Har Megiddo
/hɑːr məˈɡɛdoʊ/noun
A biblical place-name traditionally interpreted as “Mount Megiddo,” associated in Revelation with the final apocalyptic battle.
Did you know?The English word “Armageddon” comes from the Greek form of Har Megiddo in the Book of Revelation, although no actual mountain called Har Megiddo is clearly identified at the site.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*har-
“Mountain or hill; the ancestral form behind Hebrew har.”
Iron Age
Hebrew
הַר מְגִדּוֹ (har Megiddo)
“Mountain of Megiddo; Megiddo was an important fortified city and strategic battlefield in northern Israel.”
1st Century
Koine Greek
Ἁρμαγεδών (Harmagedōn)
“The place-name appearing in Revelation 16:16, where the forces of the world are gathered for the final conflict.”
4th Century
Latin
Armagedon
“The Latin biblical form derived from the Greek Harmagedōn.”
Middle English
English
Armagedon
“A biblical name for the prophesied final battle.”
Modern English
English
Armageddon
“A catastrophic final conflict or world-ending disaster; Har Megiddo remains the underlying biblical place-name.”
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