Seleucia was the port city from which Paul and Barnabas sailed to Cyprus on their first missionary journey (Act.13.4).
Seleucia, also known as Seleucia Pieria, was a port city located near the mouth of the Orontes River on the Mediterranean coast of Syria. It served as the seaport for the city of Antioch, which was located about 16 miles inland. Seleucia was founded by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals, around 300 BC and became an important center of trade and commerce in the Seleucid Empire. In the New Testament, Seleucia is mentioned in Act.13.4 as the place from which Paul and Barnabas set sail for Cyprus on their first missionary journey after being sent out by the church in Antioch. The city's strategic location made it an ideal starting point for sea travel to the Mediterranean islands and beyond. Today, the ruins of ancient Seleucia can be found near the modern Turkish city of Samandağ.
Approximate location: 36.111, 35.927 · view on a map · on the Bible atlas
The sea-port of Antioch, near the mouth of the Orontes. Paul and his companions sailed from this port on their first missionary journey (Acts 13:4). This city was built by Seleucus Nicator, the “king of Syria.” It is said of him that “few princes have ever lived with so great a passion for the building of cities. He is reputed to have built in all nine Seleucias, sixteen Antiochs, and six Laodiceas.” Seleucia became a city of great importance, and was made a “free city” by Pompey. It is now a small village, called el-Kalusi.
(named after its founder, Seleucus), near the mouth of the Orontes, was practically the seaport of Antioch. The distance between the two towns was about 16 miles. St. Paul, with Barnabas, sailed from Seleucia at the beginning of his first missionary circuit. (Acts 13:4) This strong fortress and convenient seaport was constructed by the first Seleucus, and here he was buried. It retained its importance in Roman times and in St. Paul’s day it had the privileges of a free city. The remains are numerous.
shaken or beaten by the waves
SELEU'CIA, the seaport of Antioch, and the place at which Paul and Barnabas embarked on their first missionary journey. It was on the Mediterranean, about 5 miles north of the river Orontes and 16 miles west of Antioch. Seleucia lay on the slope of Mount Coryphaeus, and was founded by Seleucus Nicator, died b.c. 280. To distinguish it from other cities named from the same founder, it was sometimes called "Seleucia ad Mare," or "Seleucia by the sea," and, from Mount Pierus, it was called "Seleucia Pieria." The city appears to have been a very beautiful one under the rule of the Seleucidae. The harbor was excellent, enclosing a basin of 47 acres. The masonry is yet in good preservation, although the port is choked with sand and mud. There is still a gateway at the south-eastern corner of the city, through which Paul and Barnabas probably passed. The Arabs called it Selukiyeh, and the city is now in a desolate condition, only a small village existing near its site, and called El-Kaluni.
SELEU'CIA, the seaport of Antioch, and the place at which Paul and Barnabas embarked on their first missionary journey. It was on the Mediterranean, about 5 miles north of the river Orontes and 16 miles west of Antioch. Seleucia lay on the slope of Mount Coryphaeus, and was founded by Seleucus Nicator, died b.c. 280. To distinguish it from other cities named from the same founder, it was sometimes called "Seleucia ad Mare," or "Seleucia by the sea," and, from Mount Pierus, it was called "Seleucia Pieria." The city appears to have been a very beautiful one under the rule of the Seleucidae. The harbor was excellent, enclosing a basin of 47 acres. The masonry is yet in good preservation, although the port is choked with sand and mud. There is still a gateway at the south-eastern corner of the city, through which Paul and Barnabas probably passed. The Arabs called it Selukiyeh, and the city is now in a desolate condition, only a small village existing near its site, and called El-Kaluni.
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 G4581
So Barnabas and Saul, sent forth by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus.
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.