Territory received from his father:

“ After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.

So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Aechelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there.  Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee  –  Matthew 2.19-22

Herod the Great died in 4 B.C. of an incurable disease. Rome trusted him but didn’t trust his sons.  Herod knew that Rome wouldn’t give his successor as much power, so he divided his kingdom into three parts, one for each son.  Archelaus received Judea, Samaria, and Idumea; Herod Antipas received Galilee and Perea; Herod Philip II received Traconitis.  Archelaus, a violent man, began his reign by slaughtering 3,000 influential people.  Nine years later, he was banished.  God [Wall] didn’t want Joseph’s family to go into the region of this evil ruler.

Who he was:

“ Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife –  Matthew 14.3

Philip, Herod’s half brother, was another of Palestine’s four rulers. His territories were Iturea and Traconitis, northeast of the Sea of Galilee (Luke 3.1).  Philip’s wife, Herodias, left Philip to live with Herod Antipas.  John the Baptist condemned the two for living immorally (see Mark 6.17, 18).