Jericho

Geography and Location

Jericho (Hebrew: Yərēḥō, possibly meaning "City of the Moon" or "Fragrant") is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and the lowest permanently inhabited site on earth, sitting roughly 258 meters (846 feet) below sea level.

Notice in the aerial view below how the ancient mound of Tell es-Sultan (Old Testament Jericho) rises directly beside the lush greenery fed by the perennial spring of ‘Ein es-Sultan (traditionally Elisha’s Spring), contrasting sharply with the surrounding arid wilderness:

Ancient Neighbours

• East: The Jordan River lies about 8 km (5 miles) to the east. Across the river lay the Plains of Moab and the territories of Ammon and Moab, with Mount Nebo overlooking the valley from the eastern ridge.

• West: The steep, rugged Judean Wilderness rises sharply to the west. Climbing the treacherous ascent through the Wadi Qelt leads toward Ai, Bethel (approx. 22 km northwest), and Jerusalem (approx. 27 km / 17 miles southwest, sitting over 1,000 meters higher in elevation).

• North and South: Positioned in the lower Jordan Rift Valley, about 16 km (10 miles) north of the Dead Sea (Salt Sea). Gilgal was located immediately to the east between Jericho and the Jordan River.

Modern Location

• Today, the city is known in Arabic as Ariha and is located in the West Bank (Palestinian Territories), just west of the Kingdom of Jordan (separated by the Allenby/King Hussein Bridge) and east of modern Jerusalem, Israel.

• Historically, Jericho sits across three distinct sites in close proximity:

  1. Tell es-Sultan: The Bronze and Iron Age mound (Old Testament Jericho), about 2 km northwest of the modern town center.

  2. Tulul Abu el-‘Alayiq: The Hasmonean and Herodian winter palace complex (New Testament Jericho), situated about 2.5 km southwest at the mouth of the Wadi Qelt.

  3. Modern Ariha: The contemporary city encompassing the oasis.

Biblical History and Scripture References

1. The Benchmark at the Borders of Canaan (Moses & the Exodus Generation)

Before Israel ever set foot in Canaan, Jericho served as the primary geographical reference point along the Jordan River for the encampment of Israel in the plains of Moab. Because of its lush oasis fed by perennial springs, Scripture also titles it the "City of Palms."

• Numbers 22:1; 26:3, 63; 31:12; 33:48, 50; 34:15; 35:1; 36:13: Repeatedly identifies Israel's camp as being "in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho" as Moses delivers the law, takes the second census, and assigns tribal inheritances.

• Deuteronomy 32:49; 34:1, 3: God commands Moses to ascend Mount Nebo opposite Jericho to view the Promised Land, including "the Valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar," before Moses dies.

2. Espionage, Faith, and the Conquest of Jericho (Joshua)

Jericho was the heavily fortified "gateway" to the heartland of Canaan. Its conquest demonstrated that victory belonged to the Lord through faith and obedience rather than military siegecraft.

• Joshua 2:1–3: Joshua sends two spies from Shittim to view the land, especially Jericho. They are hidden by Rahab the prostitute, who confesses faith in the God of Israel and is spared with her household.

• Joshua 3:16; 4:13, 19; 5:10, 13: Israel miraculously crosses the Jordan opposite Jericho, camps at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, celebrates the Passover, and Joshua encounters the Commander of the Lord’s army just outside the city.

• Joshua 6:1–27: The siege and miraculous fall of Jericho. After Israel marches around the city for seven days and the priests blow the trumpets, the walls fall flat. The city is devoted to the Lord for destruction (cherem), save for Rahab and her family.

• Joshua 7:2; 8:2; 9:3; 10:1, 28, 30; 12:9; 24:11: Achan’s sin involving plunder from Jericho leads to initial defeat at Ai; Jericho's fall prompts the Gibeonite deception and Canaanite coalitions, and is later recounted in Joshua's farewell covenant renewal.

• Hebrews 11:30–31 & James 2:25: The New Testament commends the faith of the Israelites at Jericho's walls and the living faith of Rahab in welcoming the spies.

A Note on Archaeology and Scepticism: Modern scepticism frequently cites Kathleen Kenyon’s 1950s excavations to claim Jericho was uninhabited at the time of Joshua (dating the destruction of City IV to ~1550 BC). However, scholars who take the biblical text seriously point out two compelling responses: first, ceramic analysis by archaeologists like Bryant Wood argues for a 1400 BC destruction matching the biblical early date of the Exodus; second, regardless of whether one holds an early or late date, the archaeology at Tell es-Sultan matches the biblical record in striking detail—collapsed mudbrick walls creating a ramp at the base of the stone revetment wall (cf. Joshua 6:20), a section of houses built into the northern outer wall that did not collapse (cf. Joshua 2:15), massive burn layers (cf. Joshua 6:24), and jars full of charred grain indicating a short siege right after the spring harvest (cf. Joshua 3:15; 5:10).

3. Tribal Allotment and the Period of the Judges

Following the conquest, Jericho sat on the boundary between Benjamin and Ephraim, and its oasis remained a coveted prize for surrounding nations.

• Joshua 13:32; 16:1, 7; 18:12, 21; 20:8; 1 Chronicles 6:78: Jericho serves as a border marker for Ephraim and Benjamin, is allotted as a city within the tribe of Benjamin, and serves as a geographic reference for Bezer in Reuben across the Jordan.

• Judges 1:16: The descendants of Moses' father-in-law (the Kenites) go up with the people of Judah from the "city of palms" into the wilderness of Judah.

• Judges 3:13: During Israel's apostasy, Eglon king of Moab allies with the Ammonites and Amalekites, defeats Israel, and takes possession of the "city of palms," using it as an administrative base to oppress Israel for 18 years until Ehud assassinates him.

4. The United and Divided Monarchy

During the monarchy, Jericho transitioned from a cursed ruin to a lightly inhabited outpost, and eventually a refortified town with a company of prophets.

• 2 Samuel 10:5 & 1 Chronicles 19:5: After Hanun, king of the Ammonites, humiliates King David’s envoys by shaving off half their beards, David instructs them to "remain at Jericho until your beards have grown, and then return."

• 1 Kings 16:34: During the wicked reign of King Ahab, Hiel of Bethel rebuilds (refortifies) Jericho, triggering Joshua’s ancient curse (see Prophecies and Fulfilment below).

• 2 Kings 2:4–5, 15, 18–22: Jericho hosts a community of the "sons of the prophets." Elijah and Elisha visit Jericho just before Elijah is taken up to heaven in a whirlwind across the Jordan. Returning to Jericho, Elisha heals the city's foul, barren water source by throwing salt into the spring—a miracle remembered at ‘Ein es-Sultan to this day.

• 2 Chronicles 28:15: During the reign of King Ahaz of Judah, after the northern kingdom of Israel slaughters and takes captive thousands from Judah, the prophet Oded rebukes them. Leaders of Ephraim clothe, feed, and anoint the weak captives and bring them on donkeys "to Jericho, the city of palm trees, to their brothers."

5. The Fall of Jerusalem and Post-Exilic Return

Jericho witnessed the tragic end of the Davidic monarchy prior to the Babylonian exile, as well as the faithful rebuilding of Jerusalem upon the return.

• 2 Kings 25:5; Jeremiah 39:5; 52:8: When the Babylonians breach the walls of Jerusalem (586 BC), King Zedekiah flees by night toward the Arabah, but the Chaldean army overtakes and captures him in the plains of Jericho.

• Ezra 2:34 & Nehemiah 7:36: Among the exiles returning from Babylon with Zerubbabel are 345 ”sons of Jericho.”

• Nehemiah 3:2: During the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls, the men of Jericho build the section right next to Eliashib the high priest.

6. The Ministry of Jesus (New Testament Jericho)

By the first century AD, Herod the Great had built a lavish winter palace complex just south of the ancient mound. Jericho was a bustling customs and trade hub on the pilgrim route from Galilee (via the Jordan Valley) up to Jerusalem.

• Matthew 20:29–34; Mark 10:46–52; Luke 18:35–43: As Jesus passes through Jericho on His final journey to Jerusalem, He restores the sight of blind Bartimaeus (and a second blind man mentioned by Matthew), who cries out to Him as the "Son of David." (Note: While sceptics claim a contradiction between Luke saying Jesus was "drawing near" and Matthew/Mark saying He was "leaving" Jericho, historians note that ancient Tell es-Sultan and Herodian Jericho existed side-by-side; leaving the old city or residential quarter meant entering the Herodian civic center, or Jesus healed as He entered and lingered as He exited).

• Luke 19:1–10: Passing through Jericho, Jesus calls Zacchaeus, a wealthy chief tax collector who had climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see Him. Zacchaeus repents, leading to Jesus' declaration: "The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."

• Luke 10:30–37: Jesus sets the Parable of the Good Samaritan on the notoriously steep, bandit-infested 27-km road going "down from Jerusalem to Jericho."

Prophecies and Their Fulfilment

The Prophecy: Joshua's Curse on Jericho

c. 1406 / 1200 BC

• Joshua 6:26: Immediately after the destruction of Jericho, Joshua pronounces a solemn prophetic oath: "Cursed before the LORD be the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho: At the cost of his firstborn shall he lay its foundation, and at the cost of his youngest son shall he set up its gates."

• Note: This curse was specifically against re-fortifying Jericho as a walled military stronghold (laying foundations and setting up gates), not merely living in the oasis.

The Fulfilment: Hiel of Bethel Rebuilds the Walls

c. 870 BC (Reign of Ahab)

• 1 Kings 16:34: More than five centuries later, during the apostate reign of King Ahab of Israel, the prophecy is fulfilled to the letter: "In his days Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundation at the cost of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which he spoke by Joshua the son of Nun."

The Prophetic Reversal: Elisha Heals the Waters

c. 850 BC

• 2 Kings 2:19–22: While the land and waters of Jericho still bore the lingering blight of barrenness ("the water is bad, and the land is unfruitful"), Elisha performs a prophetic sign of grace. Casting salt from a new bowl into the spring, he declares: "Thus says the LORD, 'I have healed this water; from now on neither death nor miscarriage shall come from it.'" The spring remains fresh and life-giving to this day.