The Life of Jesus in Harmony | Index

Jerusalem

JERUSALEM The etymology of the name is not certain; it is apparently of Semitic origin. An Egyptian notice from the third quarter of the nineteenth century B.C. mentions Urusalimum. The Assyrians called it Ursalimmu. Modern scholars take these names to mean "founded by the god Shalem," a god of the Amorites (Jerusalem is said to have been founded by Amorites and Hittites; (Ezek 16:3,45).

In time, however, the second part of the name became associated with shalom ("peace") in Hebrew minds, and Jerusalem came to mean "city of peace." Romans and Greeks called it Hierosolyma. To the Arabs it is El Kuds, meaning "holy town."

The first city of Palestine, and the "holy city" for three great world religions: Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.

The "holy city" is located fourteen miles W of the Dead Sea, thirty-three miles E of the Mediterranean. Bethlehem lies about five miles to the SE. The city is situated on an uneven rocky plateau at an elevation of 2,550 feet. It is 3,800 feet above the level of the Dead Sea. It is poetically called "beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth" (Ps 48:2). Its location has helped to give it prestige.

Jerusalem stands at a point where three steep-sided little wadis join to form one valley. They are the Kidron, Tyropoeon, and Hinnom valleys. The Kidron runs N and S and lies on the E of the city. Between it and the Tyropoeon Valley (also N-S) a long, narrow spur extends southward; on this stood the Jebusite town conquered by David. Then a western hill (now known as Zion) stands between the Tyropoeon and the Hinnom, which runs N and S and then curves in an easterly direction to join the other two valleys. To the E of the Kidron rises the Mount of Olives.