region

Syria

• Today Aram

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History

The Syria of the Old Testament is Aram, the land of the Aramaeans north and north-east of Israel, above all the kingdom of Damascus; the Greek name Syria, probably a shortening of Assyria, was attached to the whole country between the Taurus and Egypt by the time of Herodotus. The Aramaeans, speakers of a language close to Hebrew, appear in Assyrian records about 1100 BC and in the tenth and ninth centuries had kingdoms at Damascus, Zobah, Hamath, Arpad and across the Euphrates. Aram-naharaim, Aram of the two rivers, was the Haran country from which Abraham's family came, and Israel's creed remembered that "A Syrian ready to perish was my father".

David defeated Hadadezer of Zobah and "the Syrians of Damascus" and put garrisons in Damascus; under Solomon Rezon seized the city and "reigned over Syria". For two centuries Damascus was Israel's chief enemy. Ben-hadad besieged Samaria, Ahab died fighting the Syrians at Ramoth-gilead, Naaman the Syrian came to Elisha, and Hazael, whom Elisha foretold as king over Syria, "smote them in all the coasts of Israel". The Tel Dan stele, set up by an Aramaean king, most probably Hazael, boasts of killing kings of Israel and of "the house of David". Amos threatened the house of Hazael; Rezin, allied with Pekah, marched on Jerusalem, and Ahaz called in Tiglath-pileser, who took Damascus in 732 BC and killed Rezin.

Aramaic outlived the Aramaean kingdoms to become the language of Assyrian, Babylonian and Persian administration, of parts of Ezra and Daniel, and of the Jews of Palestine in the time of Jesus. After Alexander the Seleucids ruled Syria from Antioch; Pompey made it a Roman province in 64 BC, governed by a legate who also kept watch over Judea. Luke dates the census to the time when Quirinius was governor of Syria.

Jesus' fame "went throughout all Syria". Saul was converted on the road to Damascus, the first Gentile church grew at Antioch, and the apostles' letter was sent "unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia". Paul went through Syria and Cilicia confirming the churches. Christianity in Syriac flourished at Edessa and in the monasteries of the north. The Syrian Arab Republic, with Damascus as its capital, was torn by civil war from 2011, and the Assad government fell in December 2024; Aramaic is still spoken in Maaloula.

Scripture: Gen 24:10; Gen 25:20; Deut 26:5; Judg 3:8; 2 Sam 8:5–6; 1 Kgs 11:23–25; 1 Kgs 20:1; 1 Kgs 22:3; 2 Kgs 5:1; 2 Kgs 8:12–13; 2 Kgs 10:32–33; 2 Kgs 13:3; 2 Kgs 16:5–9; Isa 7:1–8; Amos 1:3–5; Matt 4:24; Luke 2:2; Acts 9:3; Acts 15:23; Acts 15:41; Gal 1:21

Checked against its sources; not yet read by a historian.

Verses (89)

Josh 1:4

From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.

Judg 10:6

And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the LORD, and served not him.

2 Sam 8:5

And when the Syrians of Damascus came to succour Hadadezer king of Zobah, David slew of the Syrians two and twenty thousand men.

2 Sam 10:9

When Joab saw that the front of the battle was against him before and behind, he chose of all the choice men of Israel, and put them in array against the Syrians:

2 Sam 10:11

And he said, If the Syrians be too strong for me, then thou shalt help me: but if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, then I will come and help thee.

2 Sam 10:13

And Joab drew nigh, and the people that were with him, unto the battle against the Syrians: and they fled before him.

2 Sam 10:14

And when the children of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fled, then fled they also before Abishai, and entered into the city. So Joab returned from the children of Ammon, and came to Jerusalem.

2 Sam 10:17

And when it was told David, he gathered all Israel together, and passed over Jordan, and came to Helam. And the Syrians set themselves in array against David, and fought with him.

2 Sam 10:18

And the Syrians fled before Israel; and David slew the men of seven hundred chariots of the Syrians, and forty thousand horsemen, and smote Shobach the captain of their host, who died there.

2 Sam 10:19

And when all the kings that were servants to Hadarezer saw that they were smitten before Israel, they made peace with Israel, and served them. So the Syrians feared to help the children of Ammon any more.

1 Kgs 10:29

And a chariot came up and went out of Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and an horse for an hundred and fifty: and so for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria, did they bring them out by their means.

1 Kgs 11:25

And he was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, beside the mischief that Hadad did: and he abhorred Israel, and reigned over Syria.

1 Kgs 15:18

Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that were left in the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king’s house, and delivered them into the hand of his servants: and king Asa sent them to Ben-hadad, the son of Tabrimon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying,

1 Kgs 19:15

And the LORD said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria:

1 Kgs 20:1

And Ben-hadad the king of Syria gathered all his host together: and there were thirty and two kings with him, and horses, and chariots: and he went up and besieged Samaria, and warred against it.

1 Kgs 20:20

And they slew every one his man: and the Syrians fled; and Israel pursued them: and Ben-hadad the king of Syria escaped on an horse with the horsemen.

1 Kgs 20:21

And the king of Israel went out, and smote the horses and chariots, and slew the Syrians with a great slaughter.

1 Kgs 20:22

And the prophet came to the king of Israel, and said unto him, Go, strengthen thyself, and mark, and see what thou doest: for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee.

1 Kgs 20:23

And the servants of the king of Syria said unto him, Their gods are gods of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they.

1 Kgs 20:26

And it came to pass at the return of the year, that Ben-hadad numbered the Syrians, and went up to Aphek, to fight against Israel.

1 Kgs 20:28

And there came a man of God, and spake unto the king of Israel, and said, Thus saith the LORD, Because the Syrians have said, The LORD is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys, therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

1 Kgs 22:1

And they continued three years without war between Syria and Israel.

1 Kgs 22:3

And the king of Israel said unto his servants, Know ye that Ramoth in Gilead is ours, and we be still, and take it not out of the hand of the king of Syria?

1 Kgs 22:11

And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns of iron: and he said, Thus saith the LORD, With these shalt thou push the Syrians, until thou have consumed them.

1 Kgs 22:31

But the king of Syria commanded his thirty and two captains that had rule over his chariots, saying, Fight neither with small nor great, save only with the king of Israel.

1 Kgs 22:35

And the battle increased that day: and the king was stayed up in his chariot against the Syrians, and died at even: and the blood ran out of the wound into the midst of the chariot.

2 Kgs 5:1

Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper.

2 Kgs 5:2

And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman’s wife.

2 Kgs 5:5

And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment.

2 Kgs 6:8

Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp.

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King James Version