Sidon (Greek form of the Phoenician "Zidon") was located in the narrow plain running along the Mediterranean Sea, less than 20 miles north of Tyre. Like most Phoenician cities, it was built on a promontory facing an island, which sheltered its fleet from storms and served as a refuge during military incursions from the interior. Sidon was the third great Phoenician city-state, rivaling Byblos and Tyre as a naval power. Together, the three cities symbolized Phoenician maritime prominence. In early times Sidon was more influential that Tyre. This view is confirmed by "Sidonians" being used as the generic name for the Phoenicians or Canaanites in the Bible. However, by the 9th century BC, it had become a dependency of Tyre.
When Sidon, like the other cities of Phoenicia, fell under Roman domination, it continued to mint its own silver coins. The Romans also built a theater and other major monuments in the city. Later, it became famous for its glassware and purple-dye industries. Located about fifty miles northwest of Nazareth it is the most northern city mentioned in connection with Christ's journeys.
After Jesus left "the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon," he apparently headed southeast through the territory of Herod Philip. He took this rather circuitous route to avoid entering Galilee, controlled by Philip's half-brother, Herod Antipas, who, according to the Gospels, had taken a hostile attitude toward Jesus:
As we live our lives, we can judge others as being far worse then us in their sinful actions. But, when God looks at sin, He says that all sin offends Him. The people of Korazin and Bethsaida probably thought that compared to sinful cities like Tyre and Sidon, their polite refusal of God’s plan for salvation was certainly a mild rebuke in comparison and would deserve little, if any attention from a judgmental God.
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