Bible Dictionary
Zidon
An ancient Phoenician coastal city north of Tyre, famous for commerce and crafts. Sidon influenced Israel through trade, marriage, and idolatrous worship, and is also mentioned in the ministry and travels of Jesus and Paul.
Definition
Zidon, or Sidon, was an ancient Phoenician city on the Mediterranean coast, about twenty-five miles north of Tyre. It was a major center of commerce, manufactures, and the arts, and was regarded as the mother city of Tyre.
Biblical Usage
Zidon lay within Asher’s allotment but was not subdued. Its people oppressed Israel, and Solomon’s marriage alliance with the Zidonians introduced their idolatrous worship into Israel. Jesus visited the region, many heard him there, and Paul’s ship stopped at Sidon on the journey to Rome.
Historical Background
Sidon was the first Phoenician coastal home and became a great commercial city. Its prominence later declined as Tyre rose. The modern town is called Saida; ruins, walls, and the sarcophagus of Eshmanezer have been reported there.
Scripture References
Genesis 10:15
Genesis 10:19
Joshua 11:8
Joshua 19:28
Judges 1:31
Judges 10:12
Isaiah 23:12
1 Kings 11:1
1 Kings 11:33
1 Kings 5:6
1 Chronicles 22:4
Ezekiel 27:8
Isaiah 23:2
Isaiah 23:4
Jeremiah 25:22
Jeremiah 27:3
Jeremiah 47:4
Ezekiel 28:21
Ezekiel 28:22
Ezekiel 32:30
Joel 3:4
Matthew 15:21
Mark 7:24
Luke 4:26
Mark 3:8
Luke 6:17
Acts 27:3
Acts 27:4
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
A fishery, a town on the Mediterranean coast, about 25 miles north of Tyre. It received its name from the “first-born” of Canaan, the grandson of Noah (Gen. 10:15, 19). It was the first home of the Phoenicians on the coast of Palestine, and from its extensive commercial relations became a “great” city (Josh. 11:8; 19:28). It was the mother city of Tyre. It lay within the lot of the tribe of Asher, but was never subdued (Judg. 1:31). The Zidonians long oppressed Israel (Judg. 10:12). From the time of David its glory began to wane, and Tyre, its “virgin daughter” (Isa. 23:12), rose to its place of pre-eminence. Solomon entered into a matrimonial alliance with the Zidonians, and thus their form of idolatrous worship found a place in the land of Israel (1 Kings 11:1, 33). This city was famous for its manufactures and arts, as well as for its commerce (1 Kings 5:6; 1 Chr. 22:4; Ezek. 27:8). It is frequently referred to by the prophets (Isa. 23:2, 4, 12; Jer. 25:22; 27:3; 47:4; Ezek. 27:8; 28:21, 22; 32:30; Joel 3:4). Our Lord visited the “coasts” of Tyre and Zidon = Sidon (q.v.), Matt. 15:21; Mark 7:24; Luke 4:26; and from this region many came forth to hear him preaching (Mark 3:8; Luke 6:17). From Sidon, at which the ship put in after leaving Caesarea, Paul finally sailed for Rome (Acts 27:3, 4). This city is now a town of 10,000 inhabitants, with remains of walls built in the twelfth century A.D. In 1855, the sarcophagus of Eshmanezer was discovered. From a Phoenician inscription on its lid, it appears that he was a “king of the Sidonians,” probably in the third century B.C., and that his mother was a priestess of Ashtoreth, “the goddess of the Sidonians.” In this inscription Baal is mentioned as the chief god of the Sidonians.