Jericho is an ancient city located near the Jordan River in the West Bank. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, with evidence of settlement dating back to 9000 BCE. In the Bible, Jericho plays a prominent role in several key events:
The Conquest of Canaan
After the Exodus from Egypt, Moses led the Israelites through the wilderness for 40 years. As they approached the Promised Land of Canaan, God instructed Joshua to lead the Israelites across the Jordan River to conquer the land (Joshua 1:2). The first city they were to conquer was Jericho.
God gave Joshua very specific instructions on how to take the city. The Israelites were to march around Jericho once a day for six days, with seven priests bearing the ark of the covenant. On the seventh day, they were to march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing trumpets. When they heard a long blast from the trumpets, all the people were to give a great shout, and the walls of the city would fall down flat (Joshua 6:1-5).
Joshua obeyed these instructions, and on the seventh day, after the seventh lap and trumpet blast, the people shouted, and the walls around Jericho collapsed. The Israelites then charged into the city and captured it (Joshua 6:15-20). Only Rahab and her family were spared, as she had hidden the Israelite spies earlier (Joshua 6:22-25).
The conquest of Jericho was the first major victory for the Israelites in taking possession of Canaan. The fall of Jericho’s walls reinforced that the Lord was with Joshua as He had been with Moses, and that He was giving them victory over the Canaanites as He had promised.
Elisha Performs Miracles
Several hundred years after the conquest of Canaan, the prophet Elisha lived and ministered in the vicinity of Jericho. The Bible records two miracles that Elisha performed near the city:
First, he purified the city’s water supply. The people of Jericho informed Elisha that their water was bad and the land unproductive. Elisha instructed them to put salt in a new bowl and throw it into the spring. When they did so, the water was purified (2 Kings 2:19-22).
Second, Elisha restored life to a deceased man. A group of the prophets were constructing a new dwelling when one of them died accidentally. The men brought his body to Elisha, who laid on the corpse and brought him back to life (2 Kings 4:18-37).
These miracles displayed God’s power through Elisha and brought hope and renewal to the city of Jericho.
Jesus Brings Salvation
In the New Testament, Jericho is significant as the place where Jesus brought salvation shortly before his crucifixion. Two notable events took place as Jesus passed through Jericho on his way to Jerusalem:
First, Jesus healed a blind beggar named Bartimaeus. When Bartimaeus heard Jesus was passing by, he cried out repeatedly for mercy. Though the crowd tried to silence him, Jesus stopped and called for Bartimaeus. “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked. “Rabbi, I want to see,” Bartimaeus replied. Jesus then healed him, saying “Your faith has made you well.” (Mark 10:46-52).
Second, Jesus brought salvation to Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector. Zacchaeus, a short man, climbed a sycamore tree to see Jesus over the crowd. When Jesus passed by, he looked up and told Zacchaeus to come down, for he would stay at his house. Though the people murmured about Jesus going to a sinful man’s home, Zacchaeus was transformed. He gave half his possessions to the poor and restored four-fold anyone he had cheated. Jesus declared “Today salvation has come to this house.” (Luke 19:1-10).
In Jericho, Jesus demonstrated that he came to save people regardless of social status – from a poor blind beggar to a rich tax collector. He restored sight to the blind and brought salvation to a “son of Abraham.”
Jesus Returns through Jericho
After Jesus’ resurrection, as he led his disciples towards Bethany, Luke notes that “he was passing through Jericho.” (Luke 19:1). His travel through Jericho connects back to his ministry there prior to his crucifixion.
Though Jesus was passing through as he approached Jerusalem, his earlier work in Jericho remained. The blind could still see, and the tax collector was still a new man. Jesus transformed Jericho through his miracles and salvation.
Jericho in the Old Testament Era
Jericho’s strategic location made it an important city long before the Israelites conquered it. Located in an oasis near the Jordan River valley, Jericho was a natural resting and trading place on routes between the Dead Sea and Jerusalem.
Archaeologists have uncovered over 20 successive settlements in Jericho dating back over 11,000 years. Jericho is considered one of the oldest continuously occupied cities in the world.
During the late Bronze Age, Jericho was a major Canaanite city-state. It was fortified with impressive walls, homes, a palace complex, and a temple. Scholars estimate its population was around 2,000-3,000 people.
The city’s walls were reported to be about 6 feet (1.8 m) thick and 13 feet (4 m) high. The retaining wall formed a solid defense around the city, supporting the weight of residences and other buildings.
But these walls posed no match for the power of God. The book of Joshua records that when the Israelites marched, shouted and trumpeted as God commanded, “the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him” (Joshua 6:20). Only God could have flattened this impressive fortification.
Jericho’s conquest marked the first step in claiming Canaan for the Israelites. Its destruction and curse against rebuilding (Joshua 6:26) showed that Israel’s success was from the Lord and made way for them to inhabit the Promised Land.
Jericho in the New Testament Era
By New Testament times, Jericho was inhabited again, though not nearly as large as its Bronze Age peak. The city was located on a major Roman road and served as an agricultural hub enriching the surrounding area.
The Herodian dynasty undertook ambitious building projects in Jericho, transforming it into a winter resort area. Herod the Great constructed a hippodrome, amphitheater, palaces, and cultivated palm groves. His son Archelaus built a palace as well.
This lush area was likely why the poor beggar Bartimaeus settled near Jericho – travelers between Jerusalem and the Jordan would have provided ample begging opportunities.
The sycamore tree Zacchaeus climbed to see Jesus was also common in this fertile region. Jericho’s warm climate and abundant water supply created ideal conditions for sycamore fig trees.
So in Jesus’ day, Jericho was a prosperous town benefiting from winter tourism. The splendor of Roman infrastructure and agriculture formed a backdrop for Jesus to display his power and mercy.
Significance as a Border City
Biblically, Jericho’s location near the Jordan River also carried symbolic importance. Crossing the Jordan represented entering the Promised Land.
When the Israelites first approached Canaan, God parted the waters so they crossed the Jordan on dry ground into the land (Joshua 3:14-17). This mirrored their Red Sea crossing, reinforcing that God was giving them victory in Canaan as He had delivered them from Egypt.
Centuries later, Elijah and Elisha returned to the Jordan before Elijah was taken up to heaven. Elijah struck the river so they could cross, and after seeing Elijah depart, Elisha again parted the Jordan to return (2 Kings 2:6-14). This transition of prophetic power took place at the border.
So Jericho was a border town between wilderness and Promised Land, a crossing site displaying God’s power and promises. Its strategic location made it a gateway into Canaan both physically and spiritually.
Continued Importance after Bible Times
Jericho continued to play an important role after the biblical period. It was one of the cities fortified by Bacchides, a Syrian general, around 161 BC during the Maccabean revolt. The site was later occupied by King Herod and used by Roman troops.
The Jericho of New Testament times sat abandoned after the Roman era. A new settlement arose 1 km away, often identified as the Jericho of the Gospels. This city thrived during Byzantine times when churches were constructed there.
Muslims conquered the region in the 600s AD. They built two main palaces in Jericho, whose ruins remain today. Travelers in the Middle Ages wrote of visiting Jericho and seeing ruins of ancient synagogues there.
Modern excavations began in the 19th century, notably by Charles Warren who uncovered ancient Jericho in 1868. Ernst Sellin and Carl Watzinger extensively excavated between 1907-1909 and revealed the Bronze Age walls and palace.
Today Jericho is located in the Palestinian Authority territories. Agriculture continues to flourish in the region, now producing bananas, dates and other crops. Jericho exports these products internationally.
Tourism has also grown around New Testament sites like the ancient sycamore tree, Mount of Temptation, and ruins of Herod’s palace. Jericho continues progressing while preserving its biblical past.
Key Lessons from Jericho
Though a small city, Jericho offers several valuable lessons:
- God keeps His promises – For over 400 years, the Israelites waited to inherit Canaan. As He promised, God brought them into the land, with Jericho as the first victory.
- Obedience brings blessing – By obeying God’s unusual strategy for taking Jericho, the Israelites saw the city’s walls fall flat through His power.
- Salvation is available to all – Jesus brought physical and spiritual salvation to the needy and outcast in Jericho.
- Faith is powerful – Bartimaeus persisted in calling out to Jesus despite opposition, and his faith resulted in healing.
This important biblical city illustrates God’s faithfulness and power. Though small, Jericho had an outsized impact as a border town and spiritual gateway into the Promised Land.
Its conquest marked a new era for Israel, its prophets performed miracles, and Jesus brought salvation there. For thousands of years, Jericho has endured as a place of biblical significance.
Whether in Joshua’s day, Elisha’s day, or Jesus’ day, Jericho was transformed by God’s activity. As it was historically, may Jericho continue to be a place where God’s power is on display.
