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Kidron

Biblical
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

The Kidron Valley east of Jerusalem, mentioned in biblical texts as a site of mourning, burial, and Jesus’s passage to Gethsemane

Detailed Definition
Kedron (or Kidron) is a ravine separating Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, associated with lamentation (David fled across it) and Christ’s agony. Its seasonal stream, the Brook Kidron, flows only in winter. In poetry, Kedron evokes sorrow, spiritual struggle, and the path to sacrifice—often used as a somber, liminal space between the holy city and the garden of betrayal or redemption.
Example
Example in poetry:
Kidron—brook east of Jerusalem—inspires purification poetry: “David crossed Kidron weeping, but Jesus crossed it in resolve”; A modern poem: “My Kidron is the valley I walk before facing my Gethsemane”; In a lament: “Idols were burned in Kidron’s bed—cleansing flows from sacrifice”; Historical verse: “Blessed Kidron, boundary between temple and agony.”

In the Hebrew Bible, Kedron (Kidron) Valley is a site of lamentation and burial, inspiring devotional verse; Puritan poets use Kedron as a metaphor for spiritual desolation and repentance; Romantic biblical poetry references Kedron to evoke sacred topography and exile; Victorian hymnody often pairs Kedron with Olivet as a path of sorrow; Contemporary spiritual lyric reimagines Kedron as a threshold between grief and grace.
Additional Notes
The Kidron Valley (2 Samuel 15:23; John 18:1) runs east of Jerusalem, associated with idolatry (Asherah poles burned there), royal flight (David, Jesus), and eschatological judgment (Zechariah 14:4). In poetry, Kidron embodies the path of sorrow, purification, and the valley of decision—where kings and messiahs walk toward destiny.

Kedron (or Kidron) Valley, east of Jerusalem’s Old City, is a biblical site of mourning (David fled here during Absalom’s revolt), burial (ancient tombs line its slopes), and Jesus’s nocturnal passage before arrest. Its seasonal stream, the Brook Kidron, symbolizes both life and desolation. In Christian poetry, Kedron evokes sacrifice, betrayal, and eschatological hope. Its physical proximity to sacred sites makes it a liminal zone—ideal for poems exploring spiritual crisis or transition.
Also Known As
Kidron Valley Cedron Kedron
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