Derbe
Derbe is an ancient city mentioned in the New Testament, located in the region of Asia Minor in modern-day Turkey. Known today as Kerti Hüyük. It appears across 5 verses in Scripture.
Biblical History
Derbe was a city in the region of Lycaonia in the Roman province of Galatia (modern south-central Turkey), and it appears five times in the New Testament as a recurring stop on Paul's missionary journeys. Paul and Barnabas first reached Derbe during the first missionary journey after fleeing persecution at Lystra, where Paul had been stoned and left for dead (Acts 14:6, 20). Remarkably, Paul returned to the same region immediately, strengthening the disciples and appointing elders in Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch (Acts 14:21–23). On the second journey, Paul and Silas again passed through Derbe and Lystra (Acts 16:1), where they recruited Timothy. Derbe is also notable as the hometown of Gaius (Acts 20:4), one of Paul's traveling companions who accompanied him toward Jerusalem with the collection for the Jerusalem church. The city thus represents not merely a stop on a missionary itinerary but a place where genuine, lasting Christian community was established — a fruit of the apostolic mission that endured through persecution and continued to produce disciples who joined Paul's wider ministry.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Derbe is identified with Kerti Hüyük, a mound located approximately three kilometers north of Karadilli in south-central Turkey's Karaman Province. The identification was secured in 1956 when Michael Ballance discovered a votive inscription mentioning "the people of Derbe" at Kerti Hüyük. Earlier proposals placed Derbe at Gudelisin, but the inscriptional evidence firmly established the Kerti Hüyük identification. Limited excavations and surface surveys at the site have revealed Hellenistic and Roman-period materials consistent with occupation during Paul's era. A second-century AD inscription naming a bishop of Derbe testifies to the continuity of Christian community in the city Paul founded. The site remains only partially investigated.
Verse Appearances (5)
Sources: ISBE Encyclopedia · OpenBible Geocoding (CC BY) · Pleiades Gazetteer View all →