Jericho

View of the Jericho Valley from the ancient Tel Jericho

Jericho, “City of Palms Trees,” is located about 10 miles north of the Dead Sea and is the lowest occupied city on earth at an elevation of 846 feet below sea level. It is arguably the oldest continuously inhabited city of the world. Excavations in the area have found over twenty settlements in Jericho dating as far back as 9,000 BC.

The city is mentioned at least 70 times in the Bible. It was described as part of the “Promised Land” that Moses saw from Mt. Nebo but was not allowed to enter. “Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the LORD showed him the whole land — from Gilead to Dan” (Deuteronomy 34:1).

Joshua’s book describes the famous Battle of Jericho in which the walls “tumbled down” after the Israelites marched around the city seven times on the seventh day.

An ancient Sycamore in Jericho

It is one of the ancient cities of the Old Testament mentioned in the New Testament (found in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Hebrews). Bartimaeus was healed from blindness in Jericho. Zacchaeus climbed a sycamore tree in Jericho to get a clear line of sight on Jesus as he passed by. Near the center of the city is an ancient sycamore tree, which reminds us of that story. The Parable of the Good Samaritan, told by Jesus, centers on a certain man on his way to Jericho. 

At that time, Jericho was one of the cities designated for the residence of priests and Levites on the roster for duty in the Temple, about 15 miles away. About 12,000 priests and Levites are believed to have lived there. 

Mark Antony gave Jericho as a gift to his lover, Cleopatra of Egypt, in 35 BC. She had wanted the oasis to control the groves of a special persimmon (now extinct), reputed to produce a perfume that “drove men wild.” 

Later Cleopatra leased Jericho to Herod the Great at an exorbitant fee; some say it equaled nearly half of Judea’s income. After her death, Herod gained ownership of the city. He built a palatial residence and died there in 4 BC.