Bible Fact · Nehemiah 3:8 — 'Uzziel son of Harhaiah, one of the goldsmiths, repaired the next section; and Hananiah... repaired the next section, as far as the Broad Wall.'
The Broad Wall of Jerusalem
The Fact
In the late 1960s and 1970s, archaeologist Nahman Avigad excavated the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem following the city's reunification in 1967. Among his most spectacular finds was a section of massive city wall nearly 23 feet (7 meters) thick and over 200 feet long, built of large unhewn stones. This wall, now visible in an outdoor archaeological site, dates to the late eighth century BC — the time of King Hezekiah. It corresponds exactly to the 'Broad Wall' mentioned in Nehemiah 3:8 and 12:38 as a landmark in post-exilic Jerusalem. Isaiah 22:10 describes Hezekiah's expansion of Jerusalem's walls before the Assyrian siege: 'You counted the houses of Jerusalem, and you broke down the houses to fortify the wall.' The houses beneath the Broad Wall show signs of being demolished to clear the building site, precisely as Isaiah describes. The wall encircled a western expansion of Jerusalem that doubled the city's size.
Context
The Broad Wall enclosed a newly populated western hill of Jerusalem, likely settled by refugees from the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 BC.
Significance
The Broad Wall provides physical confirmation of Jerusalem's eighth-century expansion under Hezekiah, exactly as described in Isaiah 22 and referenced in Nehemiah.
Reflection
Hezekiah strengthened Jerusalem's walls while also praying and trusting God. What 'walls' of practical preparation are you building, and are you also praying over them?