Location of Joshua's Crossing and Jesus' Baptism Near Jericho

The precise locations of Joshua's crossing of the Jordan River and Jesus' baptism are subjects of ongoing discussion and interpretation among various Christian traditions and biblical scholars. While there is general agreement that both events occurred in the vicinity of Jericho and the Jordan River, specific sites are debated, often due to differing interpretations of biblical geography and historical evidence.

One prominent view places Joshua's crossing and the subsequent encampment at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho's territory. The book of Joshua states that the Israelites encamped in Gilgal and kept the Passover there after crossing the Jordan ^[4]. Commentators like Keil and Delitzsch note that the crossing took place on the tenth day of the first month, and the people then encamped at Gilgal, which is mentioned proleptically in Joshua 4:19-20 ^[6]. This Gilgal is described as being on the eastern border of Jericho ^[6]. Jericho itself is consistently identified as a city in the plain of Jordan, situated near where the river was crossed by the Israelites ^{[1, 2]}. Josephus also mentions a fountain near Jericho, which he associates with the old city that Joshua took ^[5]. The city was located about five miles west of the Jordan River ^[1].

The location of Jesus' baptism is also understood to be in the Jordan River, near Jericho. The Gospel of Peter, an early Christian text, mentions a road from Jericho leading to the Jordan River, to the place where the children of Israel crossed, and where the ark of the covenant is said to have rested ^[12]. This suggests a traditional understanding that Jesus' baptism occurred at or near the same significant crossing point. Thomas Aquinas, in his Summa Theologica, connects Christ's baptism in the Jordan to the Israelite crossing, noting that "it was through the river Jordan that the children of Israel entered into the land of promise" ^[13]. one tradition argues that Christ's baptism serves as an "entrance to the kingdom of God," paralleling the Israelites' entry into the promised land ^[13]. This theological connection reinforces the idea of a shared geographical significance for both events.

Some biblical descriptions provide further geographical markers. For instance, the border for the children of Joseph is described as extending "from the Jordan at Jericho, at the waters of Jericho on the east, even the wilderness, going up from Jericho through the hill country to Bethel" ^[3]. Rashi, a medieval Jewish commentator, interprets this to mean that the eastern border begins at the Jordan near Jericho ^[11]. Other geographical references in Joshua, such as Beth-hoglah and Beth-arabah, are described as being between Jericho and the Dead Sea, or near Jericho, further situating the events in this general region ^{[7, 10]}. John Gill notes that Beth-hoglah was a place in the tribe of Benjamin, mentioned along with Jericho, and possibly near it, with Jerome placing it three miles from Jericho and two from Jordan ^[10].

The specific point of the Jordan's miraculous division during Joshua's crossing is described in Joshua 3:16, where the waters "stood and rose up upon a heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan" ^[8]. Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown interpret "very far" to mean high up the stream, near Mount Sartabeh, a distance of about thirty miles from the Israelite encampment ^[8]. This indicates that while the crossing itself was near Jericho, the miraculous damming of the river occurred further north.

The divergence in pinpointing exact locations often stems from the nature of ancient geographical descriptions, which can be less precise than modern cartography, and the theological significance attributed to these events. For example, the patristic tradition, as seen in Origen's commentaries, often interprets the crossing of the Red Sea and the Jordan in a "spiritual sense," viewing them as types of Christian baptism ^[9]. This spiritual interpretation, while not negating the historical reality, can sometimes shift focus away from precise geographical identification.

The shared ground among these perspectives is the acknowledgment of the Jordan River near Jericho as the general area for both Joshua's crossing and Jesus' baptism. Jericho's strategic importance as "the key to Western Palestine" and "the strongest fortress in all the land of Canaan" further highlights why this location would be significant for the Israelites' entry into the promised land ^[1]. The city's proximity to the Jordan River made it a natural point of entry and a site of major historical and theological events. The consistent biblical and historical references place Jericho as a central landmark for understanding these pivotal moments in salvation history ^{[1, 2, 3, 4, 5]}.

Sources

Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Jericho — Place of fragrance, a fenced city in the midst of a vast grove of palm trees, in the plain of Jordan, over against the place where that river was crossed by the Israelites (Josh. 3:16). Its site was near the Ain es-Sultan, Elisha's Fountain (2 Kings 2:19-22), about 5 miles west of Jordan. It was the most important city in the Jordan valley (Num. 22:1; 34:15), and the strongest fortress in all the land of Canaan. It was the key to Western Palestine. This city was taken in a very remarkable manner by the Israelites (Josh. 6). God gave it into their hands. The”
Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Jericho — (place of fragrance), a city of high antiquity, situated in a plain traversed by the Jordan, and exactly over against where that river was crossed by the Israelites under Joshua. (Joshua 3:16) It was five miles west of the Jordan and seven miles northwest of the Dead Sea. It had a king. Its walls were so considerable that houses were built upon them. ch. (Joshua 2:15) The spoil that was found in it betokened its affluence. Jericho is first mentioned as the city to which the two spies were sent by Joshua from Shittim. (Joshua 2:1-21) It was bestowed by him up”
Joshua “The lot came out for the children of Joseph from the Jordan at Jericho, at the waters of Jericho on the east, even the wilderness, going up from Jericho through the hill country to Bethel. -- Joshua 16:1”
Joshua “The children of Israel encamped in Gilgal. They kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at evening in the plains of Jericho. -- Joshua 5:10”
Project Gutenberg “Flavius Josephus, The Wars of the Jews, CHAPTER 8, section 3: flourishing, and much more fruitful, as are those that are remote from it not so flourishing, or fruitful. 3. Notwithstanding which, there is a fountain by Jericho, that runs plentifully, and is very fit for watering the ground; it arises near the old city, which Joshua, the son of Naue, the general of the Hebrews, took the first of all the cities of the land of Canaan, by right of war. The report is, that this fountain, at the beginning, caused not only the blasting of the earth and the trees, but of the children born of women, and”
Joshua (Lutheran) “Keil & Delitzsch on Joshua 4:19: The crossing took place on the tenth day of the first month, that is to say, on the same day on which, forty years before, Israel had begun to prepare for going out of Egypt by setting apart the paschal lamb (Exo 12:3). After crossing the river, the people encamped at Gilgal, on the eastern border of the territory of Jericho. The place of encampment is called Gilgal proleptically in Jos 4:19 and Jos 4:20 (see at Jos 5:9).”
Joshua (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Joshua 15:6: Beth-hogla - A place between Jericho and the Dead Sea, belonging to the tribe of Benjamin, Jos 18:21, though here serving as a frontier to the tribe of Judah. Stone of Bohan - This must have been some remarkable place, probably like the stone of Jacob, which afterwards became Bethel; but where it was situated is uncertain.”
Joshua (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Joshua 3:16: the waters which came down from above--that is, the Sea of Galilee stood and rose up upon a heap--"in a heap," a firm, compact barrier (Exo 15:8; Psa 78:13); very far--high up the stream; from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan--near mount Sartabeh, in the northern part of the Ghor (Kg1 7:46); that is, a distance of thirty miles from the Israelitish encampment; and those that came down toward the sea of the desert--the Dead Sea--were cut off (Psa 114:2-3). The river was thus dried up as far as the eye could reach. This was a stupendous mirac”
Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 9: Gospel of Peter, Diatessaron, Origen's Commentaries — 26.THE STORY OF ISRAEL CROSSING JORDAN UNDER JOSHUA IS TYPICAL OF CHRISTIAN THINGS, AND IS WRITTEN FOR OUR INSTRUCTION. (part 2): a spiritual sense. And he shows us that he understood what is said about the passage of the Red Sea; for he says in his first Epistle to the Corinthians,(1) "I would not, brethren, have you ignorant, how that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and did all eat the same spiritual meat, and drink the same spir”
Joshua (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Joshua 15:6: And the border went up to Bethhoglah,.... A place in the tribe of Benjamin, mentioned along with Jericho, and probably near it, Jos 18:21; Jerom (a) speaks of a place called Betagla, in his time, which was three miles from Jericho, and two from Jordan, and perhaps is this same place: and passed along by the north of Betharabah; another city belonged to Benjamin, Jos 18:22; and lay in a as its name shows; or in a plain, as the Targum: and the border went up to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben; by whom, or on whose account, it was placed, either as a sepulchral ”
Sefaria (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki) on Joshua 16:1: From the Jordan at Yericho to the waters of Yericho to the east. This is where the eastern border begins.”
Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 8: Twelve Patriarchs, Excerpts, Epistles, Apocrypha, Decretals — CHAP. 35.--There is a road going out of Jericho and leading to the river Jordan, to the place: 381 where the children of Israel crossed: and there the ark of the covenant is said to have rested. And Jesus was eight years old, and He went out of Jericho, and went towards the Jordan. And there was beside the road, near the bank of the Jordan, a cave where a lioness was nursing her cubs; and no one was safe to walk that way. Jesus then, coming from Jericho, and knowing that in that cave the lioness bad brought forth her youn”
theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Third Part (Tertia Pars), Of the Baptizing of Christ, Art. 4: Article: Whether Christ should have been baptized in the Jordan? I answer that, It was through the river Jordan that the children of Israel entered into the land of promise. Now, this is the prerogative of Christ's baptism over all other baptisms: that it is the entrance to the kingdom of God, which is signified by the land of promise; wherefore it is said (Jn. 3:5): "Unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." To this also is to be referred the dividin”

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