Bible Strands
Nehemiah 3:14
The Dung Gate was repaired by Malchijah son of Rechab, ruler of the district of Beth-haccherem. He rebuilt it and installed its doors, bolts, and bars.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Nehemiah 3:14 records Malchijah, ruler of Beth-haccherem, repairing the Dung Gate during the wall reconstruction. This entry follows Hanun’s crew extending the wall from the Valley Gate to this point and precedes Shallun’s work at the Fountain Gate.
The words — The text uses הֶחֱזִיק (hechezik, "he repaired") and שַׁעַר הָ/אַשְפּוֹת (sha'ar ha'asapot, "the Dung Gate"). These terms identify the specific location and the physical restoration action performed by the official.
The thread — The Dung Gate appears in Nehemiah 2:13 when Nehemiah inspects the walls at night, while Beth-haccherem is named in Jeremiah 6:1 as a signaling location. The title שַׂר (sar, "ruler") parallels other district leaders like Rephaiah in Nehemiah 3:9.
Why it lands — The verse documents how civic authority and manual labor combine to secure a specific fortification point. It requires the reader to track how localized, named officials execute standardized rebuilding tasks across the city's perimeter.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
But the dung gate repaired Malchiah the son of Rechab, the ruler of part of Beth–haccerem; he built it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 6:1 “Run for cover, O sons of Benjamin; flee from Jerusalem! Sound the ram’s horn in Tekoa; send up a signal over Beth-haccherem, for disaster looms from the north, even great destruction.
- Nehemiah 2:13 So I went out at night through the Valley Gate toward the Well of the Serpent and the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that had been broken down and the gates that had been destroyed by fire.
- Nehemiah 3:9 Next to them, Rephaiah son of Hur, ruler of a half-district of Jerusalem, made repairs;
- Nehemiah 3:12 And next to them, Shallum son of Hallohesh, ruler of the other half-district of Jerusalem, made repairs, with the help of his daughters.
- Nehemiah 3:15 The Fountain Gate was repaired by Shallun son of Col-hozeh, ruler of the district of Mizpah. He rebuilt it, roofed it, and installed its doors, bolts, and bars. He also repaired the wall of the Pool of Shelah near the king’s garden, as far as the stairs that descend from the City of David.
- Nehemiah 12:31 Then I brought the leaders of Judah up on the wall, and I appointed two great thanksgiving choirs. One was to proceed along the top of the wall to the right, toward the Dung Gate.