Aretas IV Philopatris (Nabataean Aramaic: đ˘đ˘đ˘ đ˘đ˘đ˘đ˘ đ˘đ˘đ˘ ḤÄrÄŤtaᚯ RÄḼem-Ężammeh "Aretas, friend of his people"[1]) was the King of the Nabataeans from roughly 9 BC to 40 AD.
His daughter Phasaelis was married to, and divorced from, Herod Antipas. Herod then married his stepbrother's wife, Herodias. It was opposition to this marriage that led to the beheading of John the Baptist. After he received news of the divorce, Aretas invaded the territory of Herod Antipas and defeated his army.
- ^ G. W. Bowersock (1971). "A Report on Arabia Provincia". The Journal of Roman Studies. 61: 221. doi:10.2307/300018. JSTOR 300018.