κρᾱνίον G2898
Skull; the bony upper part of the head, used as a place name for Golgotha/Calvary.
Means the skull or cranium—the bony casing of the upper head. In all four Gospel accounts, it appears as part of the place name 'the place of a skull' (Kranion), translating the Aramaic Golgotha and rendered into Latin as Calvaria, whence English 'Calvary.' Whether the site was named for its skull-like rock formation or its association with execution remains debated. Spanish Calavera (skull) and French Crâne directly reflect the Greek anatomical term.
Senses
1. sense 1 — The skull, the bony structure encasing the brain. Every NT occurrence (Matt 27:33; Mark 15:22; Luke 23:33; John 19:17) uses the word as part of the toponym 'place of the skull' (topos kraniou), identifying the site of Jesus' crucifixion. The term translates Aramaic Golgotha and was rendered into Latin as Calvaria. Spanish Calavera/Cráneo and French Crâne preserve the anatomical precision. The consistent use across all four Gospels as a geographic-anatomical designation—rather than a description of actual skulls—suggests the site's topography resembled a skull shape. 4×
AR["الْجُمْجُمَةِ", "جُلْجُثَةَ", "جُمْجُمَةِ"]·ben["Κρανίον-খুলি", "করোটির", "মাথার-খুলির", "মাথার-খুলির,"]·DE["Schaedel", "Κρανίον", "κρανίου"]·EN["Skull", "of-Skull", "of-a-Skull", "of-skull"]·FR["Crâne"]·heb["גֻּלְגֹּלֶת", "גֻלְגֹּלֶת"]·HI["खोपड़ी", "खोपड़ी-का"]·ID["Tengkorak"]·IT["kranion", "kraniou"]·jav["Tengkorak"]·KO["해골", "해골-의", "해골의"]·PT["Cavêra", "do-Crânio"]·RU["Череп", "Черепа", "Черепа,"]·ES["Calavera", "Cráneo", "de-Calavera", "de-cráneo"]·SW["Fuvu-la-Kichwa", "Kichwa", "fuvu-la-kichwa"]·TR["Kafatası", "kafatası"]·urd["کھوپڑی", "کھوپڑی-کی"]
Related Senses
H7200 1. Qal: to see, perceive (1257×)G4771 2. you (singular address) (1077×)H8085 1. Qal: hear, perceive aurally (921×)H0859a 1. you (2nd person masculine singular pronoun) (743×)H0398 1. eat (consume food) (697×)H4191 1. die (Qal: natural/general death) (645×)G3708 1. see, perceive visually (419×)G0191 1. hear, perceive sound (360×)H???? 3. (352×)G3708 2. behold, look (exclamatory) (256×)H7272 1. foot (body part) (236×)H8354 1. drink, consume liquid (209×)H3205 1. Qal active: bear/give birth (female subject) (204×)H3205 2. Qal active: beget/father (male subject) (198×)H2421 1. Qal: live, be alive (177×)H8085 2. Qal: listen, heed, pay attention (172×)H2416a 1. alive, living (state/attribute) (146×)H2416e 1. life, lifespan, lifetime (145×)G2198 1. be alive, have life (133×)H8193 1. lip, lips (body part) (123×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
κρᾱνίον, τό, (κάρα) upper part of the head, skull (κεφαλῆς τὸ τριχωτὸν μέρος Refs 4th c.BC+; of horses, ὅθι τε πρῶται τρίχες ἵππων κρανίῳ ἐμπεφύασι Refs 8th c.BC+; of men, Refs 5th c.BC+: generally, head, Refs 4th c.BC+ __II headache, Refs