Bible Person
Meaning: agreeable · Male · 1 cross reference
Aretas is the Arabian king whose authority reaches Damascus during the period of Paul's escape. He belongs to the wider political world intersecting with the New Testament mission. First appears in 2 Cor 11:32.1
AI summary: Aretas matters because his single cross reference shows that Paul's ministry and dangers unfold within a complex international environment, not merely inside Judean or Roman categories. His control over Damascus turns Paul's escape into a moment shaped by cross-border political reality. Taken together, the material presents Aretas as a foreign ruler whose power intersects directly with apostolic history.1
Central Figure
Aretas
Meaning: agreeable
The father-in-law of Herod Antipas, and king of Arabia Petraea.
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. 3
| Book | Cross-References |
|---|---|
| 2Cor |
Figure1: A table of cross references between the selected passage and other passages (Data from Robert Rouse, “Theographic Bible Information,” Theographic-Bible-Metadata, 2020, https://github.com/robertrouse/theographic-bible-metadata.)
AI-assisted summary prepared for ai-BIBLE and stored as page content, based on dictionary material, person 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.