The 10 Gates of Jerusalem - Part 1 (Nehemiah 3)
10 Gates of Jerusalem - Nehemiah 3:1-14
In the next two posts, we’ll discuss the significance of the 10 gates of Jerusalem’s walls, which are mentioned in Nehemiah 3. The gates are mentioned in counter-clockwise order.
SHEEP GATE:
(vs. 1) Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests and built the Sheep Gate; they consecrated it and hung its doors. They built as far as the Tower of the Hundred, and consecrated it, then as far as the Tower of Hananel.
The first gate to be rebuilt was the Sheep Gate. This was reconstructed by the High Priest and other priests. It was consecrated first because it was the gate where the sheep and lambs for sacrifices were brought through. For this gate, it is specifically mentioned that it was consecrated before they even hung the doors.
This shows that the first priority of the people at the time was to restore the gate that would help them restore worship. Our priority should also be to praise and worship God.
What is the significance of this gate?
The Sheep Gate is representative of our Lord Jesus Christ. As we see in the verse below, Christ is the Lamb of God who came to the world to take away all our sins. In the Old Testament, multiple sacrifices were required to cleanse the people of their sins. Christ’s sacrifice was once and for all. He is the ultimate sacrifice and His blood redeemed us.
John 1:29 - The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
FISH GATE:
(vs. 3) Also the sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate; they laid its beams and hung its doors with its bolts and bars.
The second gate mentioned is the fish gate, which is where the fishermen would bring in their catches to be sold at the marketplace.
This is one of the main entrances of Jerusalem. As such, both Jews and Gentiles would enter the city from this gate.
What is the significance of this gate?
The first thing that comes to mind when we think of fish is that Christ called His disciples ‘Fishers of Men’. This is seen in the verse below. Because of this, the Fish Gate represents evangelism. And what better place to evangelize than the main marketplace and entrance of a major city.
Matthew 4:19 - Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
OLD GATE:
(vs. 6) Moreover Jehoiada the son of Paseah and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah repaired the Old Gate; they laid its beams and hung its doors, with its bolts and bars.
The third gate mentioned is the old gate, which is located near the northwest corner of the wall. Some people it was named this because it was the old entrance into the city.
What is the significance of this gate? There are 2 ways to interpret it.
The first, mentioned in Jeremiah below, is that it refers to a major step in Christian living, which is learning doctrine. This is also referred to as the ‘old paths’, which the Lord Himself calls good. We need to learn the doctrine and principles of the Word of God to be able to apply them to our daily lives.
Jeremiah 6:16 - Thus says the LORD: “Stand in the ways and see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
The second, mentioned in Ephesians below, refers to the old man. The Old Gate is a reminder that as believers, we must put away the old man in order to have a relationship with Christ. After accepting Christ, we cannot let sin have dominion over us. We must change and the Old Gate is a reminder that we should not succumb to our old urges and behaviors.
Ephesians 4:20-24 - But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
VALLEY GATE & REFUSE GATE:
(vs. 13, 14) Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired the Valley Gate. They built it, hung its doors with its bolts and bars, and repaired a thousand cubits of the wall as far as the Refuse Gate. Malchijah the son of Rechab, leader of the district of Beth Haccerem, repaired the Refuse Gate; he built it and hung its doors with its bolts and bars.
The next two gates are spoken of together - the Valley Gate and the Refuse Gate.
The Valley Gate was named as such because it opened up to one of the several valleys that surrounded the city. It was also the place where Nehemiah did his inspection of the walls (Nehemiah 2:13-15). It is in the area of what is the present-day Jaffa Gate.
What is the significance of this gate?
The Valley Gate symbolizes humility. In ancient times, this gate led to a steep downward slope where atrocities could be seen, like idolatry and the burning of corpses. But this gate was also repaired like the others. It is a reminder that we are full of sin and must humble ourselves before Christ, as seen in 1 Peter. And that Christ also humbled Himself to come down to this world to die for our sins, as seen in Philippians.
1 Peter 5:6 - Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time
Philippians 2:8 - And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
The other gate mentioned in these two verses is the Refuse Gate or Dung Gate. This was the gate that was used to take out all the trash of the city The trash would be taken down into the valley where it would be burned. It was located on the southern-most part of the wall.
What is the significance of this gate?
The Refuse or Dung Gate symbolizes the filth of our sin and the emptiness of our lives without Christ, as seen in Philippians below. We came to Christ with nothing, just the filth of our sins. We were corrupted with the works of the flesh, like impurity, idolatry, enmity, jealousy, divisions, envy, and others (Galatians 5:19-21). This gate reminds us that we are nothing without Christ. We are just dust and dead in our sins and trespasses. Christ’s love and His death for us is the only reason we are able to be a part of His family.
Philippians 3:8 - Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.
