Ἱεράπολις (Hierapolis)
Hierapolis
Hierapolis
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The name Hierapolis means "holy city," combining the Greek words for sacred and town. It refers to a specific urban center in ancient Phrygia, located in the Lycus valley near the rivers Maeander and Lycus. This geographical position placed it close to two other major cities mentioned in the New Testament: Colossae and Laodicea.
The city appears only once in Scripture, in Colossians 4:13, where Paul mentions Epaphras’s labor for the believers there. Its solitary mention highlights its status as a distinct community within the early Christian network of western Asia Minor, rather than a focal point of major apostolic narrative.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
Hierapolis means "holy city," a name that reminds us faith is lived out in real communities. Paul mentions this place only once, yet it shows how widely the early church spread across Asia Minor. Epaphras worked hard for believers there, showing that ordinary towns held extraordinary value to God.
This word connects you to a larger story of shared labor and mutual care. You are part of a global body where people pray for one another across distances. The name itself points to the sacredness of everyday life when lived in devotion to Christ.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- Hiera polis.1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- Ἱεραπόλει.¶1×
Key Verses
-
Colossians 4:13
For I testify about him that he has great zeal for you, and for those in Laodicea, and for those in Hierapolis.
This verse highlights Epaphras's intense concern for the Hierapolis believers, showing how personal intercession strengthens distant communities.