Phoenicia
Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia
(1 Esdras 2:17; 2 Macc. 3:5; Acts 11:19; 15:3)—the ancient coastal region of the eastern Mediterranean whose leading cities included Tyre and Sidon. In its narrower use it denoted a relatively thin strip between the sea and the Lebanon ranges; broader administrative usage could include a much longer Syrian coast. Matthew calls the woman who appealed to Jesus a Canaanite, while Mark calls her Syrophoenician, reflecting overlapping regional and cultural designations (Matt. 15:22; Mark 7:26).