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Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary

HELIOPOLIS

Ancient Egyptian city famed as a center for worship of the sun god Re. Heliopolis (“city of the sun”) was located in the Nile River delta region of Lower Egypt, a few miles northeast of modern Cairo. Heliopolis became important from about 2400 BC, with the emergence of Atum-Re as the cult deity. Many pharaohs embellished the city’s temples and put up various public monuments, especially in the New Kingdom period (1570–1150 BC).

Since the temples contained the royal archives, the priests became the official historians of Egypt. Herodotus, a Greek historian of the fifth century BC, said the priests at Heliopolis were famous for their knowledge of Egyptian history. There were also training schools for priests and a medical school in the city.

Other Egyptian sun worship centers existed at various times, but Heliopolis maintained its popularity for some 2,000 years. Though the city was of little importance politically, it was of primary religious influence. Among Egyptian religious buildings, the temple of Re at Heliopolis was second in size only to the temple of Amon at Thebes.

In the OT, Heliopolis is called On. When Joseph was a member of the Egyptian official class, he married Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera the priest of On (Gn 41:45, 50 (RV GEN 41:45 · RV GEN 41:50 · LV GEN 41:45 · LV GEN 41:50 · Read together GEN 41:45 · Read together GEN 41:50); 46:20 (RV · LV · Read together)). The prophet Ezekiel warned of coming destruction in Egypt by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, citing Heliopolis (On) as one of the cities to be destroyed (Ez 30:17 (RV · LV · Read together)). In Amos 1:5 (RV · LV · Read together), the rsv (mg) has an alternative rendering, “On,” for “Valley of Aven,” and the same reading in Ezekiel 30:17 (RV · LV · Read together) for the NLT “Heliopolis.” The prophet Jeremiah also predicted the destruction of the obelisks (sacred pillars) of Heliopolis (Jer 43:13 (RV · LV · Read together), KJB “Beth-shemesh”). Isaiah 19:18 (RV · LV · Read together) is probably also a reference to Heliopolis (see NLT).

GEN 41:45; GEN 41:50: RV GEN 41:45 · RV GEN 41:50 · LV GEN 41:45 · LV GEN 41:50 · Read together GEN 41:45 · Read together GEN 41:50

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OET-RV GEN 41:45

45 Then Par’oh gave him the Mitsri (Egyptian) name ‘Tsofnat-Pa’neah’ (which means ‘the one who reveals secrets’), and he presented him with Esenat, the daughter of Poti-Fera the priest of On, as a wife. And Yosef travelled throughout the land of Mitsrayim.

OET-RV GEN 41:50

50 Before the years of the famine came, Yosef had two sons that Esenat (the daughter of Poti-Fera, the priest of On) gave birth to.

OET-LV GEN 41:45

45 And_ Parˊoh _he/it _called the _name _of Yōşēf Zaphenath- Paneah and_he _gave to_him/it DOM ʼEşənat the _daughter _of Poti- phera the _priest _of On to/for_(a)_woman and_ Yōşēf _he/it _went _out over the _land _of Miʦrayim.

OET-LV GEN 41:50

50 And_to_Yōşēf two _of sons it _was _born before_before the _year _of (the)_famine it _came whom she _bore for_him/it ʼEşənat the _daughter _of Poti- phera the _priest _of On.

GEN 46:20: RV GEN 46:20 · LV GEN 46:20 · Read together GEN 46:20

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OET-RV GEN 46:20

20 Yosef’s sons Menasheh (Manasseh) and Efrayim (Ephraim) were born in Mitsrayim (Egypt). Esenat, the daughter of Poti-Fera the priest of On, gave birth to them for Yosef.

OET-LV GEN 46:20

20 And_he/it _was _born to_Yōşēf in_land of _Miʦrayim/(Egypt) those_whom she _bore for_him/it ʼEşənat the _daughter _of Poti- phera the _priest _of On DOM Mənashsheh and_DOM ʼEfrayim.

EZE 30:17: RV EZE 30:17 · LV EZE 30:17 · Read together EZE 30:17

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OET-RV EZE 30:17

17 The young men of Aven and Pi-Beset cities will be killed by the sword, and their populations will be taken into captivity.

OET-LV EZE 30:17

17 The _young _men _of wickedness and_Piy- ⱱeşet by_sword they _will _fall and_they(f) in_captivity they _will _go.

AMO 1:5: RV AMO 1:5 · LV AMO 1:5 · Read together AMO 1:5

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OET-RV AMO 1:5

5 I’ll smash the gate bars of Damesek
⇔ and eliminate the ruler of the Aven Valley,
⇔ and also the leader of Beyt -Eden.
⇔ The people of Aram (Syria) will go in captivity to Kir,”
§ says Yahweh.

OET-LV AMO 1:5

5 And_I _will _break the _bar _of Dammeseq and_I _will _cut _off inhabitant[s] from_Valley _of Aven and_one _who_holds _of (of)_a _scepter from_Bēyt- eden and_ the _people _of ʼArām _they _will _go _into _exile to_Qīr YHWH he _says.

JER 43:13: RV JER 43:13 · LV JER 43:13 · Read together JER 43:13

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OET-RV JER 43:13

13 after smashing the stone pillars at Beyt -Shemesh (Heliopolis) and burning the temples of Mitsrayim’s gods.

OET-LV JER 43:13

13 And_he _will _break DOM the _sacred _pillars _of Bēyt Shemesh which in_land of _Miʦrayim and_DOM the _houses _of the _gods _of Miʦrayim he _will _burn with_fire.

ISA 19:18: RV ISA 19:18 · LV ISA 19:18 · Read together ISA 19:18

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OET-RV ISA 19:18

18 At that time, there’ll be five cities in Mitsrayim where they’ll speak out in Hebrew, and make oaths by Commander-in-chief Yahweh. (One of those cities will be called ‘the city of destruction’.)

OET-LV ISA 19:18

18 In _the_day (the)_that five cities in_land of _Miʦrayim they _will _be which_speak the _language _of Kənaˊan/(Canaan) and_which_swear _an _oath to/for_YHWH soldiers/messengers the _city _of (the)_destruction it _will _be _said of_one.

The city lost its prominence in the fourth and third centuries BC, partly because of the library founded at Alexandria early in the third century BC. Alexandria replaced Heliopolis as the leading intellectual center in Egypt.

Little remains today from the ancient city of the sun, but an obelisk erected by Sesostris I (1971–1928 BC) can still be seen at the site of Heliopolis. Several obelisks from Heliopolis, erected by Thutmose III (1490–1436 BC), have been moved to various parts of the world in modern times.