📖 Biblical Definition
In the Gospels, the disciple Salome is present at the crucifixion (Mark 15:40) and at the empty tomb (Mark 16:1). She is most likely the mother of James and John (compare Matt 27:56 and Mark 15:40); some traditions identify her as a sister of Mary the mother of Jesus, making James and John cousins of Christ. The other Salome, daughter of Herodias, is the dancer who secured John the Baptist's head (Mark 6) but is unnamed in the New Testament text.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
SALOME, n.
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A scriptural proper name; in the Gospels, a disciple of Christ present at the crucifixion and resurrection.
📖 Key Scripture
Mark 15:40 — "Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome."
Mark 16:1 — "Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him."
Matthew 20:21 — "Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left, in thy kingdom."
Matthew 27:56 — "Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's children."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Salome asked for thrones for her sons; she ended up at the cross and the tomb instead.
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If the Salome at the crucifixion is the mother of James and John, the same woman who once asked Christ for thrones for her sons in Matthew 20 is the woman who ended up at the cross and the empty tomb. Her ambition for her sons gave way to faithful presence at His suffering and resurrection. The Lord redirects ambition into devotion in His own time.
Modern parents often pray for their children the way Salome did: visibility, position, achievement. Christ did not refuse her prayer outright; He told her she did not know what she was asking. The same is true today. Pray for your children, but submit your prayers to the Lord's shaping. The mother who asks for thrones may yet end up at the cross faithfully; that is more glorious than any throne.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
Hebrew/Greek roots below.
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G4539 — Salome — Salome
Usage
"Salome asked for thrones for her sons; she ended up at the cross and the tomb."
"The Lord redirects ambition into devotion in His own time."
"Pray for your children; submit your prayers to the Lord's shaping."