Gulgoleth
/ɡʊlˈɡoʊ.lɛθ/noun
A Hebrew word meaning a skull or the head, especially in biblical contexts.
Did you know?Gulgoleth is the Hebrew source behind Golgotha, the New Testament name traditionally translated as “Place of the Skull.”
Etymological Timeline
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
גֻּלְגֹּלֶת (gulgōleṯ)
“Skull, cranium, or head; the word is associated with the rounded form of the head.”
Late Second Temple Period
Aramaic
גֻּלְגֻּלְתָּא (gulgultā)
“Skull; the Aramaic form used in the linguistic environment of the New Testament.”
1st Century CE
Greek
Γολγοθᾶ (Golgothâ)
“Golgotha, a transliteration of the Aramaic expression meaning “skull” or “place of the skull.””
4th Century CE
Latin
Calvaria
“Skull; Latin translators rendered the name Golgotha as Calvaria, producing the English religious term Calvary.”
Modern English
English
Gulgoleth
“A scholarly transliteration of the biblical Hebrew noun, primarily encountered in lexicons, biblical studies, and theological writing.”