Population And Casualties In Jericho Conquest
The biblical accounts of the conquest of Jericho do not provide a specific population count for the city itself. However, various biblical texts and commentaries offer insights into the scale of military forces and general population figures in ancient Israel.
Jericho is described as a "fenced city" and the "strongest fortress in all the land of Canaan," strategically located in the Jordan valley [3]. Its walls were substantial enough for houses to be built upon them [4]. The city was taken by the Israelites in a "very remarkable manner" [3].
While the population of Jericho is not directly stated, some related figures are mentioned in other contexts:
- Return from Exile: Centuries later, during the return from Babylonian exile, the "people of Jericho" numbered 345 individuals, according to both Ezra 2:34 and Nehemiah 7:36 [1, 2]. This figure, however, refers to a much later period and a specific group of returnees, not the population at the time of Joshua's conquest.
- Israelite Military Strength: The Israelite fighting force was considerable. The census taken on the plains of Moab, across from Jericho, registered 601,730 men of military age [5]. This number is consistent with an earlier registration of 603,550, indicating a large overall population [5]. John Gill notes that the total number of armed or fighting men of Israel who crossed the Jordan, excluding women and children, was "five hundred thousand or more" [10]. Adam Clarke suggests that the entire Israelite host, including fighting men and the general populace, could have amounted to "two or three millions," making it "utterly impossible" for the whole host to march around Jericho daily [7]. He concludes that Jericho could not have been a large city, as only a select number of soldiers would have been needed to reduce it [7].
- Comparisons to other cities: In contrast, the city of Ai, which was attacked after Jericho, had a population of 12,000 [6]. This suggests that Ai was a "considerable town," though perhaps smaller than Jericho [6]. Other biblical accounts mention military forces of 10,000 Moabites [8], 26,700 Benjamite men [9], and 15,000 Midianites [11]. These figures provide a sense of the scale of ancient armies and city populations, but do not directly indicate Jericho's population.
The focus of the biblical narrative regarding Jericho is on the divine intervention in its capture rather than a precise demographic count [3].
Sources
- Ezra “Ezra 2:34 (LEB) — the people of Jericho, three hundred and forty-five;”
- Nehemiah “Nehemiah 7:36 (LEB) — The people of Jericho, three hundred and forty-five.”
- 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”
- Numbers (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Numbers 26:1: 26:1-65 After nearly forty years, Israel again registered their men of military age (cp. chs 1–4) as they camped on the plains of Moab . . . across from Jericho. The overall population had changed only slightly, with 603,550 in the first registration and 601,730 in the second. This nearly complete replacement of population (26:63-65) showed that the Lord was faithful to Israel in spite of their repeated acts of rebellion. 26:1-4 As in the first registration, Moses and Eleazar (who had replaced Aaron) instructed the tribal leaders in the tabulation process.”
- Joshua (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Joshua 7:3: Let not all the people go up, . . . for they are but few--As the population of Ai amounted to twelve thousand (Jos 8:25), it was a considerable town; though in the hasty and distant reconnoitre made by the spies, it probably appeared small in comparison to Jericho; and this may have been the reason for their proposing so small a detachment to capture it.”
- Joshua (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Joshua 6:14: So they did six days - It is not likely that the whole Israelitish host went each day round the city. This would have been utterly impossible: the fighting men alone amounted to nearly 600,000, independently of the people, who must have amounted at least to two or three millions; we may therefore safely assert that only a select number, such as was deemed necessary for the occasion, were employed. Jericho could not have been a large city: and to reduce it could not have required a hundredth part of the armed force under the command of Joshua.”
- Judges (Lutheran) “Keil & Delitzsch on Judges 3:29: Thus they smote at that time about 10,000 Moabites, all fat and powerful men, i.e., the whole army of the enemy in Jericho and on this side of the Jordan, not letting a man escape. The expression "at that time" seems to imply that they did not destroy this number in one single engagement, but during the whole course of the war.”
- Judges (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Judges 20:15: And the children of Benjamin were numbered at that time out of the cities,.... All that they could muster up, and gather together out of their several cities, were no more man than twenty and six thousand men that drew the sword able bodied men fit for war, and expert in it: beside the inhabitants of Gibeah, which were numbered seven hundred chosen men young, stout, and strong, and in all but 26,700; and what are these to an army of 400,000 men, or however 360,000 that came up against Gibeah, while 40,000 were employed in getting provisions for them? Josephus (g)”
- Joshua (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Joshua 4:13: About forty thousand prepared for war,.... Accoutred with proper armour to defend themselves, and their brethren, and annoy their enemies: this is to be understood of such a number of the above mentioned tribes; otherwise the number of all Israel that went over Jordan, even armed or fighting men, besides women and children, were five hundred thousand or more. Now though the number of men fit for war, of these tribes, were an hundred thirty thousand, who were all, according to the original agreement, under obligation to go with their brethren over Jordan into Canaan's ”
- Judges (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Judges 8:10: Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor..... Jerom (u) under this word says, there was in his time a castle called Carcuria, a day's journey from Petra, which was the metropolis of Idumea; but whether the same with this is not clear: and their host with them, about fifteen thousand men; to which number Gideon and his three hundred men were very unequal; and yet, faint and weary as they were, closely pursued them, attacked and conquered them. Josephus (w) very wrongly makes this number to be about 18,000: all that were left of the hosts of the children of the east; t”