Arabia during the Time of Paul
As a noun, the biblical Arabia refers to the Bedouin peoples of North Arabia, Syria, and Sinai (Isaiah 13:20; Jeremiah 3:2 and 25:24). From Herodotus onwards Arabia was applied by Greek writers to the peninsula between the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, extending to the ocean on the southeast and including the Sinaitic peninsula of the northwest.
Whether or not an actual Arab tribe ever existed is unknown, the word “Arabia” itself being a Greek coinage. The earliest reference to Arabs alludes to a certain Gindibu’ who supplied a thousand camel riders to Ahab’s coalition forces. The Oral Law (see the commentary on The Life of Christ, to see link click Ei – The Oral Law) mentions Jewish women from Arabia (Shabbat 6:6). The walled city of Taima and the kingdom of Dedan were regarded in biblical times as part of Edom (Isaiah 21:13; Ezeki’el 25:13, 27:20). The latter was apparently followed by the Lihyan, a people unknown in the TaNaKh although many foreigners, including Nabateans, Taimanites, Greeks, and Jews resided in al-‘Ula, the capital of the former kingdom of Dedan.
Despite their relatively late appearance, the Nabateans are well documented in the later biblical books and by Josephus, the assertion of their Arab identity being supported by the Arabic names carried by many of the peoples and gods. During the third century and the first half of the second century BC, the nomadic Nabatean tribes spread from Petra to the Gulf of Aqaba, where they took to piracy, and established themselves in the south Transjordan and the Negev. They eventually became an organized kingdom at the end of the second century BC during the Seleucid struggle between Egypt and Syria, and broke out into open war with Judea over disputed territory when Alexander Jannai (Jannaeus 103-76 BC) was looking to expand his kingdom. Josephus speaks of the Nabatean kings as “kings of the Arabs” (Antiquities of the Jews 13.360). The strained relations continued into the Herodian period, war erupting again in Agustus’ reign. While Agustus appointed Aretas IV king (Josephus Antiquities of the Jews 16.355), who enjoyed a highly prosperous reign, the Nabatean kingdom finally lost its independence to Rome in the early second century AD. While Jewish communities are attested to in Arabia (Shabbat 6:6), there is no other mention of Arabian congregations in the B’rit Chadashah. Likewise, nothing is known of any communities in the region of Petra prior to the reign of Constantine, although some suggest that Nabatean as a language was fairly well known among the Jews.25
Paul’s chronological itinerary during this period appear to be as follows. He encountered Yeshua on the road to Damascus (see Am – Damascus during the Time of Paul); after a brief period of ministry in that city (Acts 9:20-23) he went to Arabia for three years, being taught the gospel of grace directly from Messiah. There, isolated from all human contact, alone with ADONAI, the great apostle restudied the TaNaKh, not with the Oral Law corrupting his thinking, but, led by the Ruach ha-Kodesh, focusing on the cross of our Lord Yeshua Messiah. Out of all his meditations emerged the doctrine written in the book of Romans.
35 AD (see the commentary on Acts Bc – Sha’ul Turns from Murderer to Messiah).
35-37 AD Three years in Arabia
Only after his apprenticeship under the Master did he return again to Damascus (1:17) and began preaching which thoroughly frustrated the [non-believing] Jews who plotted to kill him. This was the first of many conspiracies against Paul (Second Corinthians 11:21b-27). But their plot became known to Paul. The [non-believing] Jews in Damascus, the mayor under King Aretas was guarding the city in order to seize Sha’ul. Apparently, during his three years in Arabia, he had thoroughly preached the gospel and had worn out his welcome there also. They were so united in their effort that they were secretly watching the gates day and night, to kill him (Acts 9:23-24). A wall surrounded the city and the only escape was through the gates, but the disciples took Paul by night and let him down over the wall, lowering him in a large basket made of reeds (Second Corinthians 11:32-33). After escaping Damascus, Paul went up to Jerusalem (see As – Paul Meets Peter and James in Jerusalem).
38 AD (see the commentary on Acts Bg – Peter Goes to the House of Cornelius)
42 AD (see the commentary on Acts Bh – Peter’s Report to Jerusalem)
48 AD (see the commentary on Acts Bs – The Council at Jerusalem)
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