Jericho: Place of fragrance, a fenced city in the midst of a vast grove of palm
trees, in the plain of Jordan, over against the place where that
river was crossed by the Israelites
(Joshua 3:16) Its site was near the
'Ain es-Sultan, Elisha's Fountain
(2 Kings 2:19-22) about 5 miles west of
Jordan. It was the most important city in the Jordan valley
(Numbers 22:1)
(Numbers 34:15) and the strongest fortress in all the land of Canaan. It
was the key to Western Palestine. This city was taken in a very
remarkable manner by the Israelites
(Joshua 6:1)ff God gave it into
their hands. The city was "accursed" (Heb. herem, "devoted" to
Jehovah), and accordingly
(Joshua 6:17) comp.
(Leviticus 27:28,29; Deuteronomy 13:16)
all the inhabitants and all the spoil of the city were to be destroyed,
"only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron"
were reserved and "put into the treasury of the house of Jehovah"
(Joshua 6:24) comp.
(Numbers 31:22,23,50-54) Only Rahab "and her father's
household, and all that she had," were preserved from destruction,
according to the promise of the spies
(Joshua 2:14) In one of the Amarna
tablets Adoni-zedec (q.v.) writes to the king of Egypt informing him
that the 'Abiri (Hebrews) had prevailed, and had taken the fortress
of Jericho, and were plundering "all the king's lands." It would seem
that the Egyptian troops had before this been withdrawn from
Palestine. This city was given to the tribe of Benjamin
(Joshua 18:21)
and it was inhabited in the time of the Judges
(Judges 3:13; 2 Samuel 10:5) It
is not again mentioned till the time of David
(2 Samuel 10:5) "Children of
Jericho" were among the captives who returned under Zerubbabel
(Ezra 2:34; Nehemiah 7:36) Hiel (q.v.) the Bethelite attempted to make it
once more a fortified city
(1 Kings 16:34) Between the beginning and
the end of his undertaking all his children were cut off. In New
Testament times Jericho stood some distance to the south-east of the
ancient one, and near the opening of the valley of Achor. It was a
rich and flourishing town, having a considerable trade, and celebrated
for the palm trees which adorned the plain around. It was visited by
our Lord on his last journey to Jerusalem. Here he gave sight to two
blind men
(Matthew 20:29-34; Mark 10:46-52) and brought salvation to the
house of Zacchaeus the publican
(Luke 19:2-10) The poor hamlet of
er-Riha, the representative of modern Jericho, is situated some two
miles farther to the east. It is in a ruinous condition, having been
destroyed by the Turks in 1840 "The soil of the plain," about the
middle of which the ancient city stood, "is unsurpassed in fertility;
there is abundance of water for irrigation, and many of the old
aqueducts are almost perfect; yet nearly the whole plain is waste and
desolate. The climate of Jericho is exceedingly hot and unhealthy.
This is accounted for by the depression of the plain, which is about
1,200 feet below the level of the sea." There were three different
Jerichos, on three different sites, the Jericho of Joshua, the Jericho
of Herod, and the Jericho of the Crusades. Er-Riha, the modern
Jericho, dates from the time of the Crusades. Dr. Bliss has found in a
hollow scooped out for some purpose or other near the foot of the
biggest mound above the Sultan's Spring specimens of Amorite or
pre-Israelitish pottery precisely identical with what he had
discovered on the site of ancient Lachish. He also traced in this
place for a short distance a mud brick wall in situ, which he supposes
to be the very wall that fell before the trumpets of Joshua. The wall
is not far from the foot of the great precipice of Quarantania and its
numerous caverns, and the spies of Joshua could easily have fled from
the city and been speedily hidden in these fastnesses.
