MORTAR*, The

Name given by Zephaniah to a hollow place or depression resembling a mortar in Jerusalem. The “mortar” (Hebrew, Maktesh) was a place of business whose merchants were soon to grieve for their loss of trade (Zep 1:11). Its location is variously identified with the Phoenician quarter, the Kidron Valley, or the Tyropoeon Valley.

See also Jerusalem.