Scenes From the Promised Land

A Jordan That You May Not Know

THE very mention of the Jordan River may call to your mind familiar scenes: Israelites under Joshua crossing its drained bed near Jericho; Naaman bathing seven times in its waters to be healed of leprosy; many Jews, and then Jesus, coming to be baptized there by John.​—Joshua 3:5-17; 2 Kings 5:10-14; Matthew 3:3-5, 13.

Evidently, all these famous events occurred in the long and best-known part of the Jordan, the section south of the Sea of Galilee and on down to the Dead Sea. But diligent students of God’s Word may overlook another stretch of the Jordan​—the northern portion of the river and its surrounding area. Note the map.a The low region in the center is part of the Great Rift Valley, the geological fault extending from Syria to Africa.

The three main sources of the Jordan River are streams that come from snow melting on lofty Mount Hermon. The easternmost stream (page 17, top) emerges from a limestone cliff near the base of the mountain. This is where Caesarea Philippi was located; recall that Jesus visited there shortly before he was transfigured on “a lofty mountain.” (Matthew 16:13–17:2) Another stream emerges from the mound where the city of Dan was built, in which Israelites of the northern kingdom set up a golden calf. (Judges 18:27-31; 1 Kings 12:25-30) A third stream joins with these two to form the Jordan River, which falls over a thousand feet [300 m] in about seven miles [11 km].

Then the valley flattens into the Hula Basin, causing the waters of the Jordan to spread, creating a broad, marshy area. In ancient times much of the water collected in a shallow body known as Lake Hula (or Huleh). But Lake Hula is not there anymore because in recent times the upper Jordan was straightened, canals were added to drain the marshy area, and the outlet of the lake was deepened. Hence, if you look at a map of the area and see, north of the Sea of Galilee, a lake (Hula), you will know that the map is of the region in ancient times, not of how you will find it today.

If you visit, though, you will find a nature reserve that can give you an idea of how the area looked in Biblical days, when it was home to special types of plants, such as waving forests of papyrus and reeds.​—Job 8:11.

The area was home to a constantly changing assortment of birds. Herons, storks, pelicans, turtledoves, and other birds abounded, in part because the swamp and lake formed an excellent resting area on the migration route between Europe and Africa. (Deuteronomy 14:18; Psalm 102:6; Jeremiah 8:7) Other creatures appropriate to the area would have been less visible, but their presence made passage across the Hula Basin uninviting. These likely included the lion, the hippopotamus, the wolf, and the wild boar. (Job 40:15-24; Jeremiah 49:19; 50:44; Habakkuk 1:8) During some periods mosquito-borne malaria prevailed, evidently one of the fevers mentioned in the Bible.

Understandably, both individual travelers and large caravans would skirt this swampy area. So where could they cross the Jordan River in the valley north of the Sea of Galilee?

Nearer the Sea of Galilee was an outcropping of basalt rocks; this damlike formation was the reason why water backed up and created Lake Hula. You can see part of the outcropping on page 16. As the Jordan plunges through it south to the Sea of Galilee (visible in the distance), it moves so swiftly that white water results. Clearly, ancient travelers would have found it dangerous to descend into that deep gorge and cross the swift Jordan waters.

Between the swampy area of the Hula Basin and the gorge was a short, level stretch where the water flowed quietly. Here ancient travelers could ford the river safely, and it became part of a main travel route through the Promised Land. Now there is a bridge at this location, which is still a prime spot to cross the Jordan.

The Hula Basin is today a fertile agricultural area; there are even fishponds. All of this is possible because of the abundant waters that flow down this part of the Jordan River.

[Footnotes]

[Map on page 17]

(For fully formatted text, see publication)

Hula

Sea of Galilee

[Credit Line]

Based on a map copyrighted by Pictorial Archive (Near Eastern History) Est. and Survey of Israel.

[Picture Credit Line on page 16]

Pictorial Archive (Near Eastern History) Est.

[Picture Credit Lines on page 17]

Pictorial Archive (Near Eastern History) Est.

Animal photos: Safari-Zoo of Ramat-Gan, Tel Aviv