Jehoshaphat, Valley of

The Valley of Jehoshaphat is the name given in Joel 3:2 and 3:12 to the site where God declares he will gather all nations for judgment: "I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will put them on trial" (Joel 3:2). The name means "the LORD judges" and may function as a symbolic or theological title rather than a specific geographical location — a place of divine verdict rather than a place on a map.

From at least the fourth century A.D., Christian and Jewish tradition has identified the Valley of Jehoshaphat with the Kidron Valley between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives, and this remains the popular identification in modern times. The valley contains extensive ancient cemeteries, as both Jews and Muslims have sought burial near the traditional site of the final judgment. Whether or not Joel intended a specific location, the theological image — all nations gathered before the LORD for accounting — became a standard element of eschatological expectation in both Jewish and Christian interpretation.