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* Herod Antipas suffers major losses in a war with Aretas IV of Nabatea, provoked partly by Antipas ' divorce of Aretas ' daughter.

According to Josephus, Herod's defeat was popularly believed to be divine punishment for his execution of John the Baptist.

Emperor Tiberius orders his governor of Syria, Vitellius, to capture or kill Aretas, but he is reluctant to support Herod and abandons his campaign upon Tiberius ' death in 37.