At that time Joshua pronounced this solemn oath: "Cursed before the LORD is the one who undertakes to rebuild this city, Jericho: "At the cost of his firstborn son he will lay its foundations; at the cost of his youngest he will set up its gates." – Joshua 6:26

Today's Scripture Reading (February 10, 2022): Joshua 6

Jericho claims to be one of the oldest cities in the world, if not the oldest city. The city lies in the Jordan Valley, with the Jordan River to the East and the Dead Sea to the south. The numerous springs in and around the location of Jericho have attracted humans since almost the very beginning of the human race. Twenty successive settlements have been discovered at Jericho, the oldest of which extends back 11,000 years. And around the city stands one of the oldest protective walls.

Because of erosion, little is known about the town that stood at Jericho during the 1400s B.C.E. That layer of the soil has been almost completely destroyed. Yet, we know that there was at least a small settlement at Jericho during that era. And we also know that something happened to that settlement. The Jericho of the 1400s B.C.E. completely disappeared, and for the first time in thousands of years, the land around Jericho lay empty until the 900s or 800s B.C.E. At least, that is the story that historians and geologists tell.

One of my personal interests is to compare what we know historically with what the Bible tells us about various places and events in the ancient world. So, at least for me, it is interesting to compare the story told by historians and the ones suggested by the Biblical record. According to the account found in Joshua, the city of Jericho was destroyed by the Israelites in or around 1406 B.C.E. So, historians who say that the town had disappeared by the end of the 15th century B.C.E. (the 1400s) seem to agree. The disagreement between the accounts is that the Bible indicates a bustling city at Jericho during that era, while historians argue for a smaller town.

As far as the rebuilding of Jericho, again, the historian guess is sometime during the 900s or 800s B.C.E. The Bible is not silent on that subject either. The Book of Kings says that the city of Jericho was rebuilt during the reign of Ahab, King of Israel. Ahab reigned from somewhere around 874 B.C.E. until around 853 B.C.E. So, during that time, Jericho would have been rebuilt. But Kings tells us a little more about the rebuilding of the city concerning the curse of Joshua.

In Ahab's time, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. He laid its foundations at the cost of his firstborn son Abiram, and he set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, in accordance with the word of the Lord spoken by Joshua son of Nun (1 Kings 16:34).

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Joshua 7