From Encyclopedia of The Bible:
"DUNG (DUNG GATE). The excrement of humans and animals. In the Bible ten different words meaning dung are used, nine of them in Heb. and one in Gr.
The term has several connotations in Scripture: (1) That which shall perish (Job 20:7); (2) That which defiles (Ezek 4:12, 15), and is used to degrade (Mal 2:3; see 2 Kings 18:27; Isa 36:12); (3) That which is unclean (Exod 29:14; Lev 4:11; 8:17; 16:27; Num 19:5), and in sacrificing consequently that which is to be disposed of and not included in the sacrifice (cf. 1 Kings 14:10); (4) That which is useless (2 Kings 9:37; Ps 83:10; Jer 8:2; 9:22; 16:4; 25:33). This meaning is seen also in 2 Kings 6:25.
In the NT Paul uses the term to refer to that which is despised and worthless. Paul counts all other things as “dung” compared with knowing Christ (Phil 3:8).
The name “Dung Gate” is found in four passages in the Book of Nehemiah and refers to one of the gates of Jerusalem in Nehemiah’s day. From this gate Nehemiah surveyed the broken walls of Jerusalem in the night (2:13). It was located between the Valley Gate (3:13) and the Fountain Gate (3:15). It was repaired by Malchijah, the son of Rechab. It was near this gate that Nehemiah had the dedication of the wall when it was completed (12:31). It is most probable from the series of gates mentioned in Nehemiah, that the Dung Gate was on the Tyropoeon side of the city and led down to that valley. Perhaps dung was dumped here in the valley at one time. Today, the Dung Gate is that gate on the S side of the walled city, leading down to the spur Ophel which was the ancient city of David.
Bibliography National Geographic Society, Everyday Life in Bible Times (1967), 225, 357."
Source: (
visit link)
For example:
Nehemiah 2:13 - "That night I went through the Valley Gate around the Dragon Spring and to the Dung Gate. In doing so, I inspected the ruined walls of Jerusalem and the gates ruined by fire."
From: (
visit link)
Nehemiah 3:13 - "The valley gate was repaired by Chanun and the inhabitants of Zanoach. When they built it, they installed gates, locks and bars; they also repaired a thousand elbows of the wall to the Dung Gate."
From: (
visit link)
"The Dung Gate was built as part of the new city walls erected under Suleiman the Magnificent between 1537 and 1541. The original gate was just 1.5 metres wide, topped by an arch and only designed for pedestrians and pack animals to pass through. Initially the gate, or more precisely the postern, included an inner gate tower, which was demolished still during the Ottoman period. Towards the end of Ottoman rule, a new gate tower or gatehouse was added, but this time outside the wall, in a style that blended in with the 16th-century fortifications. This outer tower was demolished by the British Mandate officials in 1938, probably as part of their drive to restore the walls to their original look, this bringing back to light the old stone decorations."
Source: (
visit link)