Ἀρμαγεδδών
Armageddṓn
G717 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A place name referring symbolically to a location of a final, climactic conflict; in context, understood as the 'hill of Megiddo,' a site known from the Hebrew Bible for major battles. Used in a prophetic and apocalyptic context to evoke concepts of decisive confrontation or judgment, not a literal modern location.
Semantic Range
place of battle (symbolic hill of Megiddo), site of apocalyptic conflict, literary symbol for final confrontation or judgment
Root / Etymology
From Hebrew הַר (har, 'mountain' or 'hill') + מְגִדּוֹן (Megiddon/Megiddo), with Armageddṓn representing a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew phrase הַר מְגִדּוֹן (har-megidon, 'hill of Megiddo'). The Greek form includes an assimilated definite article represented by the initial 'A' in Ἀρμαγεδδών, a common feature in Greek transliterations of Hebrew.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Ἀρμαγεδδών appears only in Revelation 16:16, where it signifies the site where 'the kings of the whole world' are gathered for the 'battle of the great day of God the Almighty.' In the Hebrew Bible, Megiddo was an important city-state in the Jezreel Valley, noted for major battles (e.g., Judges 5; 2 Kings 23:29). No 'hill of Megiddo' is known archaeologically; Megiddo itself is a low mound (tell), not a mountain. In Second Temple and New Testament apocalyptic literature, names like Armageddṓn evoke historical memories of decisive battles and are employed symbolically. Later Christian traditions translated the term directly as 'Armageddon' and associated it with end-times cataclysm, but in the original context it functions as an allusion with heavy literary and symbolic resonance, not as a foretold geographic event. Standard English translations often render it simply as 'Armageddon,' potentially obscuring the term's Hebrew roots and symbolic intent.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
of Hebrew origin (הַר and מְגִדּוֹן); Armageddon (or Har-Meggiddon), a symbolic name:--Armageddon.
Root Family
Ἀρμαγεδδών (Armageddōn) — hill, mountain, Megiddo, place of decisive battle
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G717-01 |
Ἁρμαγεδών | armagedon | N ACC N SG |
Armageddon | the Hill of Megiddo | Armageddon | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G717-01 |
Revelation 16:16 | Ἁρμαγεδών | armagedon | N ACC N SG |
Armageddon | the Hill of Megiddo | Armageddon |