Golgotha, also known as the Place of a Skull, was the site outside Jerusalem where Jesus was crucified (Matthew 27:33; Mrk.15.22; Luke 23:33; Jhn.19.17).
Also known as Skull · Calvary
Golgotha, which means "Place of a Skull" in Aramaic, was the location outside the walls of Jerusalem where Jesus Christ was crucified. All four Gospels mention Golgotha as the site of the crucifixion (Matthew 27:33; Mrk.15.22; Luke 23:33; Jhn.19.17). The exact reason for the name is not specified in the Bible, but it may refer to the physical appearance of the site, resembling a skull, or it could be associated with a place of execution. The Gospel accounts describe how Jesus, after being sentenced to death by Pontius Pilate, was led to Golgotha, where he was crucified along with two criminals. The location of Golgotha was outside the city walls, as was customary for executions in ancient times. It is also mentioned that the site was near a garden and a tomb, which belonged to Joseph of Arimathea, where Jesus' body was later laid (Jhn.19.41-42). The crucifixion at Golgotha is the central event in the Christian faith, as it represents Jesus' sacrificial death for the sins of humanity, leading to his resurrection and the offer of salvation to all who believe in him.
Approximate location: 31.777, 35.235 · view on a map · on the Bible atlas
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.
(skull), the Hebrew name of the spot at which our Lord was crucified. (Matthew 27:33; Mark 15:22; John 19:17) By these three evangelists it is interpreted to mean the “place of a skull.” Two explanations of the name are given: (1) that it was a spot where executions ordinarily took place, and therefore abounded in skulls; or(2) it may come from the look or form of the spot itself, bald, round and skull-like, and therefore a mound or hillock, in accordance with the common phrase—for which there is no direct authority— “Mount Calvary.” Whichever of these is the correct explanation, Golgotha seems to have been a known spot.
a heap of skulls; something skull-shaped
GOL'GOTHA (skull), the Hebrew name of the spot where Jesus was crucified. Matt 27:33. See Calvary.
GOL'GOTHA (skull), the Hebrew name of the spot where Jesus was crucified. Matt 27:33. See Calvary.
Easton (1897), Smith (1863), Hitchcock (1869), Hastings (1898) and Schaff are in the public domain. Parsed text: neuu-org/bible-dictionary-dataset (CC BY 4.0). Headwords and whitespace normalised for this site.
4 verses in 4 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s G1115
And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means The Place of the Skull,
They brought Jesus to a place called Golgotha, which means The Place of the Skull.
When they came to the place called The Skull, they crucified Him there, along with the criminals, one on His right and the other on His left.
Carrying His own cross, He went out to The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha.
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.