What is the significance of the city of Jericho?

Commonly known as “the oldest city in the world,” Jericho is an important historical, cultural, and political center located northwest of the Dead Sea. The city is perhaps best known from the Biblical story of a great victory over its Canaanite citizens by the Israelite leader Joshua.

What does the city of Jericho represent in the Bible?

Jericho is described in the Old Testament as the “City of Palm Trees.” Copious springs in and around the city attracted human habitation for thousands of years. It is known in Judeo-Christian tradition as the place of the Israelites’ return from bondage in Egypt, led by Joshua, the successor to Moses.

Who built the city of Jericho?

Bronze Age & The Fall of Jericho It became a walled town again at the end of the 4th millennium BCE. Evidence shows that the walls have been rebuilt many times. The largest of these settlements was constructed in 2600 BCE by the Amorites.

Has the city of Jericho been rebuilt?

This second Neolithic stage ended about 6000 bce. For the next 1,000 years there is little evidence of occupation at Jericho. At the end of the 4th millennium bce, an urban culture once more appeared in Jericho, as in the rest of Palestine. Jericho became a walled town again, with its walls many times rebuilt.

How old is the city of Jericho in the Bible?

The city of Jericho is remembered for the story in the Book of Joshua in the Bible regarding its destruction by the Israelites. Excavations have revealed that Jericho is one of the earliest settlements dating back to 9000 BCE. It also has the oldest known protective wall in the world.

Why was Jericho so important to the Israelites?

These discoveries have indicated the nature of the culture that the Israelites found when they infiltrated into Canaan and that they largely adopted. Jericho is famous in biblical history as the first town attacked by the Israelites under Joshua after they crossed the Jordan River (Joshua 6).

Why did Joshua curse the city of Jericho?

All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury” ( Joshua 6:17–19 ). The facts that everything in Jericho belonged to the Lord and that the collapse of the city walls was wholly the Lord’s work probably factored into Joshua’s warning not to rebuild the city.

Where are the walls of Jericho located in the Bible?

This style of defense is found outside of Jericho at locations such Hazor, Megiddo, and Shechem. Typically, the site would consist of a mound with an artificial embankment surrounding it.