CHAP. IV. Of the two South-Gates: 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 The Gates of Huldah. (Book 4)
AS the East quarter of the enclosing Wall, did face Mount Olivet, so did the South quarter face Jerusalem the City it self; For take we the whole City, either built upon seven Hills a 1.1 as Tanchuma asserts it, or upon three, Acra, Moriah, and Sion, as it is commonly described, or add Bezetha and Ophla if you will, the situation of it will be found thus, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 b 1.2 That the Mountain of the Temple will be found lying Northward of Jerusalem, and Sion Northward of the Mountain of the Temple. And thus do the Jews in their Antiquities generally seat it, and that not without suffici∣ent warrant of the Scripture. For how can those words of the Psalmist, Beautiful for situ∣ation, the joy of the whole Earth is Mount Sion on the sides of the North, Psal. XLVIII. 2. be more properly and plainly interpreted than as Aben Ezra doth interpret them; c 1.3 Sion on the North side of Jerusalem? And those words of Ezekiel, He set me upon a Mountain, by which was the frame of a City towards the South, Ezek. XL. 2. who can give them a sense more genuine and proper than Kimchi hath done, when he saith d 1.4 The Mountain is the Mountain of the Temple, and this City is Jerusalem on the South?
On this side therefore that faced Jerusalem, or that looked South, there were two Gates that were called e 1.5 The Gates of Huldah, and they were so placed, as that they were in an equal distance from the two Angles of the Wall, East and West, and of the same distance one from another. And so is Josephus to be understood when he saith, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, f 1.6 The fourth part of the Wall was towards the South, and had Gates in the middle; that is, the Gates were so set, as that there was an equal space betwixt Gate and Gate, and betwixt either Gate and the corners of the Wall.
From whence these Gates did take their name to be called The Gates of Huldah, is hard to determine, whether from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Huldah, which signifieth a Weesel, of which creature g 1.7 the Hebrews write many Stories; or h 1.8 from the Syrian word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 which translateth the Greek word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, To creep into, 2 Tim. III. 6. or from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 This, or hither is common ground, or i 1.9 from the Prophetess Huldah, who was of so great esteem in her time among the Jews, as that they say k 1.10 there was never any buried within Jeru∣salem, either Man or Woman (unless of the House of David) but only she: or from whence else they were denominated, it will not countervail the labour to search, nor is it very hopeful to find.
We shall not need to spend time in describing the form, fabrick and dimensions of these Gates, since these and the rest of the Gates were all suitable to that in the East quarter which we have described before, saving that their Gate-house was higher, and that they were not charactered with the picture of Shushan as that Gate was. Let us therefore only take the prospect as we stand in either of these Gates before us, towards the South upon which they opened, as we did in the other toward the East.
What Streets, Houses, Turrets, Gardens, and beauteous buildings were to be seen in Jerusalem as it lay before you, may better be supposed in so goodly a City, than described: only if you will observe the situation of it, or how it lay, you may view it situate thus. It lay upon the Hill Acra, which rising in the middle, descended with an easie declining towards the East and West, and with a descent also toward the North or toward the Temple. Upon the very highest pitch of the Hill, and from whence it had a fall either way there sprang the sweet and gentle Fountain Siloam, without the City, and ran to either end of the City, both East and West in a contrary channel; as it made toward the East, it left the Fullers field upon the right hand, and saluted the Sheep-Gate on the left, and so turned, Eastward and fell into the Pool called Solomons Pool, which may well be supposed to be Bethesda. As it ran Westward, it coasted along the broad Wall, the Tower of the Furnaces, the Valley-Gate, and Dung-Gate, and after a while fell into the Pool of Siloam.