Where is Tarsus in the Bible?
Tarsus was a prominent city in the Roman province of Cilicia, located in modern-day southern Turkey. Tarsus appears in 5 verses of the Bible.
What happened at Tarsus?
Tarsus was a prominent city in the Roman province of Cilicia, located in modern-day southern Turkey. It is best known as the birthplace and early residence of the apostle Paul (Act.22.3). Paul described himself as "a Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city" (Act.21.39), indicating Tarsus' significance and his own status as a citizen. After his conversion on the road to Damascus, Paul spent time in Tarsus (Act.9.30) before being brought to Antioch by Barnabas (Act.11.25). Tarsus was a center of Greek culture and learning, with a renowned university. It was also an important commercial hub, situated on major trade routes. The city's strategic location and cultural influence shaped Paul's background and prepared him for his future ministry as an apostle to the Gentiles.
Definition text: STEPBible · Tyndale House Cambridge. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Lightly edited for length and formatting.
Compiled by Protos: the verse list on this page. Where one name belongs to more than one person or place, each of them gets a separate entry.
Where does Tarsus appear in the Bible?
Tarsus is referenced in 5 verses. Every passage below is about this one, not just every verse the word turns up in.
- Acts 9:11
- Acts 9:30
- Acts 11:25
- Acts 21:39
- Acts 22:3
What else appears in these passages?
These turn up in the same passages as Tarsus.
Common questions
How many times does the Bible mention Tarsus?
Tarsus appears in 5 verses, all of them in Acts.
Which books of the Bible mention Tarsus?
Just one: Acts.
Where can I read every verse about Tarsus?
This page lists 5 of them. Protos carries all 5, and opens this entry on the verse you are reading rather than in a separate tab.
