Golgotha
Golgotha is a hill mentioned in 4 verses. Its most likely location is Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The name means “a heap of skulls; something skull-shaped.”
Where is Golgotha?
Approx. 31.7784, 35.2298 · OpenStreetMap · Google Maps
Possible modern locations
| Identification | Type | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Church of the Holy Sepulchre | hill | Medium |
| Taylor Golgotha | hill | Low |
| Gordon’s Calvary | hill | Low |
Golgotha in the Bible dictionary
The common name of the spot where Jesus was crucified. It is interpreted by the evangelists as meaning “the place of a skull” (Matt. 27:33; Mark 15:22; John 19:17). This name represents in Greek letters the Aramaic word Gulgaltha, which is the Hebrew Gulgoleth (Num. 1:2; 1 Chr. 23:3, 24; 2 Kings 9:35), meaning “a skull.” It is identical with the word Calvary (q.v.). It was a little knoll rounded like a bare skull. It is obvious from the evangelists that it was some well-known spot outside the gate (comp. Heb. 13:12), and near the city (Luke 23:26), containing a “garden” (John 19:41), and on a thoroughfare leading into the country. Hence it is an untenable idea that it is embraced within the present “Church of the Holy Sepulchre.” The hillock above Jeremiah’s Grotto, to the north of the city, is in all probability the true site of Calvary. The skull-like appearance of the rock in the southern precipice of the hillock is very remarkable.
Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897), public domain. Full dictionary entry →
Verses that mention Golgotha
- Matthew 27:33
And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull,
- Mark 15:22
And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull.
- Luke 23:33
And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.
- John 19:17
And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha: