Bible Places Pronunciation Guide
Audio recordings and phonetic spellings for 30+ biblical cities, regions, mountains, and lands — from Bethlehem to Thessalonica.
Biblical geography is not easy reading. The Bible spans three continents and draws its place names from at least six different languages. When those names passed through layers of translation, spellings were preserved that now confound English readers who encounter them for the first time — often in front of a congregation.
Why Biblical Geography Is Hard to Pronounce
The Bible spans three continents and draws its place names from Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, Latin, Persian, and Egyptian. When those names passed through Septuagint Greek, then Latin Vulgate, then English, the spellings often preserved the original structure rather than making the word phonetically accessible. Gethsemane (geth-SEM-uh-nee) looks like it should rhyme with “Germany.” It doesn’t. Golgotha (GOL-guh-thuh) looks like “Goliath” was involved somehow. It wasn’t.
Translation Variants and Alternative Names
Some biblical places appear under different names in different translations. Calvary (from the Latin calvaria, “skull”) and Golgotha (from the Aramaic gulgalta, also “skull”) refer to the same location. Cyrene in Acts corresponds to the modern Libyan coast. Where significant variants exist, the BibleSpeak entry notes them.
Place names in the Old Testament sometimes shift in the New Testament due to changes in political control or population. Aram in the Old Testament overlaps with Syria and parts of modern Iraq. Caesarea Philippi — often distinguished from Caesarea on the coast — was a city at the foot of Mount Hermon that appears in Peter’s famous confession. The distinctions matter, and this guide notes them where they arise.
How to Pronounce Bible Places — From Bethlehem to Thessalonica
The places below span the Old and New Testaments: the cities where Jesus was born, taught, and died; the regions Paul traveled through on his missionary journeys; and the ancient kingdoms whose names echo through prophecy and history. Each entry includes a phonetic spelling and an audio recording you can play directly in your browser.
Hear the pronunciation of Alexandria
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highness, magnificence, one that deceives; curse
Hear the pronunciation of Aram
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same as Babel, confusion; mixture
Hear the pronunciation of Babylon
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the house of song; the house of affliction
Hear the pronunciation of Bethany
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Hear the pronunciation of Bethlehem
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house of fruits, or of food, or of snares
Hear the pronunciation of Bethsaida
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Hear the pronunciation of Caesarea Philippi
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the field of repentance; city of comfort
Hear the pronunciation of Capernaum
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the same as Caphtor, a sphere, buckle, or hand
Hear the pronunciation of Cappadocia
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which is satisfied; ornament; beauty
Hear the pronunciation of Corinth
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his moon; his month; his sweet smell
Hear the pronunciation of Jericho
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Hear the pronunciation of Miletus
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separated; crowned; sanctified
Hear the pronunciation of Nazareth
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a nation made up of every tribe
Hear the pronunciation of Pamphylia
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same as Philip, in the plural, warlike; lovers of horses
Hear the pronunciation of Philippi
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victory against the Thessalians
Hear the pronunciation of Thessalonica
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