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.
I went out at night through the Valley Gate, past the Jackal Well, and to the Dung Gate. I examined Jerusalem's walls, which were broken down, and saw that its gates had been destroyed by fire.
Nehemiah secretly inspected Jerusalem's damaged walls and burned gates at night to assess what needed to be rebuilt.
📚 Historical Context
In the book of Nehemiah, which is set after the Babylonian exile, the Jews had returned to Jerusalem but found the city walls in ruins, making it vulnerable to enemies and symbolizing their weakened state. Nehemiah, a Jewish leader and cupbearer to the Persian king Artaxerxes, was deeply concerned and decided to inspect the damage secretly at night to avoid drawing attention. This inspection was a crucial step in his plan to rally the people for rebuilding, as the destroyed walls represented not just physical danger but also spiritual and national disgrace.
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