Bible Dictionary
Calvary
Calvary is the Latin form of the name translated “place of a skull,” the site outside Jerusalem where Jesus was crucified. It is also called Golgotha in the Gospel accounts.
Definition
Calvary is the Latin form of the name translated “place of a skull.” It designates the place where Jesus was crucified and corresponds to Golgotha, the name used in the Gospel accounts.
Biblical Usage
Jesus’ crucifixion took place at Calvary outside the city walls and near a public thoroughfare. Scripture does not itself call Calvary a hill.
Historical Background
The name may have arisen from the site’s appearance as a low, rounded, bare elevation somewhat resembling a human skull.
Scripture References
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
Only in Luke 23:33, the Latin name Calvaria, which was used as a translation of the Greek word Kranion, by which the Hebrew word Gulgoleth was interpreted, “the place of a skull.” It probably took this name from its shape, being a hillock or low, rounded, bare elevation somewhat in the form of a human skull. It is nowhere in Scripture called a “hill.” The crucifixion of our Lord took place outside the city walls (Heb. 13:11-13) and near the public thoroughfare. “This thing was not done in a corner.” (See GOLGOTHA.)
Smith's Bible Dictionary
[See Golgatha]
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>kal'-va-ri.</p><p>See GOLGOTHA.</p>