Nehemiah 2:13

13 I went out at night through the Valley Gate toward the Serpent's^[a] Well and the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that had been broken down and its gates that had been destroyed by fire.^[b]

Nehemiah 2:13 Meaning and Commentary

Nehemiah 2:13

And I went out by night, by the gate of the valley
Where that formerly stood, for the gates had been burnt, and were not as yet rebuilt; this was the gate that led to the valley of Jehoshaphat, according to some; or rather to the valley of dead bodies, through which the brook Kidron ran, see ( 2 Chronicles 26:9 ) ( Jeremiah 31:4 ) it is the gate through which Christ went to Calvary; it led to Shiloh, Bethhoron, and Golan:

even before the dragon well;
so called from its winding about, just as a crooked winding river is called serpentine; though some think here stood an image of a dragon, either in wood, or stone, or brass, out of the mouth of which the water flowed from the well; and others, that since the desolations of Jerusalem, serpents or dragons had their abode here:

and to the dung port;
by which they used to carry the dung out of the city, and by which they went to Joppa, the sea, and all the western parts:

and viewed the walls of Jerusalem:
in what condition they were, what was necessary to be wholly taken down, and where to begin to build: it must have been a moonlight night or he could not have taken a view; for to have carried torches or lamps with them would have discovered them:

and the gates thereof were consumed with fire;
nothing of them remained.

Nehemiah 2:13 In-Context

11 After I arrived in Jerusalem and had been there three days,

12 I got up at night and [took] a few men with me. I didn't tell anyone what my God had laid on my heart to do for Jerusalem. The only animal I took was the one I was riding.

13 I went out at night through the Valley Gate toward the Serpent's Well and the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that had been broken down and its gates that had been destroyed by fire.

14 I went on to the Fountain Gate and the King's Pool, but farther down it became too narrow for my animal to go through.

15 So I went up at night by way of the valley and inspected the wall. Then heading back, I entered through the Valley Gate and returned.

Footnotes

• [a]. Or Dragon's
• [b]. Neh 1:3