Galilee, a region in northern Israel, was a significant location in Jesus' life and ministry, as well as the homeland of many of his disciples.
Also known as Gilgal · Judea · Galilean,Galilee
Galilee is a region located in northern Israel, bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the west, the Jordan River and the Sea of Galilee to the east, and the Jezreel Valley to the south. In the Old Testament, Galilee is mentioned as part of the tribal allotments of Naphtali (Joshua 20:7) and Zebulun (Joshua 21:32), and as a region that Solomon gave to Hiram, king of Tyre (1Ki.9.11).
In the New Testament, Galilee plays a significant role in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Jesus grew up in Nazareth, a town in Galilee (Luke 2:39), and began his public ministry in the region after being baptized by John the Baptist (Matthew 3:13; Mrk.1.9). Many of Jesus' disciples, including Peter, Andrew, James, and John, were from Galilee (Act.1.11).
Throughout the Gospels, Jesus is recorded as traveling and teaching extensively in Galilee, performing miracles and drawing large crowds (Matthew 4:23-25; Mrk.1.28, 39; Luke 4:14, 44). Notable events in Galilee include the wedding at Cana (Jhn.2.1-11), the healing of the centurion's servant (Luke 7:1-10), and the feeding of the five thousand (Luke 9:10-17).
Galilee was also the location of Jesus' post-resurrection appearances to his disciples (Matthew 28:7, 10, 16; Jhn.21.1-14). After Jesus' ascension, the early church spread throughout Galilee, Judea, and Samaria (Act.9.31).
In addition to its religious significance, Galilee was known for its agricultural fertility and was an important center of trade and commerce. The region was inhabited by a mix of Jews and Gentiles, and was known for its distinct accent and dialect (Matthew 26:69; Mrk.14.70; Luke 22:59).
The Bible also mentions several political and social events connected to Galilee, such as the census during the time of Jesus' birth (Luke 2:1-4), the rule of Herod Antipas as tetrarch of Galilee (Luke 3:1), and the Galileans whose blood Pilate mixed with their sacrifices (Luke 13:1-2).
Approximate location: 32.707, 35.302 · view on a map · on the Bible atlas
John says Nathanael was from Cana in Galilee. He first expressed doubt that anything good could come from Nazareth.
Sources: John 21:2 · John 1:46
The apostles are addressed as "men of Galilee", and Peter was identified by his speech. Many of the individual apostles are placed in Galilee by the Gospels.
Sources: Acts 1:11 · Acts 2:7
Circuit. Solomon rewarded Hiram for certain services rendered him by the gift of an upland plain among the mountains of Naphtali. Hiram was dissatisfied with the gift, and called it “the land of Cabul” (q.v.). The Jews called it Galil. It continued long to be occupied by the original inhabitants, and hence came to be called “Galilee of the Gentiles” (Matt. 4:15), and also “Upper Galilee,” to distinguish it from the extensive addition afterwards made to it toward the south, which was usually called “Lower Galilee.” In the time of our Lord, Galilee embraced more than one-third of Western Palestine, extending “from Dan on the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, to the ridges of Carmel and Gilboa on the south, and from the Jordan valley on the east away across the splendid plains of Jezreel and Acre to the shores of the Mediterranean on the west.” Palestine was divided into three provinces, Judea, Samaria, and Galilee, which comprehended the whole northern section of the country (Acts 9:31), and was the largest of the three. It was the scene of some of the most memorable events of Jewish history. Galilee also was the home of our Lord during at least thirty years of his life. The first three Gospels are chiefly taken up with our Lord’s public ministry in this province. “The entire province is encircled with a halo of holy associations connected with the life, works, and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth.” “It is noteworthy that of his thirty-two beautiful parables, no less than ninteen were spoken in Galilee. And it is no less remarkable that of his entire thirty-three great miracles, twenty-five were wrought in this province. His first miracle was wrought at the wedding in Cana of Galilee, and his last, after his resurrection, on the shore of Galilee’s sea. In Galilee our…
(circuit). This name, which in the Roman age was applied to a large province, seems to have been originally confined to a little “circuit” of country round Kedesh-Naphtali, in which were situated the twenty towns given by Solomon to Hiram king of Tyre as payment for his work in conveying timber from Lebanon to Jerusalem. (Joshua 20:7; 1 Kings 9:11) In the time of our Lord all Palestine was divided into three provinces, Judea, Samaria and Galilee. (Luke 17:11; Acts 9:31) Joseph. B.J. iii. 3. The latter included the whole northern section of the country, including the ancient territories of Issachar, Zebulun, Asher and Naphtali. On the west it was bounded by the territory of Ptolemais, which probably included the whole plain of Akka to the foot of Carmel. The southern border ran along the base of Carmel and of the hills of Samaria to Mount Gilboa, and then descended the valley of Jezreel by Scythopolis to the Jordan. The river Jordan, the Sea of Galilee, and the upper Jordan to the fountain at Dan, formed the eastern border; and the northern ran from Dan westward across the mountain ridge till it touched the territory of the Phoenicians. Galilee was divided into two sections, “Lower” and “Upper.” Lower Galilee included the great plain of Esdraelon with its offshoots, which ran down to the Jordan and the Lake of Tiberias, and the whole of the hill country adjoining it on the north to the foot of the mountain range. It was thus one of the richest and most beautiful sections of Pales-tine. Upper Galilee embraced the whole mountain range lying between the upper Jordan and Phoenicia. To this region the name “Galilee of the Gentiles” is given in the Old and New Testaments. (Isaiah 9:1; Matthew 4:16) Galilee was the scene of the greater part of our Lord’s private life and…
GAL'ILEE (circle, circuit), a name in the O.T. for a small district in the northern mountains of Naphtali, around Kedesh-naphtali, and including 20 towns given by Solomon to Hiram, king of Tyre, Josh 20:7 ,Josh 21:32; 1 Kgs 9:11; 2 Kgs 15:29, and called "Galilee of the nations" in Isa 9:1. Devastated during the wars of the Captivity, it was repeopled by strangers. In the time of the Maccabees they probably outnumbered the Jewish population, and gave their new name to a much wider district. In the time of our Lord, Palestine was divided into three provinces, of which Galilee was the most northern. It included the whole region from the Plain of Jezreel to the Litany (Leontes) River, being about 50 miles long by 20 to 25 miles wide. The northern part was known as Upper and the southern part as Lower Galilee. These included the territories given to Asher, Naphtali, Zebulun, and Issachar. The country was famed for its fertility, rich pastures, and fine forests. The portion west of the lake was the most beautiful. In the Roman period the population was dense, Josephus estimating it at 2,000,000 or 3,000,000, though that is probably an exaggeration. It had a mixed population of heathens, foreigners, and Jews. The latter, having a strong, if not dominant, influence, were less strict and less acquainted with the Law than their southern Judaean neighbors, by whom they were little esteemed. The noted mountains of Galilee were Carmel, Gilboa, and Tabor; the towns were Nazareth, Cana, Tiberias, Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum. Jesus spent the greater portion of his life and ministry in Galilee. Many of his most remarkable miracles, teachings, and labors were within this province of Galilee. His disciples were chiefly from this region. Acts 1:11. After the fall of Jerusalem…
GALILEE, SEA OF, a small lake of deep interest to the Bible-reader as the scene of some of the most remarkable works of Jesus. The lake is named from the district or province of Galilee. It was known by several other names, as the sea of Chinnereth, Num 34:11; Deut 3:17, or Chinneroth. Josh 11:2; 1 Chr 12:3, or Cinneroth, 1 Kgs 15:20, probably from a town of that name which stood on its shore. Josh 19:35; the lake of Gennesaret, Luke 5:1, from the plain or land of that name on its north-western side. Matt 14:34; Mark 6:53; the sea of Tiberias, from the celebrated city of that name, John 6:1; and the sea, Matt 4:15. It is also called Gennesar in the Apocryjphal book of Maccabees, 1 Mace. 11:67. Its present name is Bahr Tabariyeh. It is worthy of note that all the towns whose names were applied to this lake were situated upon its western side. "Gennezareth," which is a form of the name also given to the sea by many authors, is not found in the A.V. of our English Bible. Situation and Extent. — This sea is 60 miles north-east from Jerusalem, and 27 east of the Mediterranean Sea. Its form is an irregular oval or pear-shape, the broad end being toward the north. Its length is 12 1/2 miles according to Wilson, 16 1/2 according to Baedeker, and its breadth from 4 to 7 1/2 miles. Its level varies at different seasons, and is from 600 to 700 feet below the Mediterranean, the mean depression being about 626 feet, and its depth 160 feet. Physical Features. — The lake is surrounded by an almost continuous wall of hills, broken or receding occasionally, as at Tiberias, the plain of Gennesaret, and at the Jordan. The hills are of limestone, basalt, and volcanic rocks, indications of volcanic action being also specially abundant in the Jordanic chasm, though Wilson sees nothing to…
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.
72 verses in 10 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H1551
the king of Dor in Naphath-dor, one; the king of Goiim in Gilgal, one;
So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.
And from the tribe of Naphtali they were given Kedesh in Galilee (a city of refuge for the manslayer), Hammoth-dor, and Kartan—three cities, together with their pasturelands.
King Solomon gave twenty towns in the land of Galilee to Hiram king of Tyre, who had supplied him with cedar and cypress logs and gold for his every desire.
In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, including all the land of Naphtali, and he took the people as captives to Assyria.
And from the tribe of Naphtali they were given Kedesh in Galilee, Hammon, and Kiriathaim, together with their pasturelands.
Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those in distress. In the past He humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future He will honor the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations:
But when he learned that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee,
At that time Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.
When Jesus heard that John had been imprisoned, He withdrew to Galilee.
“Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.
Large crowds followed Him, having come from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.
When they gathered together in Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.
When Jesus had finished saying these things, He left Galilee and went into the region of Judea beyond the Jordan.
The crowds replied, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”
Meanwhile, Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came up to him. “You also were with Jesus the Galilean,” she said.
And many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to minister to Him.
Then go quickly and tell His disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him.’ See, I have told you.”
“Do not be afraid,” said Jesus. “Go and tell My brothers to go to Galilee. There they will see Me.”
Meanwhile, the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain Jesus had designated.
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
After the arrest of John, Jesus went into Galilee and proclaimed the gospel of God.
And the news about Jesus spread quickly through the whole region of Galilee.
So He went throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.
So Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea, accompanied by a large crowd from Galilee, Judea,
On Herodʼs birthday, her opportunity arose. Herod held a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee.
Going on from there, they passed through Galilee. But Jesus did not want anyone to know,
But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”
But he denied it again. After a little while, those standing nearby said once more to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for you too are a Galilean.”
These women had followed Jesus and ministered to Him while He was in Galilee, and there were many other women who had come up to Jerusalem with Him.
But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him, just as He told you.’”
In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,
So Joseph also went up from Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, since he was from the house and line of David.
When Jesusʼ parents had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,
Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and the news about Him spread throughout the surrounding region.
Then He went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath He began to teach the people.
And He continued to preach in the synagogues of Judea.
One day Jesus was teaching, and the Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. People had come from Jerusalem and from every village of Galilee and Judea, and the power of the Lord was present for Him to heal the sick.
Then they sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, across the lake from Galilee.
At that time some of those present told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.
To this He replied, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered this way?
While Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem, He was passing between Samaria and Galilee.
About an hour later, another man insisted, “Certainly this man was with Him, for he too is a Galilean.”
But they kept insisting, “He stirs up the people all over Judea with His teaching. He began in Galilee and has come all the way here.”
When Pilate heard this, he asked if the man was a Galilean.
But all those who knew Jesus, including the women who had followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance watching these things.
The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed, and they saw the tomb and how His body was placed.
He is not here; He has risen! Remember how He told you while He was still in Galilee:
The next day Jesus decided to set out for Galilee. Finding Philip, He told him, “Follow Me.”
On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesusʼ mother was there,
Jesus performed this, the first of His signs, at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.
He left Judea and returned to Galilee.
After two days, Jesus left for Galilee.
Yet when He arrived, the Galileans welcomed Him. They had seen all the great things He had done in Jerusalem at the feast, for they had gone there as well.
So once again He came to Cana in Galilee, where He had turned the water into wine. And there was a royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum.
When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged Him to come down and heal his son, who was about to die.
This was now the second sign that Jesus performed after coming from Judea into Galilee.
After this, Jesus traveled throughout Galilee. He did not want to travel in Judea, because the Jews there were trying to kill Him.
Having said this, Jesus remained in Galilee.
Others declared, “This is the Christ.” But still others asked, “How can the Christ come from Galilee?
“Arenʼt you also from Galilee?” they replied. “Look into it, and you will see that no prophet comes out of Galilee.”
They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and requested of him, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.”
Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together.
“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven.”
Astounded and amazed, they asked, “Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans?
After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and drew away people after him. He too perished, and all his followers were scattered.
Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria experienced a time of peace. It grew in strength and numbers, living in the fear of the Lord and the encouragement of the Holy Spirit.
You yourselves know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee with the baptism that John proclaimed:
and for many days He was seen by those who had accompanied Him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now His witnesses to our people.
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.