Lexical Summary tetrarcheó: To be a tetrarch, to rule as a tetrarch Original Word: τετραρχέω Strong's Exhaustive Concordance be tetrarch. From tetrarches; to be a tetrarch -- (be) tetrarch. see GREEK tetrarches HELPS Word-studies Cognate: 5075 tetrarxéō – to rule as a tetrarch, i.e. over one fourth of a territory "divided into four parts for efficient government (a division sometimes found in the Roman East)" (Souter). See 5076 (tetarxēs). NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originvariant reading for tetraarcheó, q.v. Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 5075: τετρααρχέω[τετρααρχέω, see τετραρχέω.] STRONGS NT 5075: τετραρχέωτετραρχέω (T WH τετρααρχέω (see WH's Appendix, p. 145)), τετράρχω; (τετράρχης, which see), to be governor of a tetrarchy, be tetrarch: with a genitive of the region, Luke 3:1. ((Josephus, b. j. 3, 10, 7.)) Topical Lexicon Word Overview and Narrative Setting Strong’s Greek 5075 appears only in Luke 3:1, where Luke employs a participial form to describe three contemporaries—Herod Antipas, Philip, and Lysanias—each “ruling as tetrarch.” By choosing a verb rather than a mere title, Luke presents their tenure as an ongoing historical reality at the very moment God is commissioning John the Baptist. Historical Background: The Herodian Tetrarchy After the death of Herod the Great (4 BC), Rome declined to grant any of his sons the royal title βασιλεύς (“king”). Instead, the empire divided the former kingdom into smaller jurisdictions, each overseen by a “tetrarch,” literally a ruler of a fourth part. This political arrangement reflects Rome’s policy of keeping potentially volatile client territories small and mutually competitive. Chronological Anchor for Luke’s Gospel Luke’s precision serves apologetic as well as historical aims. By aligning John’s appearance with Tiberius’s fifteenth year (AD 27/28), the prefecture of Pontius Pilate, and the simultaneous tetrarchies, Luke stakes the gospel message in verifiable time and space. Critics have repeatedly used Luke for synchronizing Roman provincial appointments; archaeological finds—such as the Lysanias inscription from Abila and the Pilate stone from Caesarea Maritima—confirm Luke’s reliability. Political Climate and the Ministry of John the Baptist John’s call to repentance sounded within a patchwork of petty rulers whose legitimacy depended on Caesar’s favor. His fearless denunciation of Herod Antipas’s unlawful marriage (Luke 3:19) demonstrates the prophetic courage that refuses to bend before political power. Yet Luke frames all three tetrarchs merely as temporal rulers, eclipsed by the advent of God’s kingdom. Spiritual Lessons: Transient Thrones vs. the Everlasting Kingdom 1. Limited jurisdiction: Each tetrarch controlled only a fragment of land; Christ “has been given all authority in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18). Intertextual Connections Although the verb 5075 is confined to Luke 3:1, the related noun “tetrarch” recurs (Matthew 14:1; Luke 9:7; Acts 13:1). These later occurrences show how Antipas’s curiosity about Jesus and hostility toward the Baptist fulfil Luke’s opening notice: the tetrarchs occupy the margins of the gospel, powerless to halt its advance. Doctrine and Application • Divine sovereignty orchestrates secular history so that prophetic voices emerge “in the fullness of time” (Galatians 4:4). Key Text Luke 3:1-2: “In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Iturea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene—during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.” Summary Strong’s 5075, though rare, opens a window onto the geopolitical chessboard in which the gospel first moved. Luke’s employment of the verb underscores that earthly rulers, however real, are background figures in God’s redemptive drama—a drama now fulfilled in Jesus Christ, whose reign outlasts every tetrarchy and every empire. Forms and Transliterations τετρααρχουντος τετρααρχοῦντος τετραρχούντος tetraarchountos tetraarchoûntosLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Luke 3:1 V-PPA-GMSGRK: Ἰουδαίας καὶ τετρααρχοῦντος τῆς Γαλιλαίας KJV: Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, INT: of Judea and being tetrarch of Galilee Luke 3:1 V-PPA-GMS Luke 3:1 V-PPA-GMS |