Bible Location
Meaning: a heap of skulls; something skull-shaped · 3 cross references · Modern-day map available
Golgotha was the place outside Jerusalem where Jesus was crucified. It is important because it stands at the center of the Gospel passion narratives as the site of atoning death. First appears in Matt 27:33.1
Place meaning
a heap of skulls; something skull-shaped
Coordinates
31.78, 35.23
First appears
Matt 27:33
AI summary: Golgotha is one of the central places in the New Testament because the crucifixion happens there. The Gospels preserve its name and meaning to keep the scene concrete, rooted, and unforgettable. The cross references present Golgotha as the place where Jesus' suffering, kingship, and saving death are set before the world.1
Place meaning
a heap of skulls; something skull-shaped
Latitude
31.78
Longitude
35.23
Bible references
3
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. 3
Source note: this 1893 dictionary language reflects its period and may be culturally insensitive or outdated. It is presented as historical source material, not as ai-BIBLE’s language, interpretation, or endorsement.
AI-assisted summary prepared for ai-BIBLE and stored as page content, based on dictionary material, place metadata, and linked Bible cross references.
Alistair de Blacquiere-Clarkson, “ai-BIBLE Bible Names JSON Factsheet Aggregating Material from Smith’s Bible Dictionary & Hitcocks’s New and Complete Analysis of the Bible.” ai-BIBLE electronic edition, version 1.0.
M.G.Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary, ai-BIBLE electronic edition, version 1.0.
Robert Rouse, “Theographic Bible Information,” Theographic-Bible-Metadata, 2020, https://github.com/robertrouse/theographic-bible-metadata.