Lexical Summary Ptolemais: Ptolemais Original Word: Πτολεμαΐς Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Ptolemais. From Ptolemaios (Ptolemy, after whom it was named); Ptolemais, a place in Palestine -- Ptolemais. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom Ptolemaios (Ptolemy, a king of Egypt) Definition Ptolemais, a seaport south of Tyre NASB Translation Ptolemais (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 4424: ΠτολεμαΐςΠτολεμαΐς, Πτολεμιδος, ἡ, Ptolemais, a maritime city of Phoenicia, which got its name, apparently, from Ptolemy Lathyrus (who captured it Topical Lexicon Geographical Setting Ptolemais lay on the northeastern corner of the Mediterranean, about thirty miles south of Tyre and seventy miles north of Caesarea Maritima. Its spacious natural harbor, framed by promontories, made it the chief Phoenician port between Tyre and Joppa. The coastal road that knit together Egypt, Phoenicia, and Syria passed directly through the city, ensuring constant movement of people and ideas. Historical Background Originally the Canaanite city of Acco (Judges 1:31), it was refounded and enlarged under the Ptolemaic dynasty after Alexander the Great, receiving the Hellenistic name Πτολεμαΐς (“City of Ptolemy”). During the intertestamental period it was contested ground, passing from the Ptolemies to the Seleucids (cf. 1 Maccabees 5:15; 1 Maccabees 10:1). By the first century A.D. it functioned under Roman administration as part of the province of Syria-Phoenicia. Its cosmopolitan population—Jews, Greeks, Romans, and indigenous Phoenicians—provided fertile soil for early gospel witness. Biblical Occurrence and Context Acts 21:7 records the lone New Testament reference: “Putting out from Tyre, we landed at Ptolemais, greeted the brothers, and stayed with them for a day” (Berean Standard Bible). The verse sits in Luke’s detailed travel log of Paul’s third missionary journey as the apostle hastens toward Jerusalem for Pentecost (Acts 20:16). After a week of ministry and prayerful farewells at Tyre, the missionary party undertakes the short coastal voyage to Ptolemais before continuing south to Caesarea (Acts 21:8). Ministry Significance in Acts 21:7 1. Evidence of established believers. Luke’s casual reference to “the brothers” indicates a recognizable Christian community existed in Ptolemais by the late A.D. 50s. The gospel had penetrated yet another strategic harbor without any prior narrative of its planting, testifying to the quiet advance of the word (Acts 11:19-21). Ptolemais in the Wider Scriptural Narrative Though the New Testament mentions the city only once, its Old Testament antecedent Acco appears within the tribal allotment of Asher (Judges 1:31). Israel’s failure to expel the Canaanites there foreshadowed future entanglements, yet in God’s providence the same harbor became a gateway for the gospel centuries later. Luke’s passing notice therefore ties the patriarchal inheritance, the conquest era, Hellenistic history, and apostolic mission into one continuous unfolding of redemptive history. Later Christian Tradition Early patristic lists record bishops from Ptolemais attending regional synods by the third century, indicating an enduring church. During the Crusades the city—now called Acre—served as the principal Christian port for pilgrims bound for Jerusalem. Roman and Byzantine ruins, along with Crusader fortifications, still surround the modern Israeli city of Akko, silently witnessing to millennia of spiritual and cultural interchange centered on this harbor. Practical Lessons for Today • Strategic Locations: Even a single day’s stop in a transport hub can strengthen and unify believers across regions. Forms and Transliterations Πτολεμαιδα Πτολεμαΐδα πτύελον πτύελόν πτύξιν Ptolemaida PtolemaḯdaLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts |
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