Ararat אֲרָרָט (Mountain) Armenian, Biblical, Biblical HebrewFrom the name of the ancient kingdom of Urartu. This is the name of a mountain in Turkey (formerly part of Armenia), the place where
Noah's Ark came to rest according to the Old Testament. It is usually called
Մասիս (Masis) in Armenian.
Arimathea Ἁριμαθαία (Settlement) BiblicalFrom Greek
Ἁριμαθαία (Harimathaia), of unknown meaning. In the New Testament this is the home town of Joseph of Arimathea. The town has not been positively identified, though
רָמָתַיִם (Ramatayim) or
רָמָה (Ramah) near Jerusalem has been proposed.
Babylon Βαβυλών (Settlement) English, German, Dutch, Biblical, Ancient Roman, Biblical Latin, Ancient Greek, Biblical GreekGreek form of Akkadian
𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠 (Babili), which appears to mean
"gateway of God", from Akkadian
𒆍 (babu) meaning "gate" and
𒀭 (ilu) meaning "God", though it may in fact derive from a non-Semitic language. This was the name of a major city in ancient Mesopotamia, the capital of the Babylonian Empire. It was located in present-day Iraq.
Bethany (Settlement) BiblicalFrom Greek
Βηθανία (Bethania), which is of uncertain meaning. The first part of the name is derived from Hebrew/Aramaic
בַּיִת (bayit) meaning "house". Suggestions for the second part of the name include
עָנָה ('anah) leading to
"house of affliction" or
תְּאֵנָה (te'enah) leading to
"house of figs". In the New Testament the town of Bethany is the home of Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha.
Bethel בֵּית־אֵל (Settlement) BiblicalMeans
"house of God" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is a town north of Jerusalem, where
Jacob saw his vision of the stairway.
Bethlehem בֵּית־לֶחֶם (Settlement) English, German, Dutch, BiblicalMeans
"house of bread" in Hebrew, from the roots
בַּיִת (bayit) meaning "house" and
לֶחֶם (lechem) meaning "bread". This is the name of a city in Palestine. It appears in the both the Old Testament and the New Testament, notably as the town where
Jesus is born.
Canaan כְּנַעַן (Region) English, French, BiblicalFrom Hebrew
כְּנַעַן (Kena'an), possibly from a root meaning
"low, humble". This was the name of an ancient region, the home of the biblical Canaanites, in what is now Palestine and Israel.
Ebenezer אֶבֶן הָעָזֶר (Other) BiblicalFrom Hebrew
אֶבֶן הָעָזֶר ('Even Ha'azer) meaning
"stone of help". This is the name of a monument erected by
Samuel in the Old Testament.
Eden (Region) Hebrew, BiblicalPossibly from Hebrew
עֵדֶן ('eden) meaning
"pleasure, delight", or perhaps derived from Sumerian
𒂔 (edin) meaning
"plain". According to the Old Testament the Garden of Eden was the place where the first people, Adam and Eve, lived before they were expelled.
Galilee (Region) English, BiblicalFrom Hebrew
גָּלִיל (Galil) meaning "district, roll". This is a region in northern Israel, mentioned in the Old and New Testament.
Gethsemane (Region) BiblicalFrom
Γεθσημανί (Gethsemani), the Greek form of an Aramaic place name meaning
"oil press". In the New Testament this is the name of the garden where
Jesus was arrested, located on the Mount of Olives near Jerusalem.
Gilead גִּלְעָד (Region) BiblicalMeans
"heap of witness" in Hebrew. This is the name of a mountainous region east of the Jordan River, as mentioned in the Old Testament.
Israel יִשְׂרָאֵל, Ἰσραήλ (Country) English, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Indonesian, Malay, Biblical, Biblical GreekFrom the name of the Old Testament hero Jacob, who was also called
Israel. This was the name of an ancient kingdom that existed until the 8th century BC. The modern country of Israel is named for it.
Jericho יְרִיחוֹ (Settlement) English, BiblicalMeaning uncertain, possibly related to the Hebrew word
יָרֵחַ (yareach) meaning
"moon", or otherwise to the Hebrew word
רֵיחַ (reyach) meaning
"fragrant". This is the name of a city in Palestine, mentioned several times in the Old Testament.
Jerusalem (Settlement) English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Luxembourgish, Southern African, Afrikaans, Catalan, Bosnian, BiblicalFrom Hebrew
יְרוּשָׁלַיִם (Yerushalayim), from an earlier Canaanite form like
Urushalim, probably meaning
"established by (the god) Shalim". This is the name of a city in Israel and Palestine. Originally a Canaanite city, it was conquered by the Israelites under King
David at the beginning of the 10th century BC. It is now regarded as a holy city by Jews, Christians and Muslims.
Jordan יַרְדֵן (River & Country) English, Danish, Norwegian, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Macedonian, German, Swedish, Finnish, Estonian, Polish, Slovene, BiblicalRiver that flows between the countries of Jordan and Israel. The river's name in Hebrew is
יַרְדֵן (Yarden), and it is derived from
יָרַד (yarad) meaning
"descend" or
"flow down". The river has lent its name to the country to the east (in German, Swedish, Finnish, Estonian, Polish and Slovene this is only the name of the river, with the name of the country taking a different form).
Lehi לֶחִי (Region) BiblicalMeans
"jawbone" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of the site where the hero
Samson killed 1,000 men using only a donkey's jawbone.
Nineveh (Settlement) English, BiblicalFrom Akkadian
𒉌𒉡𒀀 (Ninua), possibly related to
𒄩 (nūnu) meaning
"fish". When written, the name is usually prefixed with
𒌷 indicating a city. This may have referred to an aspect of
Ishtar, as from an early time the city was a center of worship of the goddess. The cuneiform symbols used to represent the city's name depict a fish within a house.
... [more] Philadelphia Φιλαδέλφεια (Settlement) Biblical, EnglishMeans
"brotherly love" from Greek
φιλέω (phileo) meaning "to love" and
ἀδελφός (adelphos) meaning "brother". This was the name of a city in Asia Minor mentioned in Revelation in the New Testament. It is now known as
Alaşehir (in Turkey). It is also the name of a city in the United States.
Salem שָׁלֵם (Settlement) English, BiblicalFrom Hebrew
שָׁלֵם (shalem) meaning
"complete, safe, peaceful". This is the name of a town in the Old Testament where Melchizedek was king. It is usually identified with
Jerusalem. Several places are named after the biblical town, mostly in America.
Sela סֶלַע (Settlement) BiblicalMeans
"rock" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of a city, the capital of Edom. In the Greek and Latin Old Testament the name is translated as
Petra, though it may be distinct from the Nabataean city.
Tarah תָּרַח (Settlement) BiblicalA place name (an encampment) used in some versions of the Old Testament. It is identical to the personal name
Terah.
Teman תֵּימָן (Settlement & Country) Biblical, Biblical Hebrew, HebrewMeans
"right hand" or
"south" in Hebrew. This is an Edomite town in the Old Testament, supposedly named for a grandson of Esau. In modern Hebrew this name refers to the country of
Yemen.