Jericho: The Site of the Falling Walls

Jericho in the Biblical Narrative

Jericho holds a pivotal role in the Israelites' conquest of Canaan as described in the Book of Joshua.

Located near the Jordan River's confluence with the Dead Sea, Jericho was a fortified city (Joshua 6:1-27) strategically positioned as the first major obstacle in the Israelites' campaign under Joshua's leadership. The biblical account describes how God instructed Joshua to have the Israelites march around the city's walls for seven days, culminating in their collapse after the priests blew ram's horns and the people shouted. This miraculous event symbolized divine intervention in securing the land, establishing Jericho as a foundational site in the narrative of Israel's settlement.

The conquest of Jericho set a precedent for subsequent battles, emphasizing both military strategy and faith in God's promises. This account bridges to broader themes of covenant and possession explored in later biblical texts.

The Fall of Jericho's Walls (Joshua 6:20)

The Israelites’ obedience to God’s unconventional strategy culminated in the miraculous collapse of Jericho’s walls as recorded in Joshua 6:20.

According to Joshua 6:20, on the seventh day of marching, the priests blew the ram’s horns, the people shouted, and the walls fell flat, allowing the Israelites to conquer the city. This event defied human military logic, emphasizing that divine power—not human strength—secured the victory. The command to march silently around the city for six days, followed by a climactic shout, underscored the necessity of unwavering faith and obedience to God’s timing. Theologically, it illustrated that possession of the Promised Land hinged on trust in God’s promises and strict adherence to His instructions.

The walls of Jericho symbolized both a physical obstacle and a spiritual test for the Israelites. Their collapse demonstrated God’s sovereign authority over creation and His commitment to fulfill His covenant with Israel. By requiring a seemingly passive act of circling the city, the narrative highlights that faith often involves embracing God’s methods rather than human strategies.

This event established a paradigm for Israel’s conquest, showing that divine intervention preceded human action. It also foreshadowed the New Testament theme of spiritual battles being won through faith and obedience, bridging to later reflections on trust in God’s redemptive plan.

Jericho's Post-Conquest Legacy

Jericho's biblical narrative extends beyond its conquest, reappearing as a site of faith and transformation in both Joshua and the Gospels.

In Joshua 2 and 6, Jericho becomes central to the story of Rahab, a Canaanite woman who sheltered Israelite spies and was spared during the city's destruction (Joshua 6:20-25). Her inclusion in the Israelite lineage (Matthew 1:5) underscores themes of redemption and unexpected grace. The city’s subsequent curse against rebuilding (Joshua 6:26) highlights its symbolic role as a boundary between divine judgment and covenantal promise.

Centuries later, Jericho reemerges in Matthew 21:1-11 as the vantage point for Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, where he curses a fig tree (Matthew 21:18-22) and enters the city amid crowds acclaiming his kingship. This juxtaposition of physical place and spiritual symbolism connects Jericho’s ancient history with the unfolding of God’s redemptive plan in Christ.

Why This Context Matters

The Jericho narrative encapsulates foundational theological themes that resonate throughout Scripture.

The story underscores divine power (Joshua 6:20-27), demonstrating that God’s methods transcend human strategy and that obedience to His commands, even when illogical, secures victory. It also frames faith as active trust in God’s timing, as seen in the seven-day march around the walls. This event established a covenantal paradigm for Israel’s settlement, linking possession of the land to faithfulness to God’s promises.

By positioning Jericho as the gateway to Canaan, the account shapes biblical history as a progression of God’s faithfulness to His covenant. Its legacy persists in Rahab’s inclusion in Christ’s genealogy (Matthew 1:5), illustrating how God’s redemptive plans extend beyond Israel to include Gentiles.

Going Deeper

For those seeking deeper engagement with Jericho’s legacy, modern scholarship and archaeological findings offer valuable insights into its historical and symbolic dimensions.

Archaeological excavations by scholars such as Kathleen Kenyon and Rami Arav have shed light on Jericho’s ancient fortifications and habitation layers, though debates persist regarding the exact timeline of its biblical events. In Christian tradition, Jericho’s symbolic resonance continues in Jesus’ cursing of the fig tree (Matthew 21:18-22), where the act serves as a metaphor for the necessity of spiritual fruitfulness, linking the city’s ancient history to New Testament teachings on faith and judgment.