governor under King Aretas guarded the city of Damascus in order to arrest him. This event likely occurred shortly after Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus, as he had begun preaching the gospel and faced opposition from both Jewish and Gentile authorities.
Aretas IV Philopatris was the king of the Nabataeans, an Arab kingdom centered in Petra (in modern-day Jordan), from roughly 9 BC to AD 40. The Nabataeans controlled the trade routes in the region, and their influence extended to Damascus during this period. The exact date of Paul's escape from Damascus is uncertain, but it is generally believed to have taken place in the mid-30s AD, during the reign of Aretas IV.
The mention of Aretas in 2 Corinthians provides historical context for Paul's early ministry and the challenges he faced as he spread the gospel message. It also demonstrates the political complexity of the region, with various authorities, both Jewish and Gentile, opposing the growing Christian movement.
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The father-in-law of Herod Antipas, and king of Arabia Petraea. His daughter returned to him on the occasion of her husband’s entering into an adulterous alliance with Herodias, the wife of Herod-Philip, his half-brother (Luke 3:19, 20; Mark 6:17; Matt. 14:3). This led to a war between Aretas and Herod Antipas. Herod’s army was wholly destroyed (A.D. 36). Aretas, taking advantage of the complications of the times on account of the death of the Emperor Tiberius (A.D. 37), took possession of Damascus (2 Cor. 11:32; comp. Acts 9:25). At this time Paul returned to Damascus from Arabia.
AR'ETAS. 2 Cor 11:32. The king of Arabia Petraia at the time View of "Mars' Hill," or Aivopamis. {From Lewin's "Life of St, Paul.") the governor of Damascus attempted to apprehend Paul. Acts 9:24, Gal 4:25. His daughter married Herod Antipas, but was afterward divorced to make room for Herodias. In consequence of this insult, Aretas made war upon Antipas and routed him. The emperor Tiberius then despatched the governor of Syria to the assistance of Antipas, with orders to bring the Arabian to Rome alive, or if dead to send his head. While on the march against him Vitellius learned that Tiberius was dead, a.d. 37. He then dismissed his troops. Antipas was soon after banished and his- kingdom given to Agrippa. It is likely that Aretas was restored to the good graces of the Romans, and that Caligula granted him Damascus, which had already formed part of his predecessor's kingdom. In this way we can account for the fact in Paul's life stated above.
AR'ETAS. 2 Cor 11:32. The king of Arabia Petraia at the time View of "Mars' Hill," or Aivopamis. {From Lewin's "Life of St, Paul.") the governor of Damascus attempted to apprehend Paul. Acts 9:24, Gal 4:25. His daughter married Herod Antipas, but was afterward divorced to make room for Herodias. In consequence of this insult, Aretas made war upon Antipas and routed him. The emperor Tiberius then despatched the governor of Syria to the assistance of Antipas, with orders to bring the Arabian to Rome alive, or if dead to send his head. While on the march against him Vitellius learned that Tiberius was dead, a.d. 37. He then dismissed his troops. Antipas was soon after banished and his- kingdom given to Agrippa. It is likely that Aretas was restored to the good graces of the Romans, and that Caligula granted him Damascus, which had already formed part of his predecessor's kingdom. In this way we can account for the fact in Paul's life stated above.
Easton (1897), Smith (1863), Hitchcock (1869), Hastings (1898) and Schaff are in the public domain. Parsed text: neuu-org/bible-dictionary-dataset (CC BY 4.0). Headwords and whitespace normalised for this site.
1 verse in 1 book · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s G0702
In Damascus, the governor under King Aretas secured the city of the Damascenes in order to arrest me.
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.