Note 5 at Lu 10:30: The city of Jericho is first mentioned in Scripture in Nu 22:1 when the children of Israel were encamped in the plains of Moab on the east side of the Jordan River, shortly before their forty years of wandering in the wilderness. The Israelites abode in the city of Shittim (Nu 25:1) at that time, which archaeologists believe was situated about twelve miles east of Jericho and about six miles east of the Jordan River near where it enters the Dead Sea. Some forty years later, the Israelites were led back to the same area, and the Lord commissioned Joshua to pass over the Jordan and possess the land (Jos 1:2, 2:1, and 3:1).

From a purely natural standpoint, Jericho was a formidable city to conquer. It was heavily fortified and controlled the lower Jordan River Valley as well as the entrances to all the mountain passes that led up to the rest of the land of Canaan. It was essential to conquer this city before the Israelites could advance into the Promised Land.

The miraculous defeat of Jericho at the Lord's direction is recorded in Jos 6:20-24. Although the city was assigned to the tribe of Benjamin, at various times until the time of Jesus it fell into the hands of several different leaders, some of them non-Jewish and, during Elijah's time, harbored a community of prophets (2Ki 2:5).

An interesting prophecy about the city of Jericho was made by Joshua after he conquered the city. He said, "Cursed be the man before the LORD, that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho: he shall lay the foundation thereof in his firstborn, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it" (Jos 6:26). This prophecy was fulfilled during the time of Ahab when Hiel the Bethelite built Jericho, losing or sacrificing his oldest and youngest sons in the process (1Ki 16:34).

During the reign of Herod the Great and shortly before the birth of Jesus, the city of Jericho was plundered by the Romans, but later restored by Herod who built a royal palace and a citadel there.

Besides being mentioned in the parable of the good Samaritan in this verse, Jericho was also the place where Jesus restored sight to blind Bartimaeus and his friend (Mt 20:29-34, Mr 10:46-52, and Lu 18:35-43) and where He brought salvation to Zacchaeus, who lived in Jericho (Lu 19:1-9).

The road that ran from Jerusalem to Jericho passed through rocky, desert country and provided ample hiding places for robbers to attack unsuspecting travelers. Jerusalem was at an elevation of about 2,500 feet above sea level, and this road, over its seventeen-mile stretch, had a vertical drop of over 3,300 feet to almost 850 feet below sea level.

Because of its elevation, Jericho had a tropical climate and was known as "the city of palm trees" (Jdg 3:13). It was well watered because of a spring flowing out of the ground in that area. A modern village named Ein as-Sultan stands about five miles west of the Jordan and about one and a half miles southeast of this spring.