Names of Jerusalem

This article explores the different names of Jerusalem and their linguistic natures, etc. For a discussion of the politics and history of Jerusalem itself, the Jerusalem article is probably a better place to start.

Over the millennia, there have been many names of Jerusalem in many different languages.

Names

Biblical

Salem

In the Book of Genesis, Salem or Shalem is the name of the city during the time of Abraham. It is ruled by Melchizedek, whose name denotes a righteous king. Salem is also regarded as a shorter name for Jerusalem.

Language	Name	Translit.	Variant	Translit.	Meaning
Biblical Hebrew	שלם	š-l-m			Whole, complete in the idiomatic sense of "at peace"
Akkadian	Urušalim				Uru is a cognate of the Hebrew Ir, "city of", and should not be confused with the syllables Jeru- in the name Jerusalem
Assyrian	Uršalimmu				Ur is a cognate of the Hebrew Ir, "city of", and should not be confused with the syllables Jeru- in the name Jerusalem
Biblical Greek	Σαλήμ	Salēm	Σόλυμα	Solyma
Biblical Latin	Salem
Arabic	ساليم	Sālīm
Tiberian Hebrew	שָׁלֵם	Šālēm
Standard Hebrew	שָׁלֵם	Šalem

Jerusalem

• Arabic القدس al-Quds , اور سالم Ūršalīm, Ūršalaym (Ūrušalīm, Ūrušalaym )
• Biblical Hebrew ירושלם Yerushalaim probably "Heritage of Salem" or "Heritage of Peace"
• Aramaic יְרוּשְׁלֶם Yərûšəlem
• Biblical Greek Ιερουσαλήμ Hierousalēm, Ierousalēm, Ιεροσόλυμα Hierosolyma, Ierosolyma
• Syriac ܐܘܪܫܠܡ Ūrišlem
• Biblical Latin Hierosolyma Ierusalem
• Armenian Երուսաղեմ / Erousałem
• Tiberian Hebrew יְרוּשָׁלַםִ / יְרוּשָׁלָםִ Yərûšāláim / Yərûšālāim
• Standard Hebrew יְרוּשָׁלַיִם Yerushalayim
• Old Norse Jorsala
• Russian Иерусалим / Iyerusalim

Jerusalem is the name most commonly used in the Bible, and is the preferred name in Jewry and the Western World. Its Arabic counterpart, Ūršalīm, is the term used by the government of Israel in Arabic, and by Arabs in certain historic or Biblical contexts. Its first recorded Hebrew mention was found in Khirbet Beit Lei.

A Midrashic explanation of the name relates it to the yir'eh from the name Adonai-yir'eh ("The Lord sees", Vulgate Latin Dominus videt) given to Moriah by Abraham and the name Salem. The Midrash teaches that there are seventy names for Jerusalem.

The Old Norse form Jorsala indicates an interpretation of the last syllables as the Old Norse toponym ending -sala denoting a hall (sometimes a temple hall).

Moriah

• Biblical Hebrew מוריה m-w-r-y-h "chosen of/is the LORD"
• Biblical Greek Μώριας Mōrias
• Biblical Latin Moria
• Arabic مريّا Muriyyā or Murayyā (?)
• Tiberian Hebrew מוֹרִיָּה Môriyyāh
• Standard Hebrew מוֹרִיָּה Moriyya

In the Book of Genesis, Moriah is the name of the Temple Mount at a time when it is uninhabited. It is the place where, in the Jewish and Christian traditions, Abraham attempts the sacrifice of his son Isaac.

Jebus

• Hebrew יְבוּס Yevus "trodden down"
• Biblical Greek Ιεβούς Iebous
• Biblical Latin Iebus
• Arabic يبوس Yabūs

In the Old Testament, Jebus is the name of the Canaanite fortress on the Temple Mount during the time of King David. The name refers to the large threshing floor on the Temple Mount around which the fortress was built. David conquers Jebus and establishes Jerusalem on its place as the new Israelite capital. The threshing floor was subsequently purchased by David as the site of the Temple.

Ariel

• Biblical Hebrew אריאל ʼ-r-y-ʼ-l "Lion of God."
• Greek Αριήλ Ariēl
• Arabic اريئيل Arīʼīl
• Tiberian Hebrew אֲרִיאֵל ʼĂrîʼēl
• Standard Hebrew אֲרִיאֵל Ariʼel

Ariel is a poetic name for Jerusalem.

In modern times however, the name is more often used for the settlement city of Ari'el in the West Bank, about 40 kilometers north of Jerusalem, and 40 kilometers east of Tel Aviv.

City of David

• Hebrew Ir David (עיר דוד)
• Tiberian Hebrew עִיר דָּוִד ʿIyr Dāwiḏ

The name derived from king David the founder of the city.

The City of the Great King

• Hebrew: kiryat melekh rav (קרית מלך רב) as in Psalm 48:2.
• Koine Greek: polis megalou basileos (πόλις μεγάλου βασιλέως) as in Matthew 5:35.
• Tiberian Hebrew קִרְיַת, מֶלֶךְ רָב Qiryaṯ, Meleḵ Rāḇ

Islamic

Al-Quds

• Arabic القدس al-Quds "The Holy", القدس الشريف al-Quds aš-Šhareef "The Noble Holy [Place]"
• Turkish Kudüs; Cudsembarie
• Azeri Qüds; Qüdsi-Şərif
• Tiberian Hebrew הַקֹּדֶשׁ HaKodesh "The Holy"
• Standard Hebrew הַקֹּדֶשׁ HaKodesh
• Hindi क़ुद्स Quds
• Persianقدس Qods
• Urdu قدس' Quds or Quds-e-Šhareef

Al-Quds is the most common Arabic name for Jerusalem and is used by many cultures influenced by Islam). The word Quds is derived from the Semitic root Q-D-S, meaning "holy". The variant al-Quds aš-Šarīf has also been used, notably by the Ottomans, who also used the Persian influenced Kuds-i Şerîf.

Bayt al-Maqdis

• Arabic بيت المقدس Bayt al-Maqdis, Bayt al-Muqaddas "House of the Holiness"

Bayt al-Maqdis or Bayt al-Muqaddas is a less commonly used Arabic name for Jerusalem, a variant of the previous. It is the base from which nisbas (names based on the origin of the person named) are formed - hence the famous medieval geographer called both al-Maqdisi and al-Muqaddasi (born 946.) This name is used in the Hadith (Sahih Muslim 234, 251). The name is similar to the Hebrew name for the Temple in Jerusalem, "Beit Hamikdash." (בית המקדש)

• Azeri Beytül-Müqəddəs
• Hindi बैत ए मुक़द्दस Bait-e Muqaddas
• Persian بيت مقدس Beit-e Moghaddas
• Turkish Beit-i Mukaddas
• Urdu بيت مقدس Bait-e Muqaddis

al-Balat

• Arabic البلاط al-Balāṭ, a rare poetic name for Jerusalem, from Latin palatium "palace".

Aelya

• Arabic إيلياء ʼĪlyāʼ, a rare name for Jerusalem, used in early times Middle Ages, as in some Hadith (Bukhari 1:6, 4:191; Muwatta 20:26).
• Latin Aelia Capitolina "Capitoline Hill of (the House of) Aelius"

Roman

Aelia Capitolina

• Latin Aelia Capitolina "Capitoline Hill of (the House of) Aelius"
• Arabic إيلياء, ʼĪlyāʼ
• Tiberian Hebrew אֵילִיָּה קַפִּיטוֹלִינָה ʼÊliyyāh Qappîṭôlînāh
• Standard Hebrew אֵילִיָּה קַפִּיטוֹלִינָה Eliyya Qappitolina

Aelia Capitolina was the Roman name given to Jerusalem after all Jews were expelled from the area. The name refers to Hadrian's family Aelius and the hill temple of Jupiter built on the remains of the Jewish Temple. Its Arabic counterpart, ʼĪlyāʼ was sometimes used in early times Middle Ages, as in some Hadith (Bukhari 1:6, 4:191; Muwatta 20:26), like Bayt ul-Maqdis (see below.)

Airport codes

JRS and LLJR were the IATA and ICAO airport codes for the Jerusalem International Airport.

Bibliography

• Patterson, David (2005), Hebrew Language and Jewish Thought, Routledge, ISBN 0415346975, 9780415346979 {{citation}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)

External links

• Template:PDFlink

See also

• Names of the Levant