Tyre and Sidon were major seaports, especially in David and Solomon’s time, in Phoenicia, located in the coastal plain to the west and northwest of Galilee, about thirty kilometers apart. They would later be conquered by the Babylonians, Persians, and Greeks, but Tyre was still an important hub of trade. Jesus thus traveled northwest, toward a Gentile region whose inhabitants were known for hostility toward the Jews, but Matthew does not make clear whether Jesus actually crossed the border into Phoenicia.
Tyre and Sidon were both prominent harbor cities in Phoenicia, situated along the coastal plain to the west and northwest of Galilee, about thirty kilometers apart. In the time of David and Solomon, they were among the most important seaports in the world. They would later be conquered by the Babylonians, the Persians, and Alexander the Great. Up to the time of Christ, Tyre remained a significant commercial center.
Jesus therefore traveled northwest, toward a Gentile region whose inhabitants were known for their hostility toward the Jews. Yet, in Matthew’s account, it is not clear whether Jesus actually crossed the border into Phoenicia.1
21 And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon.