Jericho

Jericho in Smiths Bible Dictionary. (place of fragrance), a city of high antiquity, situated in a plain traversed by the Jordan, and exactly over against where that river was crossed by the Israelites under Joshua. Jos 3:16 It was five miles West of the Jordan and seven miles northwest of the Dead Sea. It had a king. Its walls were so considerable that houses were built upon them. ch. Jos 2:15 The spoil that was found in it betokened its affluence. Jericho is first mentioned as the city to which the two spies were sent by Joshua from Shittim. Jos 2:1-21 It was bestowed by him upon the tribe of Benjamin, ch. Jos 18:21 and from this time a long interval elapses before Jericho appears again upon the scene. Its second foundation under Hiel the Bethelite is recorded in 1Ki 16:34 Once rebuilt, Jericho rose again slowly into consequence. In its immediate vicinity the sons of the prophets sought retirement from the world; Elisha "healed the spring of the waters;" and over against it, beyond Jordan, Elijah "went up by a whirlwind into heaven." 2Ki 2:1-22 In its plains Zedekiah fell into the hands of the Chaldeans. 2Ki 25:5; Jer 39:5 In the return under Zerubbabel the "children of Jericho," 345 in number, are comprised. Ezr 2:34; Ne 7:36 Under Herod the Great it again became an important place. He fortified it and built a number of new palaces, which he named after his friends. If he did not make Jericho his habitual residence, he at last retired thither to die, and it was in the amphitheater of Jericho that the news of his death was announced to the assembled soldiers and people by Salome. Soon afterward the palace was burnt and the town plundered by one Simon, slave to Herod; but Archelaus rebuilt the former sumptuously, and founded a new town on the plain, that bore his own name; and, most important of all, diverted water from a village called Neaera to irrigate the plain which he had planted with palms. Thus Jericho was once more "a city of palms" when our Lord visited it. Here he restored sight to the blind. Mt 20:30; Mr 10:46; Lu 18:35 Here the descendant of Rahab did not disdain the hospitality of Zaccaeus the publican. Finally, between Jerusalem and Jericho was laid the scene of his story of the good Samaritan. The city was destroyed by Vespasian. The site of ancient (the first) Jericho is placed by Dr. Robinson in the immediate neighborhood of the fountain of Elisha; and that of the second (the city of the New Testament and of Josephus) at the opening of the Wady Kelt (Cherith), half an hour from the fountain. (The village identified with jericho lies a mile and a half from the ancient site, and is called Riha. It contains probably 200 inhabitants, indolent and licentious and about 40 houses. Dr. Olin says it is the "meanest and foulest village of Israel;" yet the soil of the plain is of unsurpassed fertility. --ED.)
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Jericho
Tulul Abu el-'Alayiq. Jericho probably meant "place of fragrance" or "moon city"). An ancient city in the wide plain where the Jordan Valley broadens between the Moab mountains and the western precipices, and situated on the route of Israel after they crossed the Jordan under Joshua (Josh 3:16). The first mention of Jericho in Scripture is in connection with the advance of Israel to Canaan; they "camped in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan opposite Jericho" (Num 22:1). The spies sent by Joshua were entertained in Jericho by Rahab, for which they promised her protection when the city would be destroyed (Josh 2:1-21; 6:25). The miraculous capture of Jericho, the sin and punishment of Achan, and the curse pronounced upon anyone who should attempt to rebuild it are graphically recorded (6-7). Jericho was given to the tribe of Benjamin (18:21), "and from this time a long interval elapsed before Jericho appeared again upon the scene.

It is only incidentally mentioned in the life of David in connection with his embassy to the Ammonite king (2 Sam 10:5). It was also called 'a city of palm trees' (Judg 1:16; 3:13). In its immediate vicinity the sons of the prophets sought retirement from the world: Elisha 'healed the spring of the waters;' and near it beyond Jordan, Elijah 'went up by a whirlwind into heaven' (2 Kings 2:1-22). In its plains Zedekiah fell into the hands of the Chaldeans (25:5; 39:5). In the return under Zerubbabel the 'children of Jericho,' 345 in number, are comprised (Ezra 2:34; Neh 7:36); the 'men of Jericho' assisted Nehemiah in rebuilding that part of the wall of Jerusalem that was next to the sheep-gate (3:2).

The Jericho of the days of Josephus was a distant "one hundred and fifty stadia from Jerusalem and fifty from the Jordan."

In the NT Jericho is mentioned in connection with Jesus' restoring sight to the blind (Matt 20:29-30; Mark 10:46; Luke 18:35) and His being entertained by Zaccheus (19:1-8). And finally, it was mentioned in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30), which revealed that robbers have always terrorized the road from Jerusalem to Jericho.

NT or Herodian Jericho stood on both sides of the Wadi Qelt almost two miles SW of Tell es-Sultan; there Herod the Great built his winter palace, and many more fine buildings. Archaeologists have found that S of the Wadi Qelt stood an artificial mound with a pavilion on top of it. S of the artificial mound was a wing of the palace, which is now covered over. Steps led from the artificial mound to the Wadi Qelt. At the foot of the mound on the E was a large pool, and on the W was a sunken garden backed by a grand facade with forty-eight statuary niches. A bridge led across the Wadi Qelt to the N wing of the palace, which consisted of a reception hall, two open courtyards, a bath complex, and other rooms. Nearby, Hasmonaean palaces and a monumental swimming pool have been discovered but are only partially excavated.

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Jericho in Bible Cities
More about Ancient Jericho

Israel in the First Century

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Jericho Scriptures

Joshua 18:12 - And their border on the north side was from Jordan; and the border went up to the side of Jericho on the north side, and went up through the mountains westward; and the goings out thereof were at the wilderness of Bethaven. 

1 Chronicles 6:78 - And on the other side Jordan by Jericho, on the east side of Jordan, [were given them] out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer in the wilderness with her suburbs, and Jahzah with her suburbs, 

Joshua 8:2 - And thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and her king: only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves: lay thee an ambush for the city behind it. 

Joshua 10:28 - And that day Joshua took Makkedah, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof he utterly destroyed, them, and all the souls that [were] therein; he let none remain: and he did to the king of Makkedah as he did unto the king of Jericho. 

Joshua 10:30 - And the LORD delivered it also, and the king thereof, into the hand of Israel; and he smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that [were] therein; he let none remain in it; but did unto the king thereof as he did unto the king of Jericho. 

Joshua 12:9 - The king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which [is] beside Bethel, one; 

Joshua 20:8 - And on the other side Jordan by Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness upon the plain out of the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh. 

2 Chronicles 28:15 - And the men which were expressed by name rose up, and took the captives, and with the spoil clothed all that were naked among them, and arrayed them, and shod them, and gave them to eat and to drink, and anointed them, and carried all the feeble of them upon asses, and brought them to Jericho, the city of palm trees, to their brethren: then they returned to Samaria. 

Joshua 10:1 - Now it came to pass, when Adonizedek king of Jerusalem had heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them; 

1 Kings 16:34 - In his days did Hiel the Bethelite build Jericho: he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn, and set up the gates thereof in his youngest [son] Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Joshua the son of Nun. 

Nehemiah 3:2 - And next unto him builded the men of Jericho. And next to them builded Zaccur the son of Imri. 

Deuteronomy 32:49 - Get thee up into this mountain Abarim, [unto] mount Nebo, which [is] in the land of Moab, that [is] over against Jericho; and behold the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel for a possession: 

Joshua 5:13 - And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, [Art] thou for us, or for our adversaries? 

Joshua 6:25 - And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father's household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel [even] unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho. 

Numbers 26:63 - These [are] they that were numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who numbered the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by Jordan [near] Jericho. 

Jeremiah 52:8 - But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after the king, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was scattered from him. 

2 Kings 25:5 - And the army of the Chaldees pursued after the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho: and all his army were scattered from him. 

Jeremiah 39:5 - But the Chaldeans' army pursued after them, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho: and when they had taken him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he gave judgment upon him. 

Numbers 31:12 - And they brought the captives, and the prey, and the spoil, unto Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and unto the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the camp at the plains of Moab, which [are] by Jordan [near] Jericho. 

Joshua 6:26 - And Joshua adjured [them] at that time, saying, Cursed [be] the man before the LORD, that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho: he shall lay the foundation thereof in his firstborn, and in his youngest [son] shall he set up the gates of it. 

Joshua 3:16 - That the waters which came down from above stood [and] rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that [is] beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, [even] the salt sea, failed, [and] were cut off: and the people passed over right againstJericho. 

Luke 10:30 - And Jesus answering said, A certain [man] went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded [him], and departed, leaving [him] half dead. 

Numbers 36:13 - These [are] the commandments and the judgments, which the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses unto the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by Jordan [near] Jericho. 

2 Kings 2:5 - And the sons of the prophets that [were] at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know [it]; hold ye your peace. 

2 Kings 2:15 - And when the sons of the prophets which [were] to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him. 

1 Chronicles 19:5 - Then there went [certain], and told David how the men were served. And he sent to meet them: for the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, Tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown, and [then] return. 

Deuteronomy 34:1 - And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that [is] over against Jericho. And the LORD shewed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan, 

Joshua 2:1 - And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot's house, named Rahab, and lodged there. 

2 Samuel 10:5 - When they told [it] unto David, he sent to meet them, because the men were greatly ashamed: and the king said, Tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown, and [then] return. 

Numbers 34:15 - The two tribes and the half tribe have received their inheritance on this side Jordan [near] Jericho eastward, toward the sunrising.