31:38 “Indeed a time is coming,” 1 says the Lord, 2 “when the city of Jerusalem 3 will be rebuilt as my special city. 4 It will be built from the Tower of Hananel westward to the Corner Gate. 5 31:39 The boundary line will extend beyond that, straight west from there to the Hill of Gareb and then turn southward to Goah. 6 31:40 The whole valley where dead bodies and sacrificial ashes are thrown 7 and all the terraced fields 8 out to the Kidron Valley 9 on the east as far north 10 as the Horse Gate 11 will be included within this city that is sacred to the Lord. 12 The city will never again be torn down or destroyed.”
1 tc The words “is coming” (בָּאִים, ba’im) are not in the written text (Kethib) but are supplied in the margin (Qere), in several Hebrew
2 tn Heb “Oracle of the
3 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
4 tn Heb “the city will be built to [or for] the
5 tn The word “westward” is not in the text but is supplied in the translation to give some orientation.
6 tn The words “west” and “southward” are not in the text but are supplied in the translation to give some orientation.
7 sn It is generally agreed that this refers to the Hinnom Valley which was on the southwestern and southern side of the city. It was here where the people of Jerusalem had burned their children as sacrifices and where the
8 tc The translation here follows the Qere and a number of Hebrew
9 sn The Kidron Valley is the valley that joins the Hinnom Valley in the southeastern corner of the city and runs northward on the east side of the city.
10 tn The words “on the east” and “north” are not in the text but are supplied in the translation to give orientation.
11 sn The Horse Gate is mentioned in Neh 3:28 and is generally considered to have been located midway along the eastern wall just south of the temple area.
12 tn The words “will be included within this city that is” are not in the text. The text merely says that “The whole valley…will be sacred to the