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Ἱεροσόλυμα

Hierosólyma

G2414 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Name for the city of Jerusalem, used especially in Hellenistic and Koine Greek sources. Refers primarily to the city as a geographical, cultural, and political center in the region known as Judea or earlier as the land of Israel. The term can signify not only the physical city but, by extension, its population or the seat of religious tradition, especially in Second Temple and New Testament contexts. In certain contexts may also refer to the broader area associated with Jerusalem.

Semantic Range

Jerusalem (as a city), geographical center of Judea, capital of the land of Israel, metropolis of religious and political life, seat of the Temple, central symbol of Judean or Israelite identity, sometimes used for its inhabitants or as a center of events

Root / Etymology

From the Hebrew יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם (Yerushalaim). The Greek form Ἱεροσόλυμα incorporates the prefix 'ἱερο-' (hieros, 'holy'), possibly due to Hellenistic reinterpretation or folk etymology, combined with a rendering of the remainder of the Hebrew name (Soluma/Solyma = Shalem/Salem). The form is an alternative to Ἱερουσαλήμ (Hierousalēm), which more directly transliterates the Hebrew.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Ἱεροσόλυμα is one of two major Greek renderings of Jerusalem in ancient sources; the other is Ἱερουσαλήμ. While both forms are used interchangeably in the Septuagint and New Testament, Ἱεροσόλυμα is sometimes associated with a more Hellenized or geographic nuance, whereas Ἱερουσαλήμ is considered closer to the Hebrew liturgical or sacred usage. In classical Greek, the form rarely appears prior to Alexander the Great but becomes common in Hellenistic and Roman literature. The usage in the New Testament does not distinguish sharply between the two forms. English translations universally render both as 'Jerusalem,' which may obscure subtle differences in nuance or context. The city of Jerusalem was the political, religious, and cultural capital for Israelites and, later, Judeans in the Persian, Hellenistic, and Roman periods. The name can also symbolize the site of the Second Temple and the center of Judean religious life. In Greco-Roman sources, Ἱεροσόλυμα may be used to refer to the city as a geographical entity rather than the spiritual or ancestral capital.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

of Hebrew origin (יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם); Hierosolyma (i.e. Jerushalaim), the capitol of Palestine:--Jerusalem. Compare Ἱερουσαλήμ.

Root Family

Ἱεροσόλυμα (Hierosolyma) — Jerusalem, holy city, capital, metropolis

Root ἱεροσολυμ- Jerusalem, city, holy city, capital

Word Forms

4 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G2414-04 Ἰερουσαλὴμ ierousalem N VOC F SG Jerusalem O Jerusalem Hierosolyma 76
G2414-01 Ἱεροσόλυμα ierosoluma N ACC N PL Jerusalem Jerusalem Hierosolyma 38
G2414-02 Ἱεροσολύμοις ierosolumois N DAT N PL Jerusalem to Jerusalem Hierosolyma 14
G2414-03 Ἱεροσολύμων ierosolumon N GEN N PL Jerusalem of Jerusalem Hierosolyma 11

Occurrences in Scripture

139 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G2414-01 Matthew 2:1 Ἱεροσόλυμα ierosoluma N ACC N PL Jerusalem Jerusalem Hierosolyma
G2414-01 Matthew 2:3 Ἱεροσόλυμα ierosoluma N NOM F SG Jerusalem Jerusalem Hierosolyma
G2414-01 Matthew 3:5 Ἱεροσόλυμα ierosoluma N NOM F SG Jerusalem Jerusalem Hierosolyma
G2414-03 Matthew 4:25 Ἱεροσολύμων ierosolumon N GEN N PL Jerusalem of Jerusalem Hierosolyma
G2414-01 Matthew 5:35 Ἱεροσόλυμα ierosoluma N ACC N PL Jerusalem Jerusalem Hierosolyma
G2414-03 Matthew 15:1 Ἱεροσολύμων ierosolumon N GEN N PL Jerusalem of Jerusalem Hierosolyma
G2414-01 Matthew 16:21 Ἱεροσόλυμα ierosoluma N ACC N PL Jerusalem Jerusalem Hierosolyma
G2414-01 Matthew 20:17 Ἱεροσόλυμα ierosoluma N ACC N PL Jerusalem Jerusalem Hierosolyma
G2414-01 Matthew 20:18 Ἱεροσόλυμα ierosoluma N ACC N PL Jerusalem Jerusalem Hierosolyma
G2414-01 Matthew 21:1 Ἱεροσόλυμα ierosoluma N ACC N PL Jerusalem Jerusalem Hierosolyma
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