dedication of the walls two companies start from the Valley Gate and go opposite ways to meet in the Temple. Presumably the Valley Gate was chosen to afford journeys of about equal length; and this is another indication that the wall did not go down to Siloam. The party going south pass the Dung Gate, and reach the Fountain Gate. And now which way will they go? The wall has been repaired right ahead of them, and also the wall turning north, and they will have to choose between two routes. The Revised Version says they went "by (ad) the Fountain Gate and straight before them," and ascended by the Stairs of the City of David at the going up of the wall (not by this time, nor really "at," but "in"—ba-maaleth le-chomah, i.e., in the stairway of the wall by the Stairs of David—a different stairway from the Stairs of the City of David, which descended into the valley bed).
Their way up these stairs and beyond carried them "above the house of David, even unto the Water Gate." The house of David here is close by the king's garden of iii. 15; and its position on the slope of the hill suggests a reason for calling Solomon's palace the king's upper house (or high house, iii. 25). Some say "the house of David" means David's tomb; but if that be so, it only confirms the position which I am led to assign to the tomb. Observe also that the position required for the Water Gate here is again that of the present Triple Gate, the same as in iii. 26.
It deserves particular attention that the processionists pass quickly from the Stairs of David to the Water Gate, whereas in the rebuilding, these two places are very wide apart, because the bend of the wall is followed. In iii. 15, we have the Sepulchres, the Pool, the House of the Mighty, four more bands of workers, the turning of the wall, the armoury, the house of Eliashib, the turning, the corner, and the outstanding tower—all between the point over against the Stairs of David and the Water Gate; but none of these
