Valley of Jehoshaphat Josaphat
Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia
- mentioned only in Joel 3:2, 12. This narrow valley extends north and south between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives, and the Kidron brook runs through it. Some identify it with the king's dale of Genesis 14:17 and 2 Samuel 18:18, supposing that it received its name either as the alleged burial place of King Jehoshaphat or as the site of his great victory over the Moabites and their allies (2 Chr 20:25). It is also called the Kidron Valley after the stream flowing through it.
In ancient times it served as a burial ground for the lower classes. Many tombs remained in its rocks in the source's day, and Jerusalem's Jews were buried there.