Jericho
City · Jericho → Jericho, West Bank
The first city Israel met across the Jordan. Its walls fell after they marched around it.
People
- Joshua
- Rahab
- Elijah
- Elisha
- Zacchaeus
- Jesus
At a glance
- Realm
- Canaan, then Israel (Benjamin)
- Role
- City of palms, first city taken in the land
- Peoples
- Canaanites
- First mention
- Numbers 22 (plains near Jericho)
The story
Jericho lay in the Jordan valley, a city of palm trees watered by a strong spring, one of the oldest walled towns on earth. It was the first stronghold Israel faced when they crossed the Jordan into the land.
Israel marched around it seven days, the trumpets sounded, the walls fell down flat, and only Rahab and her house were spared for the kindness she showed the spies. Elijah and Elisha passed this way, Elisha healing its bitter spring, and long after Jesus gave sight to blind Bartimaeus here and called Zacchaeus down from the sycamore tree.
Through the eras
- The Patriarchs · standing. A strong walled town of the old world; its great ramparts rose in this age.
- Conquest & Judges · in ruins. Its walls fell before Israel, and Joshua cursed whoever would rebuild them. Scholars date the ruin differently, near 1550 or 1400 BC, and the great walls seen today are older still.
- The United Kingdom · in ruins. Its stones still lay under Joshua’s curse.
- Divided Kingdoms · rebuilt. Hiel of Bethel rebuilt it, at the cost of both his sons, as Joshua had sworn.
- The Exile · standing. Zedekiah was overtaken in these plains as Jerusalem fell.
- The Return · standing. Men of Jericho were among those who came back from exile.