Bible Location
Meaning: a sting · 4 cross references · Modern-day map available
Derbe was a town in Lycaonia reached by Paul on his missionary journeys. It is important because it became one of the safer eastern points of Paul's route and produced companions who traveled with him later. First appears in Acts 14:6.1
AI summary: Derbe is quieter than nearby Lystra or Iconium, but that is part of its significance. Acts presents it as a place where Paul reaches after severe opposition elsewhere and where ministry can continue without the same level of recorded violence. The city remains linked to the apostolic network through Gaius and through Paul's repeated movement across Lycaonia. The cross references present Derbe as a mission town of persistence, relative stability, and fruitful connection.1
A small town on the eastern part of the upland plain of Lycaonia, about 20 miles from Lystra. Paul passed through Derbe on his route from Cilicia to Iconium, on his second missionary journey (Acts 16:1), and probably also on his third journey (18:23; 19:1). On his first journey (14:20, 21) he came to Derbe from the other side; i.e., from Iconium. It was the native place of Gaius, one of Paul’s companions (20:4). He did not here suffer persecution (2 Tim. 3:11). 3
AI-assisted summary prepared for ai-BIBLE and stored as page content, based on dictionary material, place metadata, and linked Bible cross references.
Alistair de Blacquiere-Clarkson, “ai-BIBLE Bible Names JSON Factsheet Aggregating Material from Smith’s Bible Dictionary & Hitcocks’s New and Complete Analysis of the Bible.” ai-BIBLE electronic edition, version 1.0.
M.G.Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary, ai-BIBLE electronic edition, version 1.0.
Robert Rouse, “Theographic Bible Information,” Theographic-Bible-Metadata, 2020, https://github.com/robertrouse/theographic-bible-metadata.