so I went up the valley by night and inspected the wall. Then I headed back and reentered through the Valley Gate.
Parallel translations
- WEB Then went I up in the night by the brook, and inspected the wall; and I turned back, and entered by the valley gate, and so returned.
- KJV Then went I up in the night by the brook, and viewed the wall, and turned back, and entered by the gate of the valley, and so returned.
- NKJV So 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.
- NASB So I was going up at night by the ravine and inspecting the wall. Then I entered the Valley Gate again and returned.
- NLT So, though it was still dark, I went up the Kidron Valley instead, inspecting the wall before I turned back and entered again at the Valley Gate.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Nehemiah finishes his inspection along the brook and returns through the valley gate. His thorough, quiet survey is complete.
Overview
Completing the circuit by the Kidron valley, Nehemiah re-enters where he began, having gained a full picture of the wall's condition. The nighttime secrecy of the whole survey kept his intentions concealed from both allies and enemies until the strategic moment. The verse closes the reconnaissance, setting the stage for him to rally the people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- 2 Sam 15:23Everyone in the countryside was weeping loudly as all the people passed by. And as the king crossed the Kidron Valley, all the people also passed toward the way of the wilderness.
- John 18:1After Jesus had spoken these words, He went out with His disciples across the Kidron Valley, where they entered a garden.
- Jer 31:38–40“The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when this city will be rebuilt for Me, from the tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The rebuilt walls and renewed covenant community foreshadow the greater builder who gathers and secures a people for God, the one who declares 'I will build my church.'
How Nehemiah 2:15 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.