Jerusalem

Jeru'salem (Heb. ירוּשָׁלִם, Yerushala'im, fully [in 1Ch 3:5; 2Ch 25:1; Es 2:6; Jer 26:18] ירוּשָׁלִים,

Yerushala'yim [with final ה directive, ירוּשָׁלֵמָה, 1Ki 10:2; fully ירוּשָׁלִימָה, 2Ch 32:9]; Chald. ירוּשׁלֵם or ירוּשׁלֶם, Yerushelem'; Syr. Urishlem; Gr. Ι᾿ερουσαλήμ (τὰ) ῾Ιεροσόλυμα [Gen. ύμων]; Latin Hierosolymna), poetically also SALEM (שָׁלֵם, Shalenz'), and once ARIEL (q.v.); originally JEBUS (q.v.); in sacred themes the "City of God," or the "Holy City" (Ne 11:1,16; Mt 4:5), as in the modern Arab. name el-Khuds, the Holy (comp. ἱερόπολις, Philo, Opp. 2:524); once (2Ch 25:28) the "city of Judah." The Hebrew name is a dual form (see Gesenius, Lehrg. p. 539 sq.; Ewald, Krit. Gramm. 332), and is of disputed etymology (see Gesenius, Thes. Heb. p. 628; Rosenmüller, Altflerth. 2, 2, 202; Ewald, Isr. Gesch. 2, 584), but probably signifies possession of peace (q.d. יֵרוּשׁאּשָׁלֵם [rather than ירוּ שָׁלֵם, i.e. foundation of peace, as preferred by Gesenius and Fürst]), the dual referring to the two chief mountains (Zion and Moriah) on which it was built, or the two main parts (the Upper and the Lower City, i.e. Zion and Acra). It has been known under the above titles in all ages as the Jewish capital of Palestine.

I. History. — This is so largely made up of the history of Palestine itself in different ages, and of its successive rulers, that for minute details we refer to these, see JUDEA; we here present only a general survey, but with references to sources of more detailed information.