Page 93 - Bible Geography and Near East Studies

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).

Jericho once contained a school of the prophets and was the residence of Elisha. The waters here were
purified by Elisha in 2 Kings 2:18-22. It was close to this location that Elijah was taken to Heaven on a
chariot of fire.

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