Original Word: קִדְרוֹן
Part of Speech: Proper Name
Transliteration: Qidrown
Pronunciation: kee-drohn'
Phonetic Spelling: (kid-rone')
KJV: Kidron
NASB: Kidron
Word Origin: [from H6937 (קָדַר - mourning)]

1. dusky place
2. Kidron, a brook near Jerusalem

Kidron

From qadar; dusky place; Kidron, a brook near Jerusalem -- Kidron.

see HEBREW qadar

Word Origin
from qadar
Definition
perhaps "dusky," a wadi E. of Jer.
NASB Translation
Kidron (11).

קִדְרוֺן proper name of wady just east of Jerusalem (Thes. turbidus); — ׳נַחַל ק 2 Samuel 15:23; 1 Kings 2:37; usually as place for refuse 1 Kings 15:13 2Chronicles 15:16; 2 Kings 23:6 (twice in verse); 2 Kings 23:12; 2Chronicles 29:16; 30:14; Jeremiah 31:40; so ׳שַׁדְמוֺת ק 2 Kings 23:4; Κεδρων; compare Rob^{Phys. Geogr, 87ff.} Buhl^{Geogr. 93} Bd^{Pal. 3 (1898), 94}.

קדשׁ (√ of following; possibly original idea of separation, withdrawal (Baud^{Studien, ii} Nö^{LOB Mar. 22, 1879, 361} RS^{Semitic i. 140; 2nd ed. 150}); Late Hebrew = Biblical Hebrew; Phoenician קדש holy, מקדש sanctuary; Assyrian ‡adâšu II. I, cleanse (Meissn^{Suppl. 84}), also ‡adištu, hierodule consecrated to Ištar (compare AJerem^{Izdubar 59f.}); Arabic proper name, of a mountain (Nö^l.c. RS^Proph. see, N. 9); in Arabic otherwise under influence of Hebrew, so Ethiopic; compare ᵑ7 קדשׁ in derived species and derivatives, Syriac consecrate, etc.; Palmyrene קדש id.; Aramaic קְדָשָׁא, (ear- or nose-) ring, (originally holy thing, Nö^l.c.); — on whole subject see Baud Nö RS (references above), also HPS^{Presb. Rev. 1881, 588ff.}; different from חרם see GFM^{Ju. p. 36}).

Location and Physical Setting

The Kidron is the ravine that runs along the eastern wall of Jerusalem, separating the city from the Mount of Olives and descending south-eastward toward the Dead Sea. Seasonal rains carve its bed; in summer it is normally dry. Its proximity to the Temple Mount made it a natural conduit for the disposal of refuse and defilement, while its depth and seclusion provided a place for solemn processions and decisive acts of reform.

Moments of Royal Crisis and Loyalty

• David fled over Kidron when Absalom seized the throne. “All the land wept loudly as all the people passed by. The king crossed the Kidron Valley, and all the people moved on toward the wilderness” (2 Samuel 15:23). The valley thus became a line that distinguished faithful companions from rebels, foreshadowing later calls to choose covenant loyalty over convenience.
• Centuries later, Solomon fixed Kidron as the limit for Shimei: “For on the day you leave and cross the Kidron Valley, know for sure that you shall surely die” (1 Kings 2:37). The boundary served as an act of mercy and a test of obedience; Shimei’s failure cost him his life. Kidron therefore illustrates that divine grace never nullifies divine justice.

Stage for National Reformation

Kidron figures prominently in the sweeping purges of idolatry undertaken by Asa, Hezekiah, and Josiah.
• Asa deposed the queen mother Maacah and “cut down her obscene Asherah pole and burned it in the Kidron Valley” (1 Kings 15:13; 2 Chronicles 15:16).
• Hezekiah’s priests “carried all the uncleanness they found in the house of the LORD out to the Kidron Valley” (2 Chronicles 29:16), and the people “took their altars and threw them into the Kidron Valley” (2 Chronicles 30:14).
• Josiah pulverized idolatrous objects and “carried their ashes to Bethel” after burning them at Kidron (2 Kings 23:4, 6, 12).

Kidron became Judah’s refuse pile for spiritual filth—a concrete demonstration that true worship demands decisive, visible separation from sin.

Symbol of Judgment and Hope

Jeremiah looked forward to a day when even the unclean Kidron would be sanctified: “The whole valley of the dead bodies and the ashes, and all the fields as far as the Kidron Valley … will be holy to the LORD” (Jeremiah 31:40). The prophet envisioned the transformation of the very place identified with corruption into a landscape stamped with holiness, anticipating the comprehensive renewal promised in the new covenant.

New Testament Echo

When Jesus left the upper room, “He went out with His disciples across the Kidron Valley” (John 18:1). The route recalled David’s path of rejection and Josiah’s place of cleansing. Passing through Kidron on the way to Gethsemane, the Son of David embraced both motifs: the suffering King and the ultimate Purifier who bears away uncleanness.

Theological and Ministry Insights

1. Lines of Decision: Like David’s followers, believers must consciously cross from compromise to costly allegiance.
2. Radical Cleansing: Reformation requires more than inward resolve; it calls for public, deliberate removal of anything that competes with the Lord’s supremacy.
3. Grace and Accountability: Shimei’s boundary reminds the church that grace sets limits meant for our good; presumption invites judgment.
4. Redeemed Spaces: Jeremiah’s promise reveals that God intends to reclaim every realm marred by sin—an encouragement for holistic mission that engages even the “valleys” of society.

Key References

2 Samuel 15:23; 1 Kings 2:37; 1 Kings 15:13; 2 Kings 23:4, 6, 12; 2 Chronicles 15:16; 2 Chronicles 29:16; 2 Chronicles 30:14; Jeremiah 31:40; John 18:1

קִדְר֔וֹן קִדְר֖וֹן קִדְר֜וֹן קִדְרֽוֹן׃ קדרון קדרון׃ kidRon qiḏ·rō·wn qiḏrōwnInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts