Aretas IV Philopatris

Common card · No. 365416

Aretas IV Philopatris (Nabataean Aramaic: 𐢊𐢛𐢞𐢞 𐢛𐢊𐢒 𐢗𐢓𐢆‎, romanized: Ḥārītaṯ Rāḥem-ʿammeh, lit. 'Aretas, friend of his people' or, "lover of his people") was the King of the Nabataeans from roughly 9 BC to 40 AD. Aretas' daughter Phasaelis was married to, and divorced from, Herod Antipas. Herod then married Herodias, his stepbrother's wife. It was John the Baptist's opposition to this marriage that led to his beheading. After Aretas received news of the divorce, he invaded the territory of Herod Antipas and defeated his army. Like his predecessors, the king's name as transcribed in Arabic is الحارث, Al Ḥāriṯ or الحارثة, Al-Ḥāriṯa, stemming from Harith which means "the collector, provider; plowman; cultivator".

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