GIHON. – A spring outside the walls of Jerusalem, where, by David’s order, Solomon was secretly consecrated king, forestalling the proclamation of Adonia, which had been plotted by his partisans assembled at the rock of Zohelet, near the Rogel spring (I Reg. 1:9). It is identified with ‘Ajn Sittl Marjam, the only spring in Jerusalem, situated at the foot of the height (Ophel) on which David’s palace stood, on the western side of the Cedron Valley, about 100 m. from Bir Ajjab (= Rogel spring) and opposite the steep slope Zahzejeh (= Zohelet?), which rose toward the village of Silvan.
Archaeological exploration in the cavern from which G. emerges has revealed an entire system of hydraulic works for supplying the city with water in the event of a siege. In the second millennium a secret passage, cut into the rock, led from the city to the mouth of a shaft from which water could be drawn with ropes and vessels; after the spring’s natural outlet had been blocked, the water was channelled through the interior of the hill to a point beneath the shaft. Exegetes generally agree that it was through this passage (şimnâr) that Ioab was able to enter and conquer the Jebusite fortress.
As the city later expanded westward, new works (a pool and channels) were added around G. as early as the time of Solomon. In the time of Achaz, a channel was constructed along the sides of the hill, almost at ground level, with various open sections for irrigating the royal gardens; from G. it carried the water to the lower pool, today Birket el-hamrâ’ (Iz. 8:6). This channel, which could also have served besiegers, was blocked by Ezechia (II Par. 32:30), who had a deep tunnel excavated which, passing underground through the hill of Ophel, carried the water from upper G. to the other side of the hill, on the western slope (II Par. 32:30; II Reg. 20:20; Ecli. 48:19), to the pool of Siloe (Iz. 9:7). There, in 1880, the inscription was discovered—now in the Museum of Constantinople—which describes the work completed.