Population Size of Jericho in Joshua
Population Size of Jericho in Joshua
The biblical text provides no direct census figure for Jericho's population at the time of Joshua's conquest. What emerges instead from the sources is a picture of a strategically significant but physically modest fortified city whose walls and king marked it as the "key to Western Palestine" [2] rather than a sprawling metropolis.
The City's Strategic Importance
Jericho functioned as "the most important city in the Jordan valley" and "the strongest fortress in all the land of Canaan" [2], positioned approximately five miles west of the Jordan River [1, 2]. Its walls were substantial enough that "houses were built upon them" [1], as evidenced by Rahab's dwelling (Joshua 2:15). The city had a king and contained sufficient spoil to indicate affluence [1], yet these markers of importance do not necessarily correlate with large population.
Commentators on Scale
Adam Clarke, writing on Joshua 6:14, explicitly addresses the question of scale: "It is not likely that the whole Israelitish host went each day round the city. This would have been utterly impossible... 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" [6]. Clarke's observation that the entire Israelite fighting force of nearly 600,000 men [6] would have been excessive for Jericho's reduction suggests a settlement of modest dimensions despite its fortifications.
Post-Conquest References
Later biblical texts offer indirect evidence. Ezra 2:34 and Nehemiah 7:36 both record that "the people of Jericho" who returned from exile numbered 345 [3, 4]. While this figure pertains to a much later period and represents only returnees rather than total population, it indicates that Jericho's demographic footprint remained relatively small across biblical history.
The Military Context
Rabbinic tradition preserved in Midrash Rabbah notes that "seven nations assembled in Jericho" at the time of Joshua's attack [7], suggesting the city may have served as a rallying point for regional resistance. This concentration of forces would have increased the military challenge without necessarily reflecting the city's native population. The text's emphasis on Jericho's king and "mighty men of valor" [5] points to military rather than demographic strength as the primary obstacle Joshua faced.
Sources
- 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”
- 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”
- 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.”
- Joshua “Yahweh said to Joshua, “Behold, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and the mighty men of valor. -- Joshua 6:2”
- 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.”
- Midrash Rabbah (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Midrash Rabbah, Bamidbar Rabbah 15:15: “Craft for you” – from your own. “Craft for you” – for yourself you craft, but not for another. You use them, but another does not use them. Know that Joshua, Moses’s disciple, did not use them, but rather shofars. When he came to wage war in Jericho, seven nations assembled in Jericho, as it is stated: “You crossed the Jordan, and you came to Jericho; the masters of Jericho made war against you, the Emorites, the Perizites, the Canaanites, the Hitites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Yevusites, and I delivered them into your hand” (Joshua 24:11). W”