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G960 · Greek · New Testament
Βέροια
Beroia
Proper noun, location
Berea

Definition

Beroia (Βέροια) is the name of a city in Macedonia (modern Veria, Greece), mentioned in Acts 17:10 and 17:13. Paul and Silas fled there from Thessalonica after Jewish opposition arose. The city becomes famous in church history because of the noble character of its inhabitants who received the gospel.

Usage & Theological Significance

The Bereans have become the model for all serious Bible students. Acts 17:11 describes them as "more noble than those in Thessalonica" because they "received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." This is the gold standard of Christian discernment: openness to the message combined with grounding in Scripture. The Berean approach — eager to hear, committed to verify — guards against both closed-mindedness and credulity. Every generation of believers is called to be Berean.

Key Bible Verses

Acts 17:10 As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue.
Acts 17:11 Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
Acts 17:13 But when the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, some of them went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up.
Acts 20:4 He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea.
2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

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