Topical Bible: Jerusalem: Walls of

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Topical Encyclopedia

The walls of Jerusalem hold significant historical, theological, and symbolic importance within the biblical narrative. These fortifications have been central to the city's identity and its role in the unfolding account of God's people.

Historical Background

The earliest mention of Jerusalem's walls can be traced back to the Jebusites, the original inhabitants of the city, who fortified it before King David's conquest (2 Samuel 5:6-9). David captured the stronghold of Zion, which became known as the City of David, and he further strengthened its defenses. His son Solomon expanded the city and its fortifications, including the construction of the First Temple (1 Kings 3:1).

The walls of Jerusalem were expanded and rebuilt multiple times throughout history. During the reign of King Hezekiah, significant efforts were made to fortify the city against the Assyrian threat (2 Chronicles 32:5). The most notable reconstruction occurred under Nehemiah, who led the Jewish exiles in rebuilding the walls after the Babylonian exile. Nehemiah's account provides a detailed description of the rebuilding process, emphasizing the communal effort and divine assistance (Nehemiah 3-6).

Symbolic and Theological Significance

The walls of Jerusalem symbolize God's protection and the distinct identity of His chosen people. In the Psalms, the city's fortifications are often depicted as a source of security and divine favor: "As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds His people, both now and forevermore" (Psalm 125:2). The walls serve as a metaphor for God's safeguarding presence and the spiritual boundaries that set His people apart.

Prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah used the imagery of Jerusalem's walls to convey messages of judgment and restoration. Isaiah prophesied about the future glory of Jerusalem, where its walls would be called Salvation and its gates Praise (Isaiah 60:18). Jeremiah, on the other hand, lamented the destruction of the walls as a consequence of Israel's unfaithfulness (Lamentations 2:8-9).

New Testament Context

In the New Testament, the walls of Jerusalem continue to hold significance. Jesus' lament over Jerusalem reflects the city's spiritual state and its impending judgment: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling!" (Matthew 23:37). The walls, once a symbol of divine protection, now stand as a testament to the city's rejection of the Messiah.

The Book of Revelation envisions a New Jerusalem, descending from heaven, with great and high walls symbolizing the eternal security and holiness of God's redeemed people (Revelation 21:12-14). This eschatological vision underscores the ultimate fulfillment of God's promises and the restoration of His creation.

Archaeological Insights

Archaeological excavations have uncovered remnants of Jerusalem's ancient walls, providing insights into their construction and historical context. Discoveries such as the Broad Wall, attributed to Hezekiah's reign, and sections of Nehemiah's wall offer tangible connections to the biblical narrative. These findings corroborate the historical accounts and enhance our understanding of Jerusalem's strategic and spiritual significance throughout the ages.

Nave's Topical Index

Jeremiah 39:4
And it came to pass, that when Zedekiah the king of Judah saw them, and all the men of war, then they fled, and went forth out of the city by night, by the way of the king's garden, by the gate between the two walls: and he went out the way of the plain.
Nave's Topical Index

Greek

4611. Siloam -- Siloam, a pool in Jer.
... Siloam Phonetic Spelling: (sil-o-am') Short Definition: Siloam Definition: Siloam,
a spring within the walls, in the south-east corner of Jerusalem. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4611.htm - 6k

Library

Jerusalem! High Tower Thy Glorious Walls
... VI. PROCESSIONALS Processionals 543. Jerusalem! high tower thy glorious walls.
10.6.10.6.7.6.7.6 ... cento. Jerusalem! high tower thy glorious walls,. ...
/.../processionals 543 jerusalem high tower.htm

Walls and Gates
... Another prophet foretold that the returning exiles would dwell in a Jerusalem that
had no walls, 'for I, saith the Lord, will be unto her a wall of fire round ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture h/walls and gates.htm

The City Without Walls
... ZECHARIAH THE CITY WITHOUT WALLS. 'Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns
without walls.... ... III. 'Jerusalem shall be without walls.'. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture a/the city without walls.htm

Jerusalem
... "Jerusalem was holy above other cities, girt with walls, because in it they
ate the lighter holy things, and the second tithe. These ...
/.../lightfoot/from the talmud and hebraica/chapter 21 jerusalem.htm

A Man of Opportunity
... and well-matured plans are as essential to the carrying forward of sacred enterprises
today as in the time of the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls. ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 52 a man of.htm

How David Laid Siege to Jerusalem; and when He had Taken the City ...
... he had encompassed all with walls, he appointed Joab to take care of them. It was
David, therefore, who first cast the Jebusites out of Jerusalem, and called ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 3 how david laid.htm

Bethphage
... any town in Olivet called Bethphage; but rather a great tract of the mountain was
so called; and the outermost street of Jerusalem within the walls was called ...
/.../lightfoot/from the talmud and hebraica/chapter 37 bethphage.htm

Book ix. On Jerusalem and Her Enemies
... [Eph.2:19]. The walls are the protection of the divine scriptures or of the prophets
or of the saints; in the psalm: the walls of Jerusalem will be built. ...
/.../eucherius/the formulae of st eucherius of lyons/book ix on jerusalem and.htm

The Description of Jerusalem.
... 1. The city of Jerusalem was fortified with three walls, on such parts as were not
encompassed with unpassable valleys; for in such places it had but one wall. ...
/.../chapter 4 the description of.htm

How Herod, when He had Married Mariamne Took Jerusalem with the ...
... him no small army, besides that which was there before, for they were about thirty
thousand; and they all met together at the walls of Jerusalem, and encamped ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 16 how herod when.htm