Nehemiah 3:15 - Exposition

The gate of the fountain . See the comment on Nehemiah 2:14 . The ruler of part of Mizpah . Rather, "ruler of the district of Mizpah, " which is distinguished from the town of Mizpah ( Nehemiah 2:7 , Nehemiah 2:19 ), and shown to have furnished a distinct working party. The wall of the pool of Siloah was probably an outwork designed to protect those who at a time of siege frequented this fountain. The pool must always have been outside of the main wall of the city. It furnished water to the royal garden, which was at the junction of the Kidron and Hinnora valleys (Joseph. 'Ant. Jud.,' 7.11; 2 Kings 25:4 ). The stairs that go down from the city of David may well be the flight of stone steps cut in the rock which is still to be seen on the western flank of Ophel, leading from the valley of the Tyropeeon in the direction of the temple.