קִדְרוֹן (qid.ron)
qid.ron
Kidron
N:N--LQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 10 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- N:N--L
Word Overview
The noun qidron refers to the Kidron Valley, a wadi running along the eastern side of ancient Jerusalem. Its name likely derives from a root meaning "dark," perhaps describing the deep shadow cast by the steep slopes or the dark waters that sometimes flow there.
This geographical feature appears ten times in the Old Testament, primarily within the historical books of Kings and Chronicles. It serves as a boundary marker and a setting for significant royal actions, such as when King Josiah destroyed pagan altars (2 Kings 23:4) or when King Solomon banished Adonijah (1 Kings 2:37). The valley is also associated with the Temple Mount, where priests likely drew water for ritual purification.
While not a theological term in itself, the Kidron Valley anchors biblical history in a specific landscape. It connects the sacred space of the Temple with the city’s political center, reminding readers that Israel’s spiritual life unfolded in real places with tangible geography.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Kidron Valley is more than a geographical feature in the Bible; it is a stage where the spiritual condition of Jerusalem was made visible. This wadi, running along the eastern wall of the city, often served as the boundary between the sacred Temple area and the outside world. When kings like Josiah or Hezekiah sought to purify worship, they carried the remnants of idolatry across this valley. It reminds us that faith is not abstract but lived out in tangible places, requiring concrete actions to remove what hinders our relationship with God.
For a believer today, this word invites reflection on where we place our ultimate allegiance. Just as the ancient leaders had to physically remove altars to Asherah and Baal from the city, we are called to examine the areas of our lives that compete for God’s first place. The valley stands as a historical marker of repentance and renewal, showing that turning back to the Lord often involves decisive steps away from former practices.
Even in Jeremiah’s prophecy, the valley is promised restoration. What was once associated with death and ashes becomes holy ground again. This offers hope that no matter how deep our past failures or the clutter of our history may seem, God can redeem the landscape of our lives. It points to a future where the boundaries of sin are removed, and the entire area belongs wholly to Him.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 10 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- Kidron11×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- קִדְרֽוֹן\׃4×
- קִדְר֔וֹן4×
- קִדְר֖וֹן2×
- קִדְר֜וֹן1×
Key Verses
-
II Kings 23:4
The king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the threshold, to bring out of Yahweh’s temple all the vessels that were made for Baal, for the Asherah, and for all the army of the sky; and he burned them outside of Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron, and carried their ashes to Bethel.
This verse highlights the valley's role in King Josiah’s major reform, where items made for Baal were burned and their ashes carried away, symbolizing a complete removal of idolatry from the city.
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II Samuel 15:23
All the country wept with a loud voice, and all the people passed over. The king also himself passed over the brook Kidron, and all the people passed over toward the way of the wilderness.
David crosses the Kidron while fleeing Absalom, marking it as a place of sorrow and transition during a time of personal crisis and family betrayal.
-
Jeremiah 31:40
The whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields to the brook Kidron, to the corner of the horse gate toward the east, will be holy to Yahweh. It will not be plucked up or thrown down any more forever.”
Here the valley is transformed from a place of death into holy ground, demonstrating God’s power to restore and sanctify even the most desolate areas.
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I Kings 2:37
For on the day you go out and pass over the brook Kidron, know for certain that you will surely die. Your blood will be on your own head.”
Solomon uses the crossing of this brook as a specific boundary for loyalty, showing how the location served as a tangible test of allegiance to the king.