Cedron
“The black or dark (torrent)”
Summary
The New Testament form of Kidron, the brook in the ravine east of Jerusalem that Jesus crossed on his way to Gethsemane.
☩Location and Description
Cedron (Greek: Kedron) is the brook mentioned in John 18:1 as the stream Jesus and his disciples crossed after the Last Supper on their way to Gethsemane. The name means 'the black torrent,' describing its dark waters. It flows through the ravine between the eastern wall of Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives. The Garden of Gethsemane lay beyond it.
☩Old Testament Significance
In the Old Testament, the brook Kidron (the Hebrew form of the name) was associated with the destruction of idols. King Asa burned his mother's idol there; Josiah burned the vessels made for Baal and the Asherah grove in its waters; Hezekiah had the priests carry out the uncleanness from the Temple to the brook Kidron. Shimei was forbidden by Solomon to cross the brook Kidron on pain of death.
Related Verses7 mentions
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Cedron," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. II (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Cedron," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).