"Judea, the southern party of the country, below Samaria, Mt. 2:1, 5, 22; 3:1; meton. the inhabitants of Judea"
Definition and meaning
Judea, the southern party of the country, below Samaria, Mt. 2:1, 5, 22; 3:1; meton. the inhabitants of Judea
In the original Greek the word is written: Ἰουδαία
Historical context
Rome had controlled Judea since 63 BC. Herod the Great rebuilt the Temple into one of the most magnificent structures in the ancient world — and simultaneously murdered members of his own family. The common people paid multiple layers of taxation and were politically powerless. Into that world a carpenter from Galilee began teaching that the kingdom of God had arrived.
The people who first heard this word were not reading a book — they were living through empires, oppression, exile, and covenant. Every word carried the weight of that reality. Understanding it changes how you read Scripture.
Scripture references
These are the most notable occurrences of ioudaia (G2449) across the King James Bible.
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee:
In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,
Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,
And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.
And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these sayings, he departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judaea beyond Jordan;
Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.
But Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea: and a great multitude from Galilee followed him, and from Judaea,
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Common questions
Strong's G2449 (ioudaia) is a Greek word that means: Judea, the southern party of the country, below Samaria, Mt. 2:1, 5, 22; 3:1; meton. the inhabitants of Judea It appears 44 times in the King James Bible.
The word ioudaia (G2449) appears 44 times in the original Greek text.
Strong's G2449 is ioudaia, a Greek word defined as: Judea, the southern party of the country, below Samaria, Mt. 2:1, 5, 22; 3:1; meton. the inhabitants of Judea. James Strong catalogued this in his 1890 concordance to help English readers study the original languages of the Bible.
ioudaia is a Greek word found in the New Testament.