After receiving the Davidic covenant, the LORD gave victory to David wherever he went. David defeated Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to restore his power at the river Euphrates. When the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David stuck down 22,000 of their men. Then David put garrisons in Aram of Damascus, and the Syrians became servants to David and brought tribute.
When the Ammonites saw that they had become a stench to David, the Ammonites sent and hired the Syrians of Beth-rehob, and the Syrians of Zobah, 20,000 foot soldiers, and the king of Maacah with 1,000 men, and the men of Tob, 12,000 men. And the Ammonites came out and drew up in battle array at the entrance of the gate, while the Syrians of Zobah and Rehob and the men of Tob and Maacah were by themselves in the open country. Joab arrayed against the Syrians with some of the best men in Israel, while Abishai arrayed the rest against the Ammonites. They drew near to battle, and the Syrians fled before him, triggering the Ammonites to flee.
Hadadezer brought out the Syrians who were beyond the Euphrates under commander Shobach, but they fled and were defeated by King David. All kings who were servants to Hadadezer made peace with Israel, and the Syrians were afraid to save the Ammonites anymore.
The LORD told Elijah to anoint Hazael as king of Syria, Jehu the son of Nimshi as king of Israel, Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in his place. (1 Kings 19:9-18)
Jesus went all over Galilee, teaching and healing, so He was famous is Syria. Crowds followed Him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan. (Matthew 5:12-25)
2 Maccabees 2 describes a great crisis in the history of the canon - books were lost on account of the Maccabean Revolt or the Maccabaean war of liberation from the Syrian persecutor Antiochus Epiphanes, but they were recovered. Antiochus was hostile toward Scripture in 1 Maccabees 1:56. (The Origin of the Bible: Newly Updated by F. F. Bruce, J. I. Packer, Philip W. Comfort, and Carl F. H. Henry, 2020. The Canon of the Old Testament by R. T. Beckwith. Pages 56-60.)
Alexander the Great's death to the 2nd century
After Alexander the Great's death in 323 B.C., his empire was divided among his generals. Syria and Egypt wars against each other for territory. In 64 B.C., Pompey attacked Syria and made it into a Roman providence.
(The Origin of the Bible: Newly Updated by F. F. Bruce, J. I. Packer, Philip W. Comfort, and Carl F. H. Henry, 2020. Old Testament and New Testament Apocrypha by R. K. Harrison, Page 80-81.)
Archbishop
Governors (Roman Empire)
Kings
- Ben-hadad
- Hazael