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Syria

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Concordances
Nave Topical Bible
• Syria-Maachah
• Syria
Thompson Chain Reference
• Syria
Torrey Topical Textbook
• Syria
Dictionaries
American Tract Society
• Syria
Bridgeway Bible Dictionary
• Syria
• Antioch in Syria
Easton's Bible Dictionary
• Syria
• Coele-Syria
Fausset Bible Dictionary
• Syria
Holman Bible Dictionary
• Syria
Hastings' BibleDictionary
• Syria, Syrians
• Coele-Syria
Hastings' NT Dictionary
• Syria
Dictionary of Early Christian Biography
• Theodosius of Syria
• Marcianus, a Solitary in Syria
• Malchus, a Hermit in Syria
•   (only first 3 shown)
Morrish Bible Dictionary
• Syria, Syrian
• Antioch in Syria
1910 New Catholic Dictionary
• Damascus, Syria
• Antioch, Syria
Hawker's Poor Man's Dictionary
• Syria
People's Bible Dictionary
• Syria
Smith Bible Dictionary
• Syria
• Coele-Syria
Watson's Theological Dictionary
• Coelo-Syria
• Syria
Encyclopedias
1911 Encyclopedia Britannica
• Demetrius I of Syria
• Demetrius II of Syria
• Demetrius III of Syria
•   (only first 3 shown)
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
• Antioch in Syria
• Coele-Syria
• Syria
•   (only first 3 shown)
Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia
• Syria
McClintock and Strong's Bible Encyclopedia
• Antioch in Syria
• Coele-Syria
• Seleucia (in Syria), Council of
•   (only first 3 shown)
The Nuttall Encyclopedia
• Coele-Syria
• Syria
The Catholic Encyclopedia
• Syria
The Jewish Encyclopedia
• Alexander Balas, King of Syria
• Beirut, Syria
• Cœle-Syria
•   (only first 3 shown)
Lexicons
• ܐܰܢܛܺܝܳܘܟ݂ܺܝ
• ܐܳܪܳܡ
• ܣܽܘܪܺܝܰܐ
• Συρία
• אֲדוֹמִי
• אֲרָם , אֲרַם מַעֲכָה

The land of Syria bordered Israel to the north and stretched up into the mountains beyond the headwaters of the Euphrates River. The Old Testament mentions Syria chiefly in relation to its wars with Israel during the time of the divided kingdom. The New Testament mentions it chiefly in relation to the expansion of the early church.

Old Testament records

Originally Syria was known as Aram, and some versions of the Bible consistently use ‘Aram’ rather than ‘Syria’ in the Old Testament narratives (see ARAM). The land included parts of Mesopotamia, along with various smaller kingdoms such as Zobah, Geshur and Hamath (Deuteronomy 23:4; Judges 3:8; 1 Samuel 14:47; 2 Samuel 3:3; 2 Samuel 8:3; 2 Samuel 8:9). The capital of Syria during the time of its conflict with Israel was Damascus (1 Kings 11:24; Isaiah 7:8; see DAMASCUS).

The ‘Israel’ with whom Syria fought was the northern part of the divided Israelite nation, as distinct from Judah, the southern part. Syria’s oppression of Israel began, it seems, during the reign of the Syrian king Ben-hadad I (1 Kings 15:16-22).

During the reign of the next king, Ben-hadad II, a combined army of Syria and neighbouring states attacked the Israelite capital, Samaria, but was defeated twice (1 Kings 20:1-31). The prophet Elisha on one occasion healed the commander-in-chief of the Syrian army, and on another was consulted when the Syrian king was ill (2 Kings 5:1-14; 2 Kings 8:7-8).

Ben-hadad II was assassinated by Hazael, who then seized the throne for himself. Hazael was a brutal enemy who repeatedly attacked Israel and butchered its people (2 Kings 8:12-15; 2 Kings 8:28; 2 Kings 10:32; 2 Kings 12:17; 2 Kings 13:3; 2 Kings 13:22; Amos 1:3-4). During the reign of the next king, Ben-hadad III, Israel regained much of the territory that it had lost to Hazael (2 Kings 13:25). Syria continued to decline in power, and Israel at one stage took control of Damascus for a brief period (2 Kings 14:28).

With the rise of Assyria to power, both Syria and Israel were in danger of being conquered. The Syrian king Rezin and the Israelite king Pekah combined to attack Judah, with the aim of forcing Judah into a three-nation alliance that might be able to withstand Assyria. But Judah appealed to Assyria for help, and Assyria responded by conquering Syria and much of Israel (2 Kings 15:37; 2 Kings 16:5-9; Isaiah 7:1-9; Isaiah 17:1-3). This marked the end of Syria as a separate and independent nation (732 BC).

Into the New Testament era

During the latter part of the fourth century BC, Alexander the Great established the Greek Empire throughout eastern Europe and western Asia. After Alexander’s death in 323 BC, the empire split into sectors under the control of Alexander’s Greek generals. One of these sectors was centred on Syria, and in 300 BC the city of Antioch was built as the administrative capital of the Syrian sector (see ANTIOCH IN SYRIA).

A dynasty of thirteen kings, most of them bearing the name Antiochus, reigned over Syria for about two and a half centuries. At first they commanded a large area stretching as far as Asia Minor in the west and Persia in the east. But over the years they consistently lost territory, till in the end they controlled only Syria itself. (For details of this era see GREECE.) Then, in 64 BC, they were conquered by Rome, and Syria became a province of the emerging Roman Empire (Luke 2:2).

Christianity first came to Syria through the efforts of Greek-speaking Jewish Christians who had been forced out of Jerusalem after the execution of Stephen (Acts 8:1; Acts 9:1-2; Acts 9:10; Acts 9:19; Acts 11:19-20). Paul was converted in Syria and carried out his first recorded evangelistic ministry there (Acts 9:1-22; Galatians 1:21). He played an important part in the early growth of the church in Antioch (Acts 11:19-26), and when opportunities arose he visited churches throughout the province (Acts 15:41; Acts 18:18-22).