דברי הימים ב, פרק כ״ה, פסוק כ״ג

The collapse of the Kingdom of Judah reaches a dramatic peak when Joash, the king of Israel, captures Amaziah at Beth-shemesh. Stripped of his power, the defeated king is brought as a prisoner back to his own capital city of Jerusalem. Rather than executing his captive, Joash chooses a path of calculated humiliation and deterrence. To permanently break Amaziah's pride and display his own dominance, the king of Israel tears a massive breach into the protective wall of Jerusalem. This act of destruction is designed to ensure that Amaziah will never dare to rebel again. Stripped of his city's physical defenses, the defeated king is left vulnerable, guaranteeing that his arrogance cannot return [רש״י, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

The path of this devastation is highly specific. The demolition begins at the Gate of Ephraim and stretches along the city's defenses for four hundred cubits [מצודת דוד], finally stopping at a location known as the Turning Gate. This same entrance is recognized elsewhere in the biblical record as the Corner Gate.

The specific naming of this corner gate as the "Turning Gate" is understood in two distinct ways. From a practical standpoint, a gate positioned at the corner of a city wall naturally faces, or turns toward, two different directions [מצודת ציון]. Alternatively, the name reflects an aesthetic quality. A corner often serves as a focal point that naturally draws the eye. In this view, the turning refers to the gaze of onlookers, marking this section as the most beautiful and visually impressive part of the entire wall [רד״ק].