Nehemiah 2:14

Verse

Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was no room for the animal under me to get through;

American Standard Version (1901)

Then I went on to the fountain gate and to the king’s pool: but there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass.

Bible in Basic English

Then I went on to the door of the fountain and to the king's pool: but there was no room for my beast to get through.

Douay-Rheims 1899

And I passed to the gate of the fountain, and to the king’s aqueduct, and there was no place for the beast on which I rode to pass.

Free Bible Version

Then I continued on to the Fountain Gate and the King's Pool, but we couldn't get through as there wasn't enough room to pass.

Geneva Bible 1599

Then I went foorth vnto the gate of the fountaine, and to the Kings fishpoole, and there was no rowme for the beast that was vnder me to passe.

King James (Authorized) Version

Then I went on to the gate of the fountain, and to the king’s pool: but there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass.

Translation for Translators

Then we went to the Fountain Gate and to the pool called the King’s Pool, but my donkey could not get through the narrow opening (OR, the rubble).

Unlocked Literal Bible

Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King's Pool. The place was too narrow for the animal I was riding to pass through.

Noah Webster Bible

Then I went on to the gate of the fountain, and to the king's pool: but there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass.

World English Bible

Then I went on to the spring gate and to the king’s pool, but there was no place for the animal that was under me to pass.

Young's Literal Translation

And I pass over unto the gate of the fountain, and unto the pool of the king, and there is no place for the beast under me to pass over,

Context

Nehemiah Inspects the Walls

¹³So I went out at night through the Valley Gate toward the Well of the Serpent and the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that had been broken down and the gates that had been destroyed by fire.¹⁴Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was no room for the animal under me to get through;¹⁵so I went up the valley by night and inspected the wall. Then I headed back and reentered through the Valley Gate.

Summary

In Nehemiah 2:14, Nehemiah inspects the broken walls of Jerusalem under the cover of night, revealing his strategic planning and discretion. This clandestine survey allowed him to assess the extent of the damage before revealing his intentions to the people. Nehemiah's actions demonstrate wisdom, foresight, and a deep sense of responsibility towards the city and its inhabitants. His careful approach sets the stage for the rebuilding of the walls and the restoration of Jerusalem's strength and security. This verse showcases Nehemiah's leadership qualities and his commitment to fulfilling God's purpose for the restoration of the city.

Commentary

Adam Clarke
Keil-Delitzsch
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
John Gill
Tyndale

Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

The gate of the fountain - Of Siloah. The king's pool - Probably the aqueduct made by Hezekiah, to bring the waters of Gihon to the city of David. See Ch2 32:30.

Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary

"And I went on to the fountain-gate, and to the king's pool, and there was no room for the beast to come through under me." The very name of the fountain-or well-gate points to the foundation of Siloah (see rem. on Neh 3:15); hence it lay on the eastern declivity of Zion, but not in the district or neighbourhood of the present Bb el Mogharibeh, in which tradition finds the ancient dung-gate, but much farther south, in the neighbourhood of the pool of Siloah; see rem. on Neh 3:15. The King's pool is probably the same which Josephus (bell. Jud. v. 4. 2) calls Σολομῶνος κολυμβήθρα, and places east of the spring of Siloah, and which is supposed by Robinson (Palestine, ii. pp. 149, 159) and Thenius (das vorexil. Jerus., appendix to a commentary on the books of the Kings, p. 20) to be the present Fountain of the Virgin. Bertheau, however, on the other hand, rightly objects that the Fountain of the Virgin lying deep in the rock, and now reached by a descent of thirty steps, could not properly be designated a pool. He tries rather to identify the King's pool with the outlet of a canal investigated by Tobler (Topogr. i. p. 91f.), which the latter regards as a conduit for rain-water, fluid impurities, or even the blood of sacrificed animals; but Bertheau as an aqueduct which, perhaps at the place where its entrance is now found, once filled a pool, of which, indeed, no trace has as yet been discovered. But apart from the difficulty of calling the outlet of a canal a pool (Arnold in Herzog's Realencycl. xviii. p. 656), the circumstance, that Tobler could find in neither of the above-described canals any trace of high antiquity, tells against this conjecture. Much more may be said in favour of the view of E. G. Schultz (Jerusalem, p. 58f.), that the half-choked-up pool near Ain Silwan may be the King's pool and Solomon's pool; for travellers of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries mention a piscina grandis foras and natatoria Silo at the mouth of the fountain of Siloah (comp. Leyrer in Herzog's Realencycl. xvi. p. 372). See also rem. on Neh 3:15. Here there was no room for the beast to get through, the road being choked up with the ruins of the walls that had been destroyed, so that Nehemiah was obliged to dismount.

Nehemiah 2:14

Nehemiah Inspects the Walls

Scripture
Sermons
Commentary

Berean Standard Bible

Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was no room for the animal under me to get through;

American Standard Version (1901)

Then I went on to the fountain gate and to the king’s pool: but there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass.

Bible in Basic English

Then I went on to the door of the fountain and to the king's pool: but there was no room for my beast to get through.

Douay-Rheims 1899

And I passed to the gate of the fountain, and to the king’s aqueduct, and there was no place for the beast on which I rode to pass.

Free Bible Version

Then I continued on to the Fountain Gate and the King's Pool, but we couldn't get through as there wasn't enough room to pass.

Geneva Bible 1599

Then I went foorth vnto the gate of the fountaine, and to the Kings fishpoole, and there was no rowme for the beast that was vnder me to passe.

King James (Authorized) Version

Then I went on to the gate of the fountain, and to the king’s pool: but there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass.

Translation for Translators

Then we went to the Fountain Gate and to the pool called the King’s Pool, but my donkey could not get through the narrow opening (OR, the rubble).

Unlocked Literal Bible

Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King's Pool. The place was too narrow for the animal I was riding to pass through.

Noah Webster Bible

Then I went on to the gate of the fountain, and to the king's pool: but there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass.

World English Bible

Then I went on to the spring gate and to the king’s pool, but there was no place for the animal that was under me to pass.

Young's Literal Translation

And I pass over unto the gate of the fountain, and unto the pool of the king, and there is no place for the beast under me to pass over,

Adam Clarke
Keil-Delitzsch
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
John Gill
Tyndale

Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

The gate of the fountain - Of Siloah. The king's pool - Probably the aqueduct made by Hezekiah, to bring the waters of Gihon to the city of David. See Ch2 32:30.

Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary

Nehemiah 2:14

Verse

Context

Nehemiah Inspects the Walls

Summary

Commentary

Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

John Gill Bible Commentary

Tyndale Open Study Notes

Nehemiah 2:14

Nehemiah Inspects the Walls

Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

John Gill Bible Commentary

Tyndale Open Study Notes