Perea

Perea and its surroundings in the 1st century

Perea ("the country beyond" in Greek), was the portion of the kingdom of Herod the Great occupying the eastern side of the Jordan River valley, from about one third the way down from the Sea of Galilee to about one third the way down the eastern shore of the Dead Sea; it did not extend too far inland. Traditionally, its limits have been considered to be the eastern bank of the Jordan River between the rivers Arnon (Wadi Mujib) and Hieromax (Yarmouk River). [1] Herod the Great's kingdom was divided by the Romans into a tetrarchy, of which Herod Antipas received both Perea and Galilee.

When Aretas IV beats Antipas in the skirmish after the latter's divorce from the former's daughter, it appears that Aretas IV was occupying points north including Damascus (2 Corinthians 11:32). Perhaps Aretas IV occupied even the area between Syria and Nabatea....ie: Perea?

Perea was the area inhabited by the Israelite Tribes Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Menasseh. New Testament commentators speak of Jesus' "Perean Ministry", beginning with his departure from Galilee (Matt 19:1; Mark 10:1) and ending with the anointing by Mary in Bethany (Matt 26) or his journey towards Jerusalem commencing from Mark 10:32.

Other Sites Named Perea

The Christian Armenians who were deported from Armenia and forcibly settled in the New Julfa/Isfahan region of Iran named a major village "Perea" in honor of the important significance of Perea, Israel as the resting place of John the Baptist.

See also

• Transjordan (Bible)
• Transjordan (region)

External links

• Perea entry in historical sourcebook by Mahlon H. Smith

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Wood, James, ed. (1907). The Nuttall Encyclopædia. London and New York: Frederick Warne. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)