The Meaning of Nehemiah 2:13 Explained

Nehemiah 2:13

KJV: And I went out by night by the gate of the valley, even before the dragon well, and to the dung port, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates thereof were consumed with fire.

YLT: And I go out through the gate of the valley by night, and unto the front of the fountain of the dragon, and unto the gate of the dunghill, and I am measuring about the walls of Jerusalem, that are broken down, and its gates consumed with fire.

Darby: And I went out by night by the valley-gate, even toward the jackal-fountain, and to the dung-gate; and I viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were in ruins, and its gates were consumed with fire.

ASV: And I went out by night by the valley gate, even toward the jackal's well, and to the dung gate, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates thereof were consumed with fire.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And I went out  by night  by the gate  of the valley,  even before  the dragon  well,  and to the dung  port,  and viewed  {08675;07665:08799} the walls  of Jerusalem,  which were broken down,  and the gates  thereof were consumed  with fire. 

What does Nehemiah 2:13 Mean?

Context Summary

Nehemiah 2:12-20 - Braving Ridicule And Treachery
Suspicion, Nehemiah 2:12-20. Sanballat was probably a Moabite, a native of Horonaim; Tobiah had been a slave. There are many descendants of these two men in all our Christian communities today, hindering God's work. This heroic soul met their scorn and the depression of the people by unwavering faith and calm confidence in the good hand of God, Nehemiah 2:18. How small do our difficulties seem when brought into the sight of the God of heaven!
Reproach, Nehemiah 4:1-6. Whenever God's work revives, there is sure to be evil-speaking and reproach. It is a mistake to reply. Let us hand over our cause to God, and go on with His work. It matters very little what men say, as long as He is pleased. Had Nehemiah had the message of Christ he would not have prayed as in Nehemiah 2:5. Our Lord taught us to intercede for our enemies, Matthew 5:44. But let us emulate Nehemiah's zeal for the name of God, and let us remember that increased light means increased responsibility, Matthew 11:11.
Active opposition, Nehemiah 2:7-12. In time of hostility, our friends and allies are apt to grow discouraged and to advise the suspension of our work. "We are not able;" but faith looks to God alone and triumphantly holds on its way. [source]

Chapter Summary: Nehemiah 2

1  Artaxerxes, understanding the cause of Nehemiah's sadness,
6  sends him with letters and commission to Jerusalem
9  Nehemiah, to the grief of the enemies, comes to Jerusalem
12  He views secretly the ruins of the walls
17  He incites the Jews to build

What do the individual words in Nehemiah 2:13 mean?

And I went out through Gate the Valley by night and to the Serpent Well the dragon Gate the Refuse and viewed the walls of Jerusalem which - were broken down and its gates which were burned with fire
וָאֵצְאָ֨ה בְשַֽׁעַר־ הַגַּ֜יא לַ֗יְלָה וְאֶל־ פְּנֵי֙ עֵ֣ין הַתַּנִּ֔ין שַׁ֖עַר הָאַשְׁפֹּ֑ת וָאֱהִ֨י שֹׂבֵ֜ר בְּחוֹמֹ֤ת יְרוּשָׁלִַ֙ם֙ אֲשֶׁר־ [המפרוצים] (הֵ֣ם ׀) (פְּרוּצִ֔ים) וּשְׁעָרֶ֖יהָ אֻכְּל֥וּ בָאֵֽשׁ

וָאֵצְאָ֨ה  And  I  went  out 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular, third person feminine singular
Root: יׄוצֵאת 
Sense: to go out, come out, exit, go forth.
בְשַֽׁעַר־  through  Gate 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: שַׁעַר  
Sense: gate.
הַגַּ֜יא  the  Valley 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: גַּיְא  
Sense: valley, a steep valley, narrow gorge.
לַ֗יְלָה  by  night 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: לַיִל 
Sense: night.
עֵ֣ין  the  Serpent  Well 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: עֹונָה 
Sense: eye.
הַתַּנִּ֔ין  the  dragon 
Parse: Noun, common plural
Root: תַּנִּין  
Sense: dragon, serpent, sea monster.
שַׁ֖עַר  Gate 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: שַׁעַר  
Sense: gate.
הָאַשְׁפֹּ֑ת  the  Refuse 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: אַשְׁפֹּת  
Sense: ash heap, refuse heap, dung-hill.
שֹׂבֵ֜ר  viewed 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: שָׂבַר 
Sense: to inspect, examine, wait, hope, wait upon.
בְּחוֹמֹ֤ת  the  walls 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: חֹומָה  
Sense: wall.
יְרוּשָׁלִַ֙ם֙  of  Jerusalem 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יְרוּשָׁלַםִ  
Sense: the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split.
[המפרוצים]  - 
Parse: Article, Verb, Pual, Participle, masculine plural
(פְּרוּצִ֔ים)  broken  down 
Parse: Verb, Qal, QalPassParticiple, masculine plural
Root: פָּרַץ  
Sense: to break through or down or over, burst, breach.
וּשְׁעָרֶ֖יהָ  and  its  gates 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural construct, third person feminine singular
Root: שַׁעַר  
Sense: gate.
אֻכְּל֥וּ  which  were  burned 
Parse: Verb, QalPass, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: אָכַל  
Sense: to eat, devour, burn up, feed.
בָאֵֽשׁ  with  fire 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, common singular
Root: אֵשׁ  
Sense: fire.