Tombs of the Kidron Valley

The valley between the temple mound and the Mount of Olives is full of the most amazing tombs. Jews did not bury their dead within the city, and many of the tombs are very elaborate. Over 800 tombs have been found around Jerusalem from the time of Herod alone, but many of them are much older.

Jesus would have walked by and been familiar with many of those that still stand today. Here are three that Jesus would have seen from the eastern temple wall.

The one to the left with the two columns had an inscription on the inside that mentioned the "Sons of Hezir." The middle tomb is known as Zechariah's Tomb. The tomb on the right is unfinished.

Here is a closeup of the Hezir Tomb.

It may be of these tombs that Jesus spoke when he said, "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs,
which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean."
Matthew 23:27