Ἰτουραΐα
Itouraḯa
G2484 attributive adjective
SILEX Entry
Definition
A geographic region in the northern Transjordan, east of the Sea of Galilee and the upper Jordan Valley; the land associated with the descendants of Jetur, referred to as 'Ituraea' in Hellenistic and Roman-period sources. The primary lexical meaning is the region called Ituraea, with secondary senses referring to the area as an administrative or political district during the Hellenistic and Roman periods.
Semantic Range
Ituraea (region in northern Transjordan); territory governed by descendants of Jetur; administrative district under Roman tetrarchs; region associated with non-Judean (Ishmaelite/Arab) population
Root / Etymology
Derived from the Greek adaptation of a Semitic personal name יְטוּר (Yetûr/Jetur), one of the sons of Ishmael mentioned in Genesis. The Greek form Ἰτουραΐα appears to be a transliteration of this eponym with a geographic ending, marking the territory associated with Jetur's descendants.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the New Testament (Luke 3:1), Ἰτουραΐα names a specific administrative territory governed as part of the tetrarchal divisions under the sons of Herod the Great in the early first century CE. The term 'Ituraea' in Greek literature refers to the region east and northeast of the Sea of Galilee, known for its non-Judean population and sometimes linked to groups considered semi-nomadic or Arab by classical authors. Although traditional English Bibles and older references refer to it as 'a region of Palestine,' the term 'Palestine' is anachronistic for the period; Ituraea designated a recognized political and ethnic district. In Hellenistic and Roman period usage, the term marked both land and shifting boundaries of chiefly non-Judean populations. The word is not used for an ethnic group but for the territory they inhabited.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
of Hebrew origin (יְטוּר); Ituræa (i.e. Jetur), a region of Palestine:--Ituræa.
Root Family
Ἰτουραΐα (Itouraia) — Ituraea, land/region of Jetur
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G2484-01 |
Ἰτουραίας | itouraias | ADJ.A GEN F SG |
Ituraea | of Ituraea | Itouraia | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G2484-01 |
Luke 3:1 | Ἰτουραίας | itouraias | ADJ.A GEN F SG |
Ituraea | of Ituraea | Itouraia |