Ἀντιπατρίς (Antipatris)
Antipatris
Antipatris
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The noun Antipatris refers to a specific city located in ancient Judea, situated on the main route between Joppa and Caesarea Maritima. It appears only once in the New Testament, in Acts 23:31, where it serves as a geographical marker in the narrative of Paul’s journey.
The name means "for Antipater," honoring Herod the Great’s father. The sources note that Herod rebuilt and fortified this location, placing it in a fertile region near the coast. In Acts, Roman soldiers escort Paul to this station as part of his transfer from Jerusalem to Caesarea, highlighting its role as a key military and administrative stop on the road.
While the word itself carries no theological weight or moral instruction, its single occurrence anchors the historical reality of the early church’s legal struggles. It reminds readers that the spread of the Gospel unfolded within the concrete infrastructure of the Roman Empire, where roads and forts dictated the movement of prisoners and messengers alike.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
Acts 23:31 mentions Antipatris as a stopping point where Roman soldiers escorted Paul during his transfer from Jerusalem to Caesarea. This place name reminds us that the early church operated within real historical settings, using existing roads and military stations to move people across regions.
The Gospel spread through ordinary infrastructure, including forts like this one named for Herod’s father. Such details ground our faith in history rather than abstract ideas. We see how God used Roman logistics to protect His messenger, showing that even political structures can serve divine purposes when we trust in His sovereignty over all circumstances.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- Antipatris.1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- Ἀντιπατρίδα.1×
Key Verses
-
Acts 23:31
So the soldiers, carrying out their orders, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris.
This verse identifies Antipatris as the specific night-station where soldiers transferred Paul, highlighting its role as a logistical hub in his journey to Caesarea.