051. XXXI. The Crossing Of The Jordan
§ XXXI. THE CROSSING OF THE JORDAN
1. Rahab’s concealment of the Hebrew spies. Now it was told the king of Jericho, saying, There came hither to-night men from the Israelites to explore the land. And the king of Jericho sent to Rahab saying, Bring forth the men who have come to you, for they have come to explore all the land. And she said, It is true, certain men came to me, but I did not know whence they came, nor do I know whither they have gone. She had, however, brought them up to the roof and hid them with the stalks of flax which she had laid in order upon the roof.
2. Their oath to Rahab. But before they had lain down, she came up to them on the roof, and said to the men, I know that Jehovah hath given you the land. Now therefore swear to me by Jehovah, since I have dealt kindly with you, that you will also deal kindly with my father’s house, and give me a true token. And the men said to her, It shall be, when Jehovah giveth us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with you. Behold, when we come into the land, you shall bind this cord of scarlet thread in the window; and you shall gather to yourself into the house, your father and your mother and your brothers, and all your father’s household. And it shall be, if any one goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we shall be guiltless; but if any one stays with you in the house, his blood shall be on our heads, if an injury befalls him. And she said, Let it be as you say. So she sent them away, and they departed, and she bound the scarlet cord in the window.
3. Instructions regarding the crossing of the Jordan. Then Joshua rose up early in the morning, and he and all the Israelites came to the Jordan and spent the night there before they passed over. And Joshua said to the people, Sanctify yourselves, for to-morrow Jehovah will do wonders among you. Joshua also said to the Israelites, Come hither and hear the words of Jehovah your God. By this you shall know that a living God is among you. Behold, the ark is about to pass over before you into the Jordan. And it shall come to pass when the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of Jehovah shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off; and the waters that come down from above shall rise in a heap.
4. The damming of the waters. And so when those who were carrying the ark came to the Jordan—the Jordan overflows its banks all the time of harvest—its waters rose up in a heap, a great way off at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those that went down toward the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were wholly cut off. And the people stood opposite Jericho.
5. Command to set up twelve memorial stones. Then Jehovah said to Joshua, Command them saying, ‘Take hence from the midst of the Jordan twelve stones, and carry them over with you and lay them down in the camping-place, where you shall pass the night, that this may be a sign among you, that, when your children ask in time to come, saying, “What do you mean by these stones?” then you shall say to them, “Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of Jehovah; when it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.”’ So they took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, and they carried them over with them to the place where they camped, and laid them down there.
6. Crossing of the people. Then the people passed over quickly. And when all the people had passed over, the ark of Jehovah passed over, and the priests, in the presence of the people. And when the priests who were carrying the ark of Jehovah came up from the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet were lifted up on the dry ground, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and went over all its banks as before.
I. The Records of the Settlement and Conquest. The crossing of the Jordan (about 1150 B.C.) marks a new era in biblical history. Up to this time Israel’s traditions record simply the experiences of nomadic or semi-nomadic tribes. Henceforth they deal with definite events in the life of a people with a fixed place of abode and with a growing body of customs and institutions. At this point, therefore, the history of the Hebrew people properly begins. The first century, popularly known as the Period of the Judges, is marked by the settlement of the Hebrew tribes in Canaan and by gradual movements toward tribal and national consolidation. The events of this period are recorded in the books of Joshua and Judges. The book of Joshua falls naturally into three distinct divisions: The first division, chapters 1–12, consists, for the most part, of extracts from the early prophetic histories, and records the first stages in the conquest or Canaan. The second division, 13–22, contains the very late priestly tradition regarding the allotment of the territory of Canaan among the different tribes. It reflects the later traditional view that the conquest was accomplished in about seven years, and that the distribution of the land was decided by lot rather than by the fortunes of the sword. The third division, 23 and 24, includes the two versions of Joshua’s farewell address. The book of Judges also falls naturally into three divisions: Judges 1:1 to Judges 2:5 contain a brief epitome of the early Judean account of the settlement in Canaan. They emphasize the fact that, long after the Hebrews had gained a foothold in the west-Jordan land, the Canaanites and older inhabitants continued to hold most of the important cities and points of vantage. This oldest narrative is not the sequel, but is parallel to the traditions found in the book of Joshua. The second division of Judges 2:6 to Judges 16:31, tells of the achievements of the different Hebrew leaders, who delivered their tribes from foreign invaders and laid the foundations for the future empire. The stories are taken from the early prophetic histories and are prefaced by stereotyped introductions, which give the later prophetic interpretation of the religious significance of the history. The third division, Judges 17-21, is an appendix. It contains an account of the conquests of the Danites, and of the crime of the Gibeathites and of their punishment at the hands of the neighboring Hebrew tribes. These narratives of Judges are not continuous, but rather present vivid and true pictures of the more important characters and events throughout this stirring pioneer period.
II. Political Conditions in Canaan. In the light of the patriarchal stories, the Egyptian inscriptions and the el-Amarna letters, it is possible to determine very definitely the conditions prevailing in Canaan at the beginning of the period of Hebrew settlement. Beside each important spring had grown up a Canaanite city or village. The larger towns, like Jericho, Hebron and Jebus, and those in central and northern Palestine, were encircled by stone or mud walls, which rendered them practically immune from Bedoum attack. Each of these cities had its independent king and controlled the immediately adjacent territory. When free from foreign rule these petty city-states were almost constantly at war with each other. The strong hand of Egypt for a long period held them in partial check; but Egyptian rule had drained the resources of Palestine. It contributed little in return; for the policy of Egypt had been simply to extract heavy tribute and then to leave the subject peoples to their own devices. The result was that after Egypt finally lost control of Palestine, as it had by the middle of the twelfth century B.C., the old suicidal rivalry between the petty city-states reasserted itself. The Canaanite civilization was still largely a reflection of the Babylonian culture, which for centuries had permeated and dominated southwestern Asia. The Canaanites also appear to have absorbed the worst elements in the effete civilizations of the East and the West. Their degeneracy had long since destroyed their military efficiency and left them ripe for conquest by the ruder but more virile peoples from the wilderness. As in the days of Thotmose III, the rocky uplands and the outlying districts of Canaan were still open to the peoples from the desert, who were thus able without opposition to gain a foothold in Palestine. As these Arab tribes increased in numbers, they were able gradually by intermarriage with the native population, by alliances, and by the sword, to conquer additional territory and in time to become masters even of the Canaanite cities.
III. Strategic Importance of Jericho. The older traditions indicate that a few cities of eastern Canaan proved the exception to the general rule. Chief among these was the town of Jericho, which commanded the fertile plain of the lower Jordan and the great highways which led south-westward into the territory later occupied by the tribe of Judah and north-westward into central Canaan. Jericho was so apart from the other Canaanite cities, that it could anticipate no help from the petty kingdoms of central Palestine. The possession of this city and its rich surrounding territory, therefore, gave to the Hebrews a base from which they could advance gradually to the occupation and ultimate conquest of Canaan.
IV. Significance of the Visit of the Spies. The early Judean prophetic version of the story of the experiences of the spies in Jericho reveals the designs of the Hebrews. The story is also significant, be cause it indicates that in the family of Rahab the nomadic invaders had allies within the walls of Jericho itself. Possibly Rahab represented one of those Kenite clans which about this time entered southern Canaan, and which according to the record in Judges (§ XXXIII 6) went up with the Judahites from this city of palms to the conquest of the South Country. The promise that all the members of Rahab’s clan, together with their possessions, should be preserved was perhaps the price paid not only for delivering the spies, but also for betraying the city at the time of the Hebrew attack.
V. Triple Tradition of the Crossing of the Jordan. Three distinct accounts are found in Joshua of the crossing of the Jordan. The river itself after the late spring freshets have subsided, is readily fordable at several points. The Northern Israelite version suggests that the Hebrews crossed the river when Jehovah had thus dried up its waters. As in the story of the exodus, the late priestly writers give a highly miraculous account of this important event: contrary to all natural laws, the waters are piled up on either side and the Hebrews pass in solemn array between the walls of water. The early Judean narrative, however, is undoubtedly the more historical and gives a very different picture.
VI. The Method of the Crossing According to the Oldest Narrative. The time of the year is that of harvest, when the Jordan over flows its banks. When the Hebrews approach the river they find that the water has disappeared, leaving the bed of the stream dry. The cause of this remarkable phenomenon is definitely stated. Far up the Jordan, at the village of Adam, whose name probably means Red Earth, the waters had been temporarily held back, while those in the lower part of the stream flowed on to the Dead Sea. Interpreted into scientific language, it would appear that the high waters had undermined the clay banks at a point up the river where they came close together, causing a great landslide. This mass of earth had blocked up the river until the increasing waters were sufficient to brush away the obstruction and resume their usual course. The incident, therefore, was in many ways parallel to that recounted in the history of Sultan Bibars. In 1257 A.D. it was suddenly found necessary to repair the foundation of the bridge Jisr Damieh in order to save the retreating Moslem army. On arriving at the bridge the workmen found the river bed empty. This continued for a few hours, until the work of repairing was nearly completed, when the waters again came rushing down. The historian states that the cause was a landslide higher up the river, but he regards the deliverance as a remarkable evidence of Allah’s favor.
VII. Significance of the Event in Hebrew History. To the Hebrews this remarkable provision for their crossing of the Jordan seemed a direct act of divine interposition. In many ways it was strikingly similar to the deliverance from Egypt. As at many another great crisis in their history, they received, not through supernatural but through natural means, the clear evidence of Jehovah’s care and guidance. When the Hebrews crossed the Jordan they carried with them the traditions and customs of the wilderness, but many of these were destined gradually to disappear before the highly developed agricultural civilization, already firmly established in the land of Canaan. With the crossing of the Jordan began that great conflict between the simple faith of the desert and the alluring but degenerate cults of the land of Canaan. It was a conflict which continued for over five hundred years, until, amidst the trying experiences of the Babylonian exile, the religion of Moses and of the later prophets at last emerged completely triumphant.