Page 95 - Advanced Bible Geography ebook

3:15, 4:18). Other biblical events involving the famous river would include Elijah and Elisha crossing the
river on dry ground, Elisha commanding the leprous Naaman to dip seven times in the river for healing,
and of course, the baptism of Jesus. Though it doesn’t look all that impressive today, the Jordan River is
the main, natural fresh-water source for modern-day Israel and Jordan and the boundary between the
two countries.

How to stop a river
People have long marveled at the miracle (or simply discounted it as a legend) of Joshua leading his people across the dry Jordan
riverbed during flood season as they began their conquest of the Promised Land. However, we know of at least three occasions when
the flow of the river has stopped in more recent times (1267, 1546 and 1927) because of earthquakes.

In the most recent case, Israeli geologist Ron Avni and British Jericho excavator John Garstang spoke of the Jordan’s very high banks
(150 feet) tumbling into the river as a result of the 1927 earthquake. The mudslide effectively blocked the river for more than 21 hours.
The 1267 incident apparently involved a similar earthquake and subsequent mudslide very close to biblical Adam, allowing workers to
repair support pillars of a bridge while the river flow was stopped. This Eric Matson photo (taken before the 1927 earthquake) shows the
towering banks of the Jordan near Adam. It’s easy to picture how an earthquake could jostle the high banks, causing them to fall into the
water and form a temporary dam.

Jericho

Jericho lies about 18 miles northeast of Jerusalem, seven miles northwest of the Dead Sea and six miles
east of the Jordan River. Fed by several underground springs, Jericho is an oasis on the northern edge of
the Judean Wilderness. It is sometimes called the “City of Palms” in the Bible (see Deuteronomy 34:3
and Judges 1:16 for examples).

Jericho likes to claim that it is the oldest continually populated city in the world. Though it might be
impossible to verify such a claim, archaeological work around the city continues to produce some of the
most ancient artifacts ever found. As Joshua led his people across the Jordan River, Jericho was the first
city taken in the Promised Land. Once the great walls of Jericho had fallen, a curse was pronounced on
anyone who rebuilt the city (Joshua 6:26). When King Ahab of the northern kingdom ordered the city
rebuilt, the curse fell on Hiel of Bethel, the overseer of the project (1 Kings 16:34).

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