The Water Gate, one of the gates in Jerusalem's wall, rebuilt by Nehemiah and associated with the reading of the Law and the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles (Neh. 3:26; 8:1, 3, 16; 12:37).
The Water Gate was one of the gates in the wall of Jerusalem, mentioned in the Book of Nehemiah in connection with the city's rebuilding and spiritual renewal. During the reconstruction of Jerusalem's walls, the Nethinim (temple servants) and the merchants made repairs on the wall as far as the Water Gate (Neh. 3:26). Later, when Ezra the scribe read the Book of the Law to the people, he did so in the square before the Water Gate (Neh. 8:1, 3). The people listened attentively and responded with worship and repentance. During the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles, the people gathered at the Water Gate to hear the Law read and to celebrate the feast (Neh. 8:16). The Water Gate is also mentioned in the description of the dedication of the rebuilt wall, where two choirs proceeded along the wall in opposite directions, with one group going past the Water Gate (Neh. 12:37). The exact location of the Water Gate is not specified in the Bible, but it was likely situated on the eastern side of Jerusalem, near the Gihon Spring, which provided a vital water source for the city. The Water Gate's association with the reading of the Law and the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles emphasizes its importance as a place of spiritual renewal and community gathering in post-exilic Jerusalem.
Approximate location: 31.777, 35.235 · view on a map · on the Bible atlas
5 verses in 1 book · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H4325
and the temple servants living on the hill of Ophel made repairs opposite the Water Gate toward the east and the tower that juts out.
At that time all the people gathered together in the square before the Water Gate, and they asked Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded for Israel.
So Ezra read it aloud from daybreak until noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate, in front of the men and women and those who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.
And the people went out, brought back branches, and made booths on their own rooftops, in their courtyards, in the court of the house of God, and in the squares by the Water Gate and by the Gate of Ephraim.
At the Fountain Gate they went directly up the steps of the City of David on the ascent to the wall and passed above the house of David to the Water Gate on the east.
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.