Potsherd Gate

The Potsherd Gate, also known as the Harsith Gate, was one of the gates of Jerusalem mentioned in the book of Jeremiah (Jer. 19:2). The Lord instructed Jeremiah to go to the Potsherd Gate, which was near the entrance of the Valley of Ben Hinnom (or Gehenna), and proclaim a message of judgment against the people of Judah (Jer. 19:1-2). The Valley of Ben Hinnom was notorious for the practice of child sacrifice to the pagan god Molech (Jer. 32:35). Jeremiah was told to shatter an earthenware jar in front of the elders and priests as a symbol of the impending destruction of Jerusalem and its people (Jer. 19:10-11). The Potsherd Gate likely received its name from the fragments of broken pottery (potsherds) that were discarded in the nearby valley. The gate's location near the Valley of Ben Hinnom, a place associated with idolatry and judgment, underscores the severity of Jeremiah's prophetic message and the consequences of Judah's unfaithfulness to God.