Place
Jerusalem
Also known as Yerushalayim · Al-Quds · Salem · Jebus · City of David · Zion
The central city of the Hebrew Bible and New Testament; site of Solomon's Temple, the Second Temple, and Christ's crucifixion and resurrection.
capitaltemplemessianic
Where it is
- Modern name
- Jerusalem
- Country
- Israel / Palestinian Territories
- Coordinates
- 31.7683° N, 35.2137° E
- Region
- Judean Hill Country
- Kind of place
- City
- Era
- Ancient and modern
Jerusalem in Scripture
768 verses name it — the first 40, in canonical order- Genesis 14:18And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was priest of God Most High.
- Joshua 10:1Now it came to pass, when Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it (as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king), and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them;
- Joshua 10:3Wherefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent unto Hoham king of Hebron, and unto Piram king of Jarmuth, and unto Japhia king of Lachish, and unto Debir king of Eglon, saying,
- Joshua 10:5Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, gathered themselves together, and went up, they and all their hosts, and encamped against Gibeon, and made war against it.
- Joshua 10:23And they did so, and brought forth those five kings unto him out of the cave, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon.
- Joshua 12:10the king of Jerusalem, one; the king of Hebron, one;
- Joshua 15:8and the border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom unto the side of the Jebusite southward (the same is Jerusalem); and the border went up to the top of the mountain that lieth before the valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the uttermost part of the vale of Rephaim northward;
- Joshua 15:63And as for the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out: but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem unto this day.
- Joshua 18:28and Zelah, Eleph, and the Jebusite (the same is Jerusalem), Gibeath, and Kiriath; fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the children of Benjamin according to their families.
- Judges 1:7And Adoni-bezek said, Threescore and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered their food under my table: as I have done, so God hath requited me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.
- Judges 1:8And the children of Judah fought against Jerusalem, and took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire.
- Judges 1:21And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto this day.
- Judges 19:10But the man would not tarry that night, but he rose up and departed, and came over against Jebus (the same is Jerusalem): and there were with him a couple of asses saddled; his concubine also was with him.
- 1 Samuel 17:54And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armor in his tent.
- 2 Samuel 5:5In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months; and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah.
- 2 Samuel 5:6And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who spake unto David, saying, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither; thinking, David cannot come in hither.
- 2 Samuel 5:13And David took him more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem, after he was come from Hebron; and there were yet sons and daughters born to David.
- 2 Samuel 5:14And these are the names of those that were born unto him in Jerusalem: Shammua, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon,
- 2 Samuel 8:7And David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem.
- 2 Samuel 9:13So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem; for he did eat continually at the king’s table. And he was lame in both his feet.
- 2 Samuel 10:14And when the children of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fled, they likewise fled before Abishai, and entered into the city. Then Joab returned from the children of Ammon, and came to Jerusalem.
- 2 Samuel 11:1And it came to pass, at the return of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried at Jerusalem.
- 2 Samuel 11:12And David said to Uriah, Tarry here to-day also, and to-morrow I will let thee depart. So Uriah abode in Jerusalem that day, and the morrow.
- 2 Samuel 12:31And he brought forth the people that were therein, and put them under saws, and under harrows of iron, and under axes of iron, and made them pass through the brickkiln: and thus did he unto all the cities of the children of Ammon. And David and all the people returned unto Jerusalem.
- 2 Samuel 14:23So Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.
- 2 Samuel 14:28And Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem; and he saw not the king’s face.
- 2 Samuel 15:8For thy servant vowed a vow while I abode at Geshur in Syria, saying, If Jehovah shall indeed bring me again to Jerusalem, then I will serve Jehovah.
- 2 Samuel 15:11And with Absalom went two hundred men out of Jerusalem, that were invited, and went in their simplicity; and they knew not anything.
- 2 Samuel 15:14And David said unto all his servants that were with him at Jerusalem, Arise, and let us flee; for else none of us shall escape from Absalom: make speed to depart, lest he overtake us quickly, and bring down evil upon us, and smite the city with the edge of the sword.
- 2 Samuel 15:29Zadok therefore and Abiathar carried the ark of God again to Jerusalem: and they abode there.
- 2 Samuel 15:37So Hushai, David’s friend, came into the city; and Absalom came into Jerusalem.
- 2 Samuel 16:3And the king said, And where is thy master’s son? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he abideth at Jerusalem; for he said, To-day will the house of Israel restore me the kingdom of my father.
- 2 Samuel 16:15And Absalom, and all the people, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him.
- 2 Samuel 17:20And Absalom’s servants came to the woman to the house; and they said, Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan? And the woman said unto them, They are gone over the brook of water. And when they had sought and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.
- 2 Samuel 19:19And he said unto the king, Let not my lord impute iniquity unto me, neither do thou remember that which thy servant did perversely the day that my lord the king went out of Jerusalem, that the king should take it to his heart.
- 2 Samuel 19:25And it came to pass, when he was come to Jerusalem to meet the king, that the king said unto him, Wherefore wentest not thou with me, Mephibosheth?
- 2 Samuel 19:33And the king said unto Barzillai, Come thou over with me, and I will sustain thee with me in Jerusalem.
- 2 Samuel 19:34And Barzillai said unto the king, How many are the days of the years of my life, that I should go up with the king unto Jerusalem?
- 2 Samuel 20:2So all the men of Israel went up from following David, and followed Sheba the son of Bichri; but the men of Judah clave unto their king, from the Jordan even to Jerusalem.
- 2 Samuel 20:3And David came to his house at Jerusalem; and the king took the ten women his concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in ward, and provided them with sustenance, but went not in unto them. So they were shut up unto the day of their death, living in widowhood.
728 more verses nameit — read them in the books below. Text is the ASV; the search is on the place's own name as Scripture spells it.
The account
Jerusalem appears first in Scripture as "Salem" (Genesis 14:18) and later as Jebus before its capture by David (2 Samuel 5:6–9; 1 Chronicles 11:4–7), who made it the capital of the united monarchy and brought the Ark of the Covenant there. Solomon built the First Temple on its Temple Mount (1 Kings 6). Destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE (2 Kings 25), it was rebuilt and its temple restored in the Persian period. The Second Temple, massively expanded by Herod the Great, was destroyed by Rome in 70 CE (Matthew 24:2; described in detail by Josephus in The Jewish War). In the New Testament, Jerusalem is the site of Jesus' triumphal entry, last supper, trial, crucifixion, resurrection, and Pentecost. The city holds central religious significance in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Archaeological excavation has continued since the 19th century; the City of David and Temple Mount are extensively documented in open-access archaeological literature.
Where this leads
from Jerusalem- 2 Kingsnames it 48 times
- 2 Samuelnames it 30 times
- 1 Kingsnames it 28 times
- Joshuanames it 8 times
- Judgesnames it 4 times
- 1 Samuelnames it 1 time
- Davidnamed in this place's story
- Ahijahnamed in this place's story
- Solomonnamed in this place's story
- Amaziahnamed in this place's story
- Uzziahnamed in this place's story
- Ahaznamed in this place's story
- The Atlasthe published maps of the biblical world
- Every placethe whole gazetteer
Sources (4)
- Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897): Jerusalem · accessed 2026-04-17Public domain.
- ISBE (1915): Jerusalem · accessed 2026-04-17Public domain.
- Wikipedia: Jerusalem · accessed 2026-04-17CC-BY-SA.
- Josephus, The Jewish War (Whiston tr., public domain) · accessed 2026-04-17Primary source for the 70 CE siege.