Kidron Brook

Biblical Text

The Kidron Brook is a stream that flows through the valley east of Jerusalem. It is mentioned several times in both the Old and New Testaments.

• David's flight: Fleeing the rebellion of his son Absalom, David left Jerusalem, crossed the Kidron Brook, and went toward the wilderness (2 Samuel 15:23). He then went up by the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went (2 Samuel 15:30).
• Solomon's warning: Solomon ordered Shimei to remain in Jerusalem and warned him that on the day he crossed the Kidron Brook he would surely die (1 Kings 2:37).
• Removal of idols: King Asa cut down the Asherah image that his mother Maachah had made and burned it by the Kidron Brook (1 Kings 15:13). In the time of Hezekiah, the Levites carried the uncleanness that had been brought out of the temple to the Kidron Brook (2 Chronicles 29:16). Josiah burned the vessels made for Baal and Asherah in the fields of Kidron, and he burned the Asherah image at the Kidron Brook and ground it to powder (2 Kings 23:4, 6).
• Promise of restoration: Jeremiah prophesied that the land as far as the Kidron Brook would become holy to the LORD (Jeremiah 31:40).
• Jesus' last night: After the Last Supper, Jesus went with His disciples to a garden on the other side of the Kidron Brook. There He was arrested by the band led by Judas Iscariot (John 18:1-3).

Background

The Kidron Valley runs north to south between the Temple Mount and the Mount of Olives. To the south it joins the Valley of Hinnom and then continues through the Judean wilderness toward the Dead Sea.

The Hebrew word nahal, rendered "brook," refers to a seasonal valley stream that is normally dry and flows only during the rainy winter season. The Greek expression in John 18:1 likewise means "a winter-flowing stream." The name "Kidron" is commonly explained as related to a Hebrew word meaning "to be dark."

The Gihon Spring, an important water source for Jerusalem, lies on the western slope of the valley. The slopes have contained many tombs since ancient times (2 Kings 23:6). It is widely held that the monument in the valley known today as "Absalom's Tomb" was built much later than the time of David.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

The Kidron Brook served as the eastern boundary of Jerusalem, and the warning in the story of Shimei presupposes such a boundary. Because it was also the place where the reforming kings of Judah burned idols, it is frequently associated with scenes of purifying the temple and rooting out false worship.

Many interpreters point to a parallel between David and Jesus. David crossed the Kidron amid the betrayal of a close associate and went up the Mount of Olives weeping (2 Samuel 15:30-31). Jesus, too, crossed the Kidron and went to the garden as a disciple's betrayal drew near. However, since the Gospel of John does not draw this connection explicitly, it belongs to the realm of interpretation.

Interpretations and Issues

• Identification with the Valley of Jehoshaphat: The book of Joel speaks of the "valley of Jehoshaphat," where the LORD will judge the nations (Joel 3:2, 12). The biblical text does not specify the location of this valley. Later Jewish and Christian tradition, however, has identified it with the Kidron Valley and associated it with the Last Judgment. Some scholars, by contrast, regard the name as symbolic rather than as an actual place name.
• Manuscript variants: Some manuscripts of John 18:1 read "the brook of the cedar(s)" instead of "Kidron."
• Name of the garden: The Gospel of John calls the place simply "a garden." Matthew and Mark call it Gethsemane, and the two are generally regarded as the same place.

In the Korean Church

The scene of Jesus crossing the Kidron Brook to go to the garden is a common subject of sermons and devotions during Holy Week. On Holy Land pilgrimages to Israel, it is a well-known site visited along with the Mount of Olives and Gethsemane.