Jericho

Jericho in the Bible

Jericho was a city west of the Jordan River, on the route into the land of Canaan. In Joshua 2, the spies sent by Joshua are hidden by Rahab, who lived in the city. In chapter 6, Israel marches around the city once a day for six days and seven times on the seventh day. When the priests blew the trumpets and the people gave a great shout, the wall fell down (the fall of Jericho). Rahab's household was spared. Joshua pronounced a curse on anyone who would rebuild the city (Joshua 6:26), and 1 Kings 16:34 records that in the time of Ahab, Hiel the Bethelite rebuilt the city and lost his firstborn son and his youngest son.

Later, Elisha healed the bad water of Jericho (2 Kings 2:19-22). In the New Testament, Jesus heals the blind man Bartimaeus near Jericho (Mark 10:46-52) and stays at the house of the chief tax collector Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10). The Parable of the Good Samaritan is also set on the road traveled by a man who "went down from Jerusalem to Jericho" (Luke 10:30).

Background

Jericho is an oasis city in the Jordan Valley north of the Dead Sea, lying more than 200 meters (about 650 feet) below sea level. Because of its abundant springs, it was called "the city of palm trees" (Deuteronomy 34:3). Because the road from Jerusalem, which lies at a much higher elevation, runs downhill, the Bible speaks of going "down" to Jericho. Old Testament Jericho is generally identified with the archaeological site of Tell es-Sultan. New Testament Jericho lay farther south, where Herod built a winter palace. Some have suggested that the name is related to "moon" or "fragrance," but its meaning is uncertain. Because excavators have dated the collapse of the walls differently, the relationship between the biblical account and the archaeological evidence remains a matter of debate.

Significance Across Scripture

The New Testament takes up the events at Jericho as an example of faith. Hebrews 11:30-31 lists the fall of the walls and the sparing of Rahab among the deeds accomplished by faith (the Faith Chapter). James 2:25 cites Rahab as an example of one justified by works. Rahab also appears in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1:5, and she is generally identified with the Rahab of Jericho.

Interpretation and Points of Debate

• The command to destroy completely: Two interpretations coexist regarding the killing of all the people and animals in the city (Joshua 6:21). One reads it as God's judgment on the sin of Canaan. The other holds that the hyperbolic conventions of ancient Near Eastern war accounts must be taken into account.
• Rahab's lie: Whether Rahab was right to lie while hiding the spies has been discussed since the patristic era. Many interpreters hold that what was commended was her faith and kindness, not the lie itself.
• Allegorical interpretation: First Clement, a late first-century document, read the scarlet cord Rahab tied in her window as a sign pointing to the blood of Christ. Augustine interpreted the man going down to Jericho as Adam.
• Additions beyond the text: The text does not say how the walls fell (for example, by an earthquake). Likewise, using the seven circuits as a method of prayer is not prescribed by the text but is a later application.

In the Korean Church

The fall of Jericho is frequently used in sermons and Sunday school lessons on faith and obedience. Modeled on the account of the march around the city, some churches hold "Jericho prayer meetings," in which participants gather daily for a set period or walk around the church building while praying. This is a form of commitment prayer.