Jericho (Israel)

Overview

Jericho (Tel es-Sultan next to Ein es-Sultan) is in the Jordan Valley about 8 miles north of the Dead Sea and about 15 miles east of Jerusalem. It is situated at 900 feet below sea level, making it the lowest city in the world. Jericho claims to be the oldest city in the world that has been continuously inhabited. Excavations at Jericho date the earliest settlements to the Mesolithic Age (8500 BC). Archaeologists have uncovered 23 levels of civilizations in Tel Jericho.

The name Jericho probably derives from the Hebrew word "yerah," meaning moon or month or new moon. Early inhabitants of the area probably worshiped the moon god, whom they believed controlled the cycles of the moon and therefore the agricultural seasons. A perennial spring supplies abundant water (more than 1,000 gallons per hour), making Jericho a productive tropical oasis. It was called "the city of palm trees" (Deuteronomy 34:3), an indication of the extraordinary production of dates.

Although Jericho was an important city, it encompassed a relatively small area of only ten acres. During the Hellenistic and Hasmonean periods, a new Jericho, sometimes called "Herodian Jericho," appeared a mile west in the Wadi Qelt. Intended to be a royal center for the Hasmonean kings of Judah in the first century BC, it later became the eastern capital and winter residence of Herod the Great. The city flourished from 105 B.C. until it was taken by the Romans in 70 AD.

Jericho is famously known as the first city the Israelites conquered after crossing the Jordan River during Joshua’s conquest. Jericho was a well-fortified Canaanite city before the arrival of the Israelites. The city was fortified with double walls, but Joshua’s army marched around this place once each day for six days and seven times on the seventh day, and on the last day, the walls fell down. It's astounding how much archaeological evidence has been found here confirming the Biblical account. After Jericho fell, Joshua pronounced a curse on any who would rebuild the city, a prediction that was fulfilled in the days of Ahab (Joshua 6:26; 1 Kings 16:34).

There are many other Biblical connections to Jericho. Accompanied by his designated successor Elisha, Elijah passed through Jericho and crossed the Jordan to the Plains of Moab, where God swept him up into heaven in a chariot. (2 Kings 2:1-17). Elisha healed the water source of Jericho (2 Kings 2:19-22). The healing of Blind Bartimaeus by Jesus occurred in Jericho (Matthew 20:29-34; Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-43). Zacchaeus, the tax collector, was from Jericho (Luke 19:1-10). The story of the Good Samaritan happened on the route from Jericho to Jerusalem (Luke 10:25-37).