Jericho
Where is Jericho today? An oasis city in the West Bank near the Jordan River, whose walls fell and where Zacchaeus met Jesus, with key chapters.
- Today
- Jericho, West Bank (Tell es-Sultan mound)
- Country
- Palestine (West Bank)
- Status
- Living city: the Tell es-Sultan site is UNESCO-listed
- Identification
- Certain
Jericho is an oasis city west of the Jordan River and north of the Dead Sea; the Bible also calls it the city of palm trees. It was the first city Israel faced after crossing the Jordan: Rahab hid the spies, and the walls fell after the city had been circled for seven days. Elisha later healed the city's bad water. In the New Testament Jesus healed blind Bartimaeus at Jericho and stayed in the house of the tax collector Zacchaeus, and the parable of the Good Samaritan is set on the road going down from Jerusalem to Jericho.
Read the chapters
- Joshua 2
- Joshua 6
- 2 Kings 2
- Mark 10
A chapter recounting a wealthy man's question to Jesus about eternal life and the obstacle his attachment to possessions raises, with teaching on riches, sacrifice and true wealth.
- Luke 10
The chapter of the good Samaritan — Jesus' famous answer to 'who is my neighbor?', where mercy comes from an unexpected stranger, calling love into action.
- Luke 19
Related topics
Related people
- Jesus Christ
- Mary
- John the Baptist
- Elijah
- Elisha
- Joshua
- Elizabeth
- Martha
- Matthew
- Mary Magdalene
- Zacchaeus
- Methuselah
- Seth
- Abel
- Lot
- Zechariah
- John the Apostle
- Andrew
- Judas Iscariot
Related verse collections
- Bible Verses About Prayer
- Bible Verses About Forgiveness
- Bible Verses About Faith
- Bible Verses About Courage
- Bible Verses About Family
- Bible Verses About Marriage
- Bible Verses About Generosity
- Bible Verses About Jesus
- Bible Verses About Witness
- Bible Verses About Loneliness
- Bible Verses About New Beginnings
- Bible Verses About Strength
- Bible Verses About God's Promises
- Bible Verses About Mercy
- Bible Verses About Honesty
Reading plans
- The Bible for Beginners — 10 Days
- Holy Week — The Final Days of Jesus
- Two Weeks in the Parables of Jesus
- Advent — 24 Days to Christmas
- The Bible in a Year — 365 Days from Cover to Cover
- 30 Days with the Gospel — An Introduction to the New Testament
Related guides
- What Are the Parables of Jesus?
What are the parables of Jesus, what do they teach and where are they in the Gospels? A short, neutral guide to the best-known parables, from the prodigal son to the good Samaritan.
Books
Places in the Bible
Which country is Jericho in today?
Jericho today is the city of the same name in the West Bank, under Palestinian administration; it lies west of the Jordan River, north of the Dead Sea and about 250 metres below sea level. In the Bible it is the city whose walls fell in Joshua's time (Joshua 6:20), and where Jesus met Zacchaeus. At the Tell es-Sultan mound on the edge of town visitors see a Neolithic stone tower and wall remains, and the Greek Orthodox monastery on the Mount of Temptation, traditionally the place where Jesus was tempted, is also visited.
How did the walls of Jericho fall?
According to the book of Joshua, Israel marched around the city for seven days at God's command; on the seventh day the trumpets sounded, the people shouted and the wall collapsed (Joshua 6:20). The New Testament remembers it as an example of faith (Hebrews 11:30).
Is Jericho the oldest city in the world?
Jericho is counted among the oldest cities in the world. Excavations at the Tell es-Sultan mound uncovered a Neolithic stone tower and wall remains, and the site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2023.