Kidron Valley
Kidron Valley is a river mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments, located in the region of Judea in modern-day Israel. Known today as Kidron River. It appears across 14 verses in Scripture.
Biblical History
The Kidron Valley, a deep ravine running between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives, features prominently throughout biblical history. It first appears during David's flight from Absalom's rebellion, when the king crossed the Kidron brook while fleeing eastward (2 Samuel 15:23). The valley became associated with religious reform, as several faithful kings destroyed idols there: Asa burned his grandmother Maacah's Asherah pole at the Kidron (1 Kings 15:13), Hezekiah's priests cast out temple impurities into its waters (2 Chronicles 29:16), and Josiah burned vessels made for Baal there during his sweeping reforms (2 Kings 23:4-6). The prophet Jeremiah referenced the Kidron in his prophecy about Jerusalem's future restoration (Jeremiah 31:40). In the New Testament, Jesus crossed the Kidron Valley with His disciples on the night of His arrest, heading toward the Garden of Gethsemane (John 18:1). This final crossing powerfully echoes David's earlier sorrowful departure, connecting the suffering of Israel's greatest king with the ultimate suffering of the Messiah.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
The Kidron Valley (Wadi en-Nar) remains a prominent geographical feature of modern Jerusalem, running north to south between the Temple Mount/Old City and the Mount of Olives before descending toward the Dead Sea. Extensive archaeological work has uncovered monumental tombs from the Second Temple period along the valley's slopes, including the so-called Tomb of Absalom and the Tomb of Zechariah. Excavations have revealed water channels, agricultural terraces, and burial caves spanning multiple periods. The Gihon Spring, Jerusalem's primary ancient water source, flows into the Kidron. The valley today is partially filled with centuries of accumulated debris, raising the ground level significantly above its biblical-era depth. It remains a focal point for pilgrims and tourists visiting Jerusalem.
Verse Appearances (14)
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- OpenBible.info (n.d.) Bible Geocoding. Available at: https://www.openbible.info/geo/. [CC BY 4.0]
- Bagnall, R. et al. (eds.) (n.d.) Pleiades: A Gazetteer of Past Places. Available at: https://pleiades.stoa.org. [CC BY 3.0]
- Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
- Lawrence, D. et al. (2025) Villages to Empires: a settlement dataset for the Southern Levant. doi:10.5281/zenodo.15111732. [CC BY 4.0]
- Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]