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Tarsus

Boyd’s Bible Dictionary:

(wing). Chief city of Cilicia, Asia Minor, on river Cydnus, six miles from the Mediterranean. Birthplace of Paul and rival of Athens and Alexandria in literature and fine arts (Acts 9:11,30; 11:25; 21:39; 22:3¹¹And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth, (Acts 9:11)
³⁰Which when the brethren knew, they brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus. (Acts 9:30)
²⁵Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul: (Acts 11:25)
³⁹But Paul said, I am a man which am a Jew of Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city: and, I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto the people. (Acts 21:39)
³I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day. (Acts 22:3)). At the mouth of the Cydnus were fine docks, and Tarsus had, at one time, considerable commercial importance. Some would identify it with Tarshish. It was founded by the Assyrian, Sardanapalus, and was captured by the Romans and made a free city. It is now represented by Tersons, a mean Turkish city with a fluctuating population.

Concise Bible Dictionary:

The capital of Cilicia, in Asia Minor. It ranked as a city of importance, called by Paul “no mean city.” It was a seat of learning under the early Roman emperors and was ranked by Strabo as even above Athens and Alexandria: it was Paul’s native place, and he visited it after his conversion (Acts 9:11, 30¹¹And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth, (Acts 9:11)
³⁰Which when the brethren knew, they brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus. (Acts 9:30); Acts 11:25²⁵Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul: (Acts 11:25); Acts 21:39³⁹But Paul said, I am a man which am a Jew of Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city: and, I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto the people. (Acts 21:39); Acts 22:3³I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day. (Acts 22:3)). It is now called Tersus, a small town, with scarcely any trace of its former greatness. The river Cydnus, which in the days of Cyrus and Alexander flowed through the city, now runs about half a mile east of it. The houses are mostly but one story in height, built with stones apparently taken from larger buildings.

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Strong’s Dictionary of Greek Words:

Number:

5019 (find all occurrences in KJV Bible)

Greek:

Ταρσός

Transliteration:

Tarsos

Phonic:

tar-sos’

Meaning:

perhaps the same as ταρσός (a flat basket); Tarsus, a place in Asia Minor

KJV Usage:

Tarsus

Jackson’s Dictionary of Scripture Proper Names:

a flat basket

Potts’ Bible Proper Names:

Joy; pleasantness; flat; firmness; hardness:―a place in Asia Minor, Acts 9:30. {Oblectatio; iucunditas}