Page 73 - Bible Geography and Near East Studies - Textbook w videos short

home. These were the chief priests who drew the ire of John the Baptizer and Jesus alike.

The road between Jericho and Jerusalem was one of the most well known in all of Israel. Tens of
thousands - if not hundreds of thousands - of travelers from the Galilee navigated the difficult and
dangerous road each year. Jericho is about 850 feet below sea level. Jerusalem is 2,500 feet above sea
level. The road between the two cities followed the Prat River in what is known as Wadi Qelt. Attacks
from robbers weren’t uncommon on the road, which is why it garnered the nickname the “Way of
Blood.” Jesus used the road as the familiar setting for the parable of the “Good Samaritan” (Luke 10:25-
37).

Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River near Jericho and immediately headed into “the wilderness.”
Jericho is surrounded by rugged land called “the wilderness.” The Benjamin Desert stretches to the
west. The Judean Wilderness and Dead Sea are to the South. The deserts of Jordan are visible to the
east and southeast. Little wonder tradition says Jesus was tempted by Satan near the cliffs of Jericho!

Balsam trees grew in Jericho. The oil of these trees was used at the Temple. Shortly before the
destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, priests destroyed the trees to keep them from being “defiled”
by the Romans.

Jordan River

The “Rift Valley” stretches from the Sea of
Galilee to the Dead Sea all the way to the
southern-most tip of Israel at Elat. The Jordan
River slowly meanders from the Sea of Galilee
to the Dead Sea in this valley. By the time it
reaches Jericho, the valley is marked by high
cliffs on either side of the Jordan, as seen in the
photo above.

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