New King James Version
Nehemiah 2:13
13And I went out by night through the Valley Gate to the Serpent Well and the Refuse Gate, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down and its gates which were burned with fire.
Nehemiah 2:13 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And I went out by night by the gate of the valley, even before the dragon well, and to the dung port, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates thereof were consumed with fire.
- New International Version (NIV)By night I went out through the Valley Gate toward the Jackal Well and the Dung Gate, examining the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire.
- English Standard Version (ESV)I went out by night by the Valley Gate to the Dragon Spring and to the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that were broken down and its gates that had been destroyed by fire.
- New Living Translation (NLT)After dark I went out through the Valley Gate, past the Jackal’s Well, and over to the Dung Gate to inspect the broken walls and burned gates.
Context of Nehemiah 2:13
11So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days. 12Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me; I told no one what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem; nor was there any animal with me, except the one on which I rode. And I went out by night through the Valley Gate to the Serpent Well and the Refuse Gate, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down and its gates which were burned with fire. 14Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King’s Pool, but there was no room for the animal under me to pass. 15So I went up in the night by the valley, and viewed the wall; then I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned.
Read all of Nehemiah 2Nehemiah 2:13 word by word
וָאֵצְאָ֨ה בְשַֽׁעַר־הַגַּ֜יא לַ֗יְלָה וְאֶל־פְּנֵי֙ עֵ֣ין הַתַּנִּ֔ין וְאֶל־שַׁ֖עַר הָאַשְׁפֹּ֑ת וָאֱהִ֨י שֹׂבֵ֜ר בְּחוֹמֹ֤ת יְרוּשָׁלִַ֙ם֙ אֲשֶׁר־הֵ֣ם׀ פְּרוּצִ֔ים וּשְׁעָרֶ֖יהָ אֻכְּל֥וּ בָאֵֽשׁ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And I went outיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: comeH3318
- by nightלַ֫יְלָהlayil lêyl layelâh · nightH3915
- by the gateשַׁ֫עַרsha‛ar · gateH8179
- of the valleyגַּיְאgay' gay · Valley (Gate)H1516
- even beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
- the dragonתַּנִּיןtannîyn tannîym · DragonH8577
- wellעֵין תַּנִּים‛êyn tannîym · En-tannimH5886
- wellעַ֫יִן‛ayin · Fountain ofH5869
- and to the dungאַשְׁפֹּת'ashpôth 'ashpôth shephôth · Dung (Gate)H830
- and viewedשָׁבַרshâbar · to breakH7665
- and viewedשָׂבַרώâbar shâbar · to inspectH7663
- the wallsחוֹמָהchômâh · wallH2346
- of Jerusalemיְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵםyerûshâlaim yerûshâlayim · JerusalemH3389
- which were broken downפָּרַץpârats · to break throughH6555
- thereof were consumedאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
- with fireאֵשׁ'êsh · fireH784
Cross-references for Nehemiah 2:13
- Nehemiah 2:15So I went up in the night by the valley, and viewed the wall; then I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned.
- Nehemiah 3:13Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired the Valley Gate. They built it, hung its doors with its bolts and bars, and repaired a thousand cubits of the wall as far as the Refuse Gate.
- 2 Chronicles 26:9And Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate, and at the corner buttress of the wall; then he fortified them.
- Nehemiah 12:31So I brought the leaders of Judah up on the wall, and appointed two large thanksgiving choirs. One went to the right hand on the wall toward the Refuse Gate.
- Nehemiah 2:3and said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire?”
- Nehemiah 1:3And they said to me, “The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.”
- Jeremiah 5:10“Go up on her walls and destroy, But do not make a complete end. Take away her branches, For they are not the Lord’s.
Commentaries on Nehemiah 2:13
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 13The dragon well - Perhaps so called because of the representation of a dragon, out of whose mouth the stream issued that proceeded from the well. Dung port - This was the gate on the eastern side of the city, through which the filth of the city was carried into the valley of Hinnom.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 9-18Verses 9-18 When Nehemiah had considered the matter, he told the Jews that God had put it into his heart to build the wall of Jerusalem. He does not undertake to do it without them. By stirring up ourselves and one another to that which is good, we strengthen ourselves and one another for it. We are weak in our duty, when we are cold and careless.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 13Jackal’s Well might have been En-rogel, a water source about 365 meters (400 yards) south of the city, or the Pool of Siloam, which fills with water from Hezekiah’s winding tunnel. The Dung Gate, called the Potsherd Gate in Jeremiah 19:2, is at the southern end of the western wall (see Nehemiah 3:13) and led to the Hinnom Valley, where city inhabitants threw their garbage.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 13-1513-15. I went out by night by the gate of the valley--that is, the Jaffa gate, near the tower of Hippicus. even before the dragon well--that is, fountain on the opposite side of the valley. and to the dung port--the gate on the east of the city, through which there ran a common sewer to the brook Kedron and the valley of Hinnom.Read the comment
Topics related to Nehemiah 2:13
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Nehemiah 2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries