18:1

the Kidron Valley: Or “the winter torrent of Kidron.” The Kidron Valley, mentioned only here in the Christian Greek Scriptures, separates Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. It runs from N to S along the eastern side of the city. The Kidron Valley was usually waterless, even in winter, except in the case of an especially heavy rain. The Greek word kheiʹmar·ros, here rendered “valley,” literally means “a winter torrent,” that is, a stream of water that flows abundantly because of the heavy rains during the winter season. This Greek word is used more than 80 times in the Septuagint to render the Hebrew word naʹchal, the corresponding expression for “valley,” used when the Kidron Valley is mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures. (2Sa 15:23; 1Ki 2:37) These Hebrew and Greek words for “valley” can both refer to a torrent or a stream. (De 10:7; Job 6:15; Isa 66:12; Eze 47:5) More frequently, however, these words refer to the valley cut by a winter torrent and through which a stream runs during the winter rains. (Nu 34:5; Jos 13:9; 17:9; 1Sa 17:40; 1Ki 15:13; 2Ch 33:14; Ne 2:15; Ca 6:11) Both words are often rendered “wadi.”​—See Glossary, “Wadi.”