A City Joined Together
Psalms 122:3 states: “Yerushalayim that is built like a city that is joined together”. In classical rabbinic literature, the name Yerushalayim (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם) is written and pronounced in a plural form. If we want to understand what the Hebrew word Yerushalayim means, we must pay attention to how the Hebrew language and culture defines it.
The Chazal (the Rabbinic Sages) explain this grammatical feature through deep theological concept rather than linguistic one. Another classical rabbinic tradition derives the plural nature of the name from its historical and etymological origins, combining two names given by two righteous persons. Hence, there are two primary reasons found in classical rabbinic sources that explain the plural form of the city of the Eternal One.
The Merging of Two Names: Yireh and Shalem
In the weekly Torah portion Lech Lecha, “Go for yourself” (Genesis 12:1-17:27), we find the first reference to the city of Jerusalem. We read about Malkitsedek (Righteous King), King of Shalem, the founder of the city,
And Malkitsedek king of Shalem brought forth bread and wine; and he was priest of God the Most High. (Genesis 14:18)
According to the Midrash (Bereishit Rabbah 56:10), the site of Jerusalem originally had two names: (1) Shalem (שָׁלֵם), meaning “completeness”, “wholeness”, hence “peace” seeing that when one is whole, he has peace. This was the name used by Malkitsedek, King of Shalem (according to the tradition, Malkitsedek in Genesis 14:18 is identified as Shem, son of Noach), and (2) Yireh (יִרְאֶה), meaning “will see” or “will provide”. Yireh was the name given by Avraham after the binding of Yitschak, calling that place Adonai Yireh, “Adonai will see” or “Adonai will provide”. We read,
And Avraham called the name of that place Adonai-Yireh; as it is said to this day: “In the mount where the LORD is seen”. (Genesis 22:14)
Hence, when the two names from Genesis 14:18 and Genesis 22:14 are fused together, they yield Yireh-Shalem. While the city was still called Shalem, the Eternal made Himself a provisional sukkah, as it is stated:
In Shalem also is set His Tabernacle, and His dwelling-place in Tzion. (Psalms 76:3)
Alternatively, another tradition has it that the name Yerushalayim comes from the words יראה yirah and שלם shalem. Yirah is the Hebrew word for “awe” but commonly mistranslated as “fear”, and shalem meaning “completeness”, “wholeness”, “peace”. Yirah (awe of God) and Shalem (perfection) combine to form the name Yerushalayim; this is what the name of the eternal city bestows upon those who love her and are faithful to her.
But why then is the name of the city called Yerushalayim, which is in the plural form, and not Yerushalem (singular)? What makes the name of the eternal city even more intriguing—as we explain below—is that Yerushalayim is not a mere plural form but a dual plural form. What is “dual form”?
The dual plural form in Biblical Hebrew
In Hebrew, the dual form is a distinct grammatical number used exclusively for nouns to indicate exactly two (a pair) of something. While most modern languages only choose between singular (one) and plural (more than one), Biblical Hebrew maintains this ancient third category: the dual form.
The dual form is created by appending a specific suffix to the base form of a noun. The masculine nouns take the suffix ־ַיִם (-ayim), and the feminine nouns: If the singular noun ends in the letter heh (ה), the heh transitions to a tav (ת), making the suffix ־ְתַיִם (-tayim). Examples of the masculine nouns are: יוֹם yom, “day”, and יוֹמַיִם yomayim, “two days”; of the feminine nouns: שָׁנָה shanah, “year”, and שְׁנָתַיִם shenatayim, “two years”.
The dual suffix is applied only to nouns; verbs, adjectives, and pronouns do not have dual forms and will simply use standard plural modifiers. This rule applies to objects that naturally come in pairs—especially body parts—or objects designed as single items made of two matching components: עֵינַיִם einayim, “eyes”, אָזְנַיִם oznayim, “ears”, יָדַיִם yadayim, “hands”.
In Biblical Hebrew, understanding the dual form shifts from a basic grammar rule to a vital tool for theological and literary interpretation. The dual form is much more prevalent and expressive in the Tanakh than in Modern Hebrew. When analyzing Biblical texts, keeping these critical text-analysis nuances in mind yields deeper insights.
Speak to the heart of Yerushalayim and cry out to her that her hard service is completed, that her guilt is pardoned, that she has received from the hand of the Eternal double for all her sins. (Isaiah 40:2)
In poetic and prophetic literature (like the Book of Isaiah), the dual form is frequently used to emphasize an extreme degree, spatial vastness, or a literal “double portion” of blessing or judgment. For example, the double punishment in Isaiah 40:2, Jerusalem is comforted because she has received from the Lord’s hand כִּפְלַיִם kiflayim, “double/twofold” for all her sins.
Several geographical and cosmic entities in the Hebrew Scripture are permanently locked into a dual form.
The split waters
And Elohim said, “Let a firmament come to be in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters”. And Elohim made the firmament and separated the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament. And it came to be so. (Genesis 1:6-7)
In Biblical Hebrew, the word for water—mayim (מַיִם)—possesses the distinct suffix of the dual grammatical form. However, because water is a one substance and not a pair, its appearance in the Hebrew text creates difficulties.
In Genesis 1:6–7, the Creator creates an expanse (Hebrew: rakiya, “firmament”) to “separate the waters from the waters”. This action creates a dual reality: (1) the waters above (clouds which fall as rain) and the waters below (oceans, rivers, and subterranean springs); (2) the waters above the firmament, and the waters below it. For further knowledge of the matter, the reader will do well to read what we have written in our commentary on the firmament that separated the waters from the waters in the article “When the Firmament in Heaven Declared the Creation”.
In the dual cosmic structure, the split waters (mayim) are mirrored perfectly by the word for “sky” or “heaven”, shamayim (שָׁמַיִם), which carries the exact same dual suffix.
The two Heavens
Before the Beginning there was nothing but Ein Sof (The Infinite One). Sefer Yetzirah 4:2 states: “He is the Place of the universe, but the universe is not His place”.
The opening verse of Genesis begins with God creating the shamayim (שָׁמַיִם), “heavens”. This dual form ayim structurally implies a cosmos composed of distinct realms: the visible sky and the dwelling of the Creator. In the Hebrew etymology, shamayim was understood as a compound word sham-mayim meaning “there are the waters” (sham, “there” and mayim, “waters”, or “the upper waters”.
Heaven was the first thing God created. The word שָׁמַיִם shamayim meaning “heavens”, contains within it the Hebrew word מַיִם mayim, “water”. Earth’s atmosphere contains a significant amount of water then and now, a fact reflected in the verse, “God made the firmament, and separated the water which was below the firmament from the water which was above the firmament” (Genesis 1:7). Shamayim (like Yerushalayim) has two form: long form שָׁמַיִם shamayim and short שָׁמֶה shameh. The long form being dual, meaning to be lofty, the sky (as aloft) alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies move. Hence, shamayim means “heavenly waters”.
In the ancient Hebraic mind, using the dual forms for water (waters) and heaven (heavens)—the sky and the invisible heaven above—perfectly captured this physical and spiritual reality of the universe; the two massive bodies of water and the two heavens have shaped how humans see the existence of the universe, and how they see Jerusalem.
The Two Jerusalems: Heavenly and Earthly
The Hebrew word for Jerusalem is יְרוּשָׁלַיִם “Yerushalayim” in dual plural form. This dual form is geographically tied to the city’s topography, spanning two major hills (Mount Zion and Mount Moriah) divided by a valley. Zion or Tziyon (צִיּוֹן), geographically refers to the fortress of King David, the other name of Yerushalayim, or the Land of Israel as a whole. Etymologically, Tziyon means a landmark, signpost, or monument—a physical marker that is set apart and demands notice.
In the Hebrew Bible, ציּון Tzion is a name related to the word me’tzuyan (מְצֻיָּן), meaning excellent, exceptional, or outstanding. It literally translates to “marked” or “noted”. If something is me’tzuyan, it is so distinctly superior that it stands out from the rest—it is noteworthy.
“Zion” is frequently used the people themselves connecting the two together: the inhabitants of Tzion are meant to be me’tzuyan—distinguished, marked, and set apart by their actions, values, and ethical standards. Just as a m’tzuyan person stands out in exceptional quality, Jerusalem serves as the historical, spiritual landmark meant to stand out to the world but also to become a heavy stone to those who would try to lift it (see Zecharia 12 and The War of Gog of Magog).
Insight: Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) is mentioned 660 times in the Hebrew Bible, but only five mentions of the city have the full spelling (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם) as it is used today, while 2Chroniles 25:1 and 32:9 have both forms: יְרוּשָׁלַיִם and יְרוּשָׁלַםִ. While most artifacts use the short version of the spelling (יְרוּשָׁלַםִ), the oldest artifact has the inscription with the full spelling of Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם).
We will now turn to explaining what we commenced at the beginning of this study, this time on a deeper level of understanding.
In the Babylonian Talmud (Tractate Taanit 5a), Rabbi Yochanan quotes a verse from Hosea 11 that reads: “It is sacred in your midst, and I will not enter the city (Hosea 11:9)”
“The Holy One, Blessed be He, said: I shall not enter Jerusalem above, in heaven, until I enter Jerusalem on earth down below at the time of the redemption, when it will be sacred in your midst”.
The Gemara asks: “And is there such a place as Jerusalem above?” And quoting Psalms 122:3: “Jerusalem built up, a city unified together”, answers: “The term unified indicates that there are two cities of Jerusalem, a heavenly one and an earthly one, which are bound together”.
What did David convey when he wrote that Yerushalayim is joined together?
Based on the Hebrew grammar, the foundational rabbinic explanation for the dual plural form is that there are two distinct realms of יְרוּשָׁלַיִם Yerushalayim: the physical city below and its heavenly counterpart directly above it in the heavens. Thus, the grammar makes explicit what is implicit in Psalms 122.
Midrashic literature expands on this cosmic parallel of the existence of two Jerusalems. Midrash Tehillim 122 states that the heavenly Jerusalem is positioned directly opposite the earthly Jerusalem out of God’s immense love for the physical city on earth, mirroring its structure in the spiritual realms. Thus, the Scripture wants to impress upon the thinker that the dual name of יְרוּשָׁלַיִם Yerushalayim honors both foundational cities simultaneously: there in heavens and here on earth. Hence, two distinctive Jerusalems.
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