Matthew 27:33
New International Version
They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”).

New Living Translation
And they went out to a place called Golgotha (which means “Place of the Skull”).

English Standard Version
And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull),

Berean Standard Bible
And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means The Place of the Skull,

Berean Literal Bible
And having come to a place called Golgotha, which is called Place of a Skull,

King James Bible
And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull,

New King James Version
And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull,

New American Standard Bible
And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull,

NASB 1995
And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull,

NASB 1977
And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull,

Legacy Standard Bible
And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull,

Amplified Bible
And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull,

Christian Standard Bible
When they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of the Skull),

Holman Christian Standard Bible
When they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Skull Place),

American Standard Version
And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, The place of a skull,

Contemporary English Version
They came to a place named Golgotha, which means "Place of a Skull."

English Revised Version
And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, The place of a skull,

GOD'S WORD® Translation
They came to a place called Golgotha (which means "the place of the skull").

Good News Translation
They came to a place called Golgotha, which means, "The Place of the Skull."

International Standard Version
When they came to a place called Golgotha (which means "Skull Place"),

Majority Standard Bible
And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means The Place of the Skull,

NET Bible
They came to a place called Golgotha (which means "Place of the Skull")

New Heart English Bible
They came to a place called "Golgotha," that is to say, "The place of a skull."

Webster's Bible Translation
And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull,

Weymouth New Testament
and so they came to a place called Golgotha, which means 'Skull-ground.'

World English Bible
When they came to a place called “Golgotha”, that is to say, “The place of a skull,”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and having come to a place called Golgotha, which is called “Place of [the] Skull,”

Berean Literal Bible
And having come to a place called Golgotha, which is called Place of a Skull,

Young's Literal Translation
and having come to a place called Golgotha, that is called Place of a Skull,

Smith's Literal Translation
And having come, to the place called Golgotha, which is called the place of the skull,
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And they came to the place that is called Golgotha, which is the place of Calvary.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And they arrived at the place which is called Golgotha, which is the place of Calvary.

New American Bible
And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of the Skull),

New Revised Standard Version
And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull),
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And they came to a place which is called Golgotha, which is interpreted The Skull.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And they came to the place that was called “Gagultha”, which is interpreted, “a Skull”.
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, which, when translated, is the place of a skull,

Godbey New Testament
Having come to the place called Golgotha, which is called the place of a skull.

Haweis New Testament
And when they were come to a place called Golgotha (which is called the place of a skull),

Mace New Testament
when they were come to a place called Golgotha, a word which signifies a skull,

Weymouth New Testament
and so they came to a place called Golgotha, which means 'Skull-ground.'

Worrell New Testament
And, having come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say "Place of a skull,"

Worsley New Testament
And when they were come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Crucifixion
32Along the way they found a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross of Jesus. 33And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means The Place of the Skull, 34they offered Him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, He refused to drink it.…

Cross References
Mark 15:22
They brought Jesus to a place called Golgotha, which means The Place of the Skull.

Luke 23:33
When they came to the place called The Skull, they crucified Him there, along with the criminals, one on His right and the other on His left.

John 19:17
Carrying His own cross, He went out to The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha.

Psalm 22:1
For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Doe of the Dawn.” A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from saving me, so far from my words of groaning?

Isaiah 53:12
Therefore I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the spoils with the strong, because He has poured out His life unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors. Yet He bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors.

Hebrews 13:12
And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate, to sanctify the people by His own blood.

John 19:20
Many of the Jews read this sign, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek.

Psalm 69:21
They poisoned my food with gall and gave me vinegar to quench my thirst.

Matthew 26:36
Then Jesus went with His disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and He told them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”

Mark 14:32
Then they came to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus told His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.”

Luke 22:39
Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed Him.

John 18:1
After Jesus had spoken these words, He went out with His disciples across the Kidron Valley, where they entered a garden.

Genesis 22:2
“Take your son,” God said, “your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. Offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.”

2 Chronicles 3:1
Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to his father David. This was the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

Leviticus 16:27
The bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought into the Most Holy Place to make atonement, must be taken outside the camp; and their hides, flesh, and dung must be burned up.


Treasury of Scripture

And when they were come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull,

Golgotha.

Mark 15:22
And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull.

Luke 23:27-33
And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him…

John 19:17
And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:

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Dead Golgotha Gol'gotha Head Means Skull Skull-Ground
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Matthew 27
1. Jesus is delivered bound to Pilate.
3. Judas hangs himself.
19. Pilate, admonished of his wife,
20. and being urged by the multitude, washes his hands, and releases Barabbas.
27. Jesus is mocked and crowned with thorns;
33. crucified;
39. reviled;
50. dies, and is buried;
62. his tomb is sealed and watched.














And when they came
This phrase marks the culmination of Jesus' journey to the crucifixion site. The Greek word "ἦλθον" (ēlthon) indicates a completed action, emphasizing the inevitability of this moment in the divine plan. Historically, this journey was a public spectacle, intended to humiliate and serve as a warning to others. Yet, for believers, it signifies the fulfillment of prophecy and the beginning of redemption.

to a place
The Greek term "τόπος" (topos) refers to a specific location, underscoring the historical reality of the crucifixion. This was not a mythical or allegorical event but occurred in a real, identifiable place. Archaeological studies suggest that Golgotha was outside the city walls of Jerusalem, aligning with Jewish customs of executing criminals outside the camp (Leviticus 24:14).

called Golgotha
The name "Golgotha" is derived from the Aramaic "Gulgaltha," meaning "skull." This term evokes a sense of death and foreboding, fitting for the site of crucifixion. Theories about the name's origin vary; some suggest the area resembled a skull, while others propose it was a place of execution where skulls were found. Spiritually, Golgotha represents the place where Jesus confronted the powers of sin and death.

which means The Place of the Skull
This explanatory phrase is crucial for understanding the significance of Golgotha. The Greek "κρανίου τόπος" (kraniou topos) directly translates to "place of a skull." This location, steeped in death, becomes the paradoxical site of life and victory for Christians. It is here that Jesus' sacrifice transforms a place of execution into a symbol of hope and salvation. Theologically, it reminds believers of the cost of sin and the depth of Christ's love, as He willingly faced death to bring eternal life to humanity.

(33) A place called Golgotha.--The other Gospels give the name with the definite article, as though it were a well-known locality. It is not mentioned, however, by any Jewish writer, and its position is matter of conjecture. It was "nigh unto the city" (John 19:20), and therefore outside the walls (comp. Hebrews 13:12). There was a garden in it (John 19:41), and in the garden a tomb, which was the property of Joseph of Arimathaea (Matthew 27:60). A tradition, traceable to the fourth century, has identified the spot with the building known as the Church of the Sepulchre. One eminent archaeologist of our own time (Mr. James Fergusson) identifies it with the Dome of the Rock in the Mosque of El Aksa. Both sites were then outside the city, but were afterwards enclosed by the third wall, built by Agrippa II. The name has been supposed by some to point to its being a common place of execution; but it is not probable that the skulls of criminals would have been left unburied, nor that a wealthy Jew should have chosen such a spot for a garden and a burial-place. The facts lead rather to the conclusion (1) that the name indicated the round, bare, skull-like character of the eminence which was so called; and (2) that it may have been chosen by the priests as a deliberate insult to the member of their own body who had refused to share their policy, and was at least suspected of discipleship, and whose garden, or orchard, with its rock-hewn sepulchre, lay hard by (Mark 15:43; Luke 23:51; John 19:38). A later legend saw in the name a token that the bones of Adam were buried there, and that as the blood flowed from the sacred wounds on his skull his soul was translated to Paradise. The more familiar name of Calvary (Luke 23:35) has its origin in the Vulgate rendering (Calvarium=& skull) of the Greek word Kranion, or Cranium, which the Evangelist actually uses. . . . Verse 33. - A place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull; quod est Calvariae locus (Vulgate). Hence the Latinized name Calvary. The word means "a skull;" but why the spot was so called is a doubtful question. That it was the usual place of execution is a suggestion with no proof, and one would expect the designation in this case to be "the place of skulls." Tradition (authorized by Origen) pointed to it as the spot where Adam was buried, and where his skull was found - a story that seems to have arisen from the typical reason that it was congruous that the first Adam and the second Adam should meet in death, the latter winning the victory there where the former showed his defeat. Most probably the name was given to it as descriptive of its appearance, a bare space of rock (not a hill) denuded of verdure, and bearing a distant resemblance to a human skull wanting hair. The actual situation of Calvary is hotly contested by exegetes and travellers, and is still far from being determined. The only criterion offered by our accounts in the Gospels is that it was without the then walls of the city, not far from one or the gates, and by the side of one of the principal roads leading from the city to the country. A certain knoll on the hill Gareb towards the northwest, by which the Damascus road led, and to which Jeremiah (Jeremiah 31:39) refers, is supposed, not very happily, to answer these requirements, If the present Church of the Holy Sepulchre, on the northwest of Jerusalem, really contains the actual Golgotha and the tomb of our Lord, the course of the second wall as usually drawn cannot be correct, as it embraces this site completely (see the Guardian, August 30, 1893, p. 1353). Opinion, always altering, has lately been inclined to endorse the authenticity of many of the traditional sites in the holy city and its neighbourhood. Further discoveries will set this and other matters at rest. Meantime, judgment must be suspended (see on ver. 51).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
And [when]
Καὶ (Kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

they came
ἐλθόντες (elthontes)
Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 2064: To come, go.

to
εἰς (eis)
Preposition
Strong's 1519: A primary preposition; to or into, of place, time, or purpose; also in adverbial phrases.

a place
τόπον (topon)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 5117: Apparently a primary word; a spot, i.e. Location; figuratively, condition, opportunity; specially, a scabbard.

called
λεγόμενον (legomenon)
Verb - Present Participle Middle or Passive - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3004: (a) I say, speak; I mean, mention, tell, (b) I call, name, especially in the pass., (c) I tell, command.

Golgotha,
Γολγοθᾶ (Golgotha)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 1115: Golgotha, a knoll outside the wall of Jerusalem. Of Chaldee origin; the skull; Golgotha, a knoll near Jerusalem.

which
(ho)
Personal / Relative Pronoun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3739: Who, which, what, that.

means
ἐστιν (estin)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

The Place
τόπος (topos)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 5117: Apparently a primary word; a spot, i.e. Location; figuratively, condition, opportunity; specially, a scabbard.

of the Skull,
κρανίου (kraniou)
Noun - Genitive Neuter Singular
Strong's 2898: A skull. Diminutive of a derivative of the base of keras; a skull.


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NT Gospels: Matthew 27:33 They came to a place called Golgotha (Matt. Mat Mt)
Matthew 27:32
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