Trachonitis, a rugged, rocky region northeast of the Jordan River, part of Philip's tetrarchy during the time of John the Baptist (Luke 3:1).
Also known as Traconitis
Trachonitis was a rugged, rocky region located northeast of the Jordan River, known for its numerous caves and difficult terrain. The name "Trachonitis" is derived from the Greek word "trachon," meaning "a rugged or stony place." In the New Testament, Trachonitis is mentioned only once, in Luke 3:1, where it is described as part of the tetrarchy of Philip, along with Ituraea, during the time of John the Baptist's ministry. The region was known for its caves, which were often used as hideouts by robbers. Herod the Great had previously routed out these robbers to maintain order in the area. After Philip's death, Trachonitis was briefly annexed to the province of Syria before being given to Agrippa I by Caligula. The exact boundaries of Trachonitis are not clearly defined in the Bible, but it is generally associated with the modern-day Leja' region in southern Syria.
Approximate location: 32.833, 36.500 · view on a map · on the Bible atlas
A rugged region, corresponds to the Heb. Argob (q.v.), the Greek name of a region on the east of Jordan (Luke 3:1); one of the five Roman provinces into which that district was divided. It was in the tetrarchy of Philip, and is now called the Lejah.
(a rugged region), (Luke 3:1) is in all probability the Greek equivalent for the Aramaic Argob, one of the five Roman provinces into which the country northeast of the Jordan was divided in New Testament times. [Argob]
TRACHONI'TIS (a rugged region), one of the five Roman provinces into which the district north-cast of the Jordan was divided in N.T. times. It lay to the east of Ituraea and Gaulonitis and to the south of Damascus, and included the remarkable region of the modern Lejah (see Argob) and part of the western slopes of Jebel Hauran. The emperor Augustus entrusted it to Herod the Great on the condition that he should clear it of robbers. Herod Philip succeeded to the tetrarchy. Luke 3:1. He died a.d. 33, and the emperor Caligula bestowed the province of Trachonitis upon Herod Agrippa I. Later it was part of the dominions of Herod Agrippa II., a.d. 53.
TRACHONI'TIS (a rugged region), one of the five Roman provinces into which the district north-cast of the
Jordan was divided in N.T. times. It lay to the east of Ituraea and Gaulonitis and to the south of Damascus, and included the remarkable region of the modern Lejah (see Argob) and part of the western slopes of Jebel Hauran. The emperor Augustus entrusted it to Herod the Great on the condition that he should clear it of robbers. Herod Philip succeeded to the tetrarchy. Luke 3:1. He died a.d. 33, and the emperor Caligula bestowed the province of Trachonitis upon Herod Agrippa I. Later it was part of the dominions of Herod Agrippa II., a.d. 53.
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 G5139
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,
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.