FOUNTAIN OF THE BIG SNAKE

The Hebrew expression carries the thought of a fountain, spring or well of a land or sea monster, and is variously translated as: the dragon well or fountain (AV, Dy, JB, Le); the jackal’s well (AS, RS); the fountain or well of the Serpent, snake or Big Snake (AT, NW, Ro). The Septuagint, however, reads “the well of fig trees.”

This water source was located along the route Nehemiah took on his first inspection of Jerusalem’s broken-down walls. (Neh. 2:12, 13) Since this name is not found again in the Scriptures, the fountain or well, if elsewhere referred to, must be under a different designation. En-rogel is commonly suggested as its alternate name. This could well be, for though En-rogel is a considerable distance down the Kidron valley, the account simply says that Nehemiah passed “in front of the Fountain,” and this could mean by the corner of the wall facing En-rogel and within sight of, but still some distance from, the fountain.—See EN-ROGEL.