Then I went up in the night by the valley and inspected the wall: Because the path was blocked, Nehemiah apparently went into the valley that is identified as the “Kidron Valley” by Good News Translation (also Bible en français courant). Most versions simply refer to the valley without identifying it. It was often a dry gulch or ravine. The Hebrew says “I went up,” which many versions translate literally as Revised Standard Version has done. This may mean that he continued northward in the valley and continued to inspect the wall from that vantage point. But in terms of altitude he would have gone “down” into the valley below the wall (so Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version).

I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate: At this point the Hebrew can mean either that Nehemiah retraced his route or that he reentered by the Valley Gate, implying that he had continued on around the city. The condition of the wall and the difficulty of going on around the city lead most commentators to prefer the first alternative and translate as Revised Standard Version has done (also New International Version, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible).

Quoted with permission from Noss, Philip A. and Thomas, Kenneth J. A Handbook on Nehemiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2005. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .