Kidron Valley

The Kidron Valley is a dry riverbed located east of Jerusalem. It originates from a stream in the high mountains north of Jerusalem, primarily fed by varying amounts of water from the Gihon Spring and En Rogel Spring. It flows southward through the valley between the eastern wall of Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives (i.e., the Kidron Valley itself), then follows its winding course to empty into the Dead Sea. The Kidron Valley only has flowing water during the rainy season; during droughts, it can be crossed on foot.

When Absalom rebelled, David left Jerusalem, crossed the Kidron Valley, and sought refuge elsewhere. After Solomon ascended the throne, he stipulated that Shimei, who had previously cursed David, was not to cross this valley. Years later, Shimei violated this rule and was killed. During the reigns of Kings Asa, Josiah, and Hezekiah, when they initiated revivals of worship to God, they all had foreign idols and ritual objects removed from the Temple and taken to the Kidron Valley to be burned. On the night Jesus was betrayed, He crossed the Kidron Valley with His disciples to enter the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. Soon after, Judas came with soldiers and officials to arrest Jesus. Furthermore, in 70 AD, the Roman Tenth Legion also marched along this path to destroy Jerusalem.

When God’s appointed time comes, the Kidron Valley will be “holy to the LORD,” becoming a part of Israel’s restoration, for God always remembers the covenant He made with Israel. [Jeremiah 31:38-40] “Behold, days are coming, declares the LORD, when the city shall be rebuilt for the LORD from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. And the measuring line shall go out farther, straight to the hill Gareb, and shall then turn to Goah. The whole valley of the dead bodies and the ashes, and all the fields as far as the Kidron Valley, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be sacred to the LORD. It shall not be uprooted or overthrown anymore forever.”