Jericho. An ancient city in the southern Jordan valley, important in both O.T. and N.T. times. Before or at the time the Israelites entered Canaan, it was fortified city. (Archaeological evidence seems to show that Jericho was destroyed a century before the conquest of it claimed for Joshua.) Josh., chs. 2; 6; 2 Kings 2:4.

In N.T. times, Jericho was located on an important trade route. The tax collector's office there was for collecting duty from merchants using the highway. Jericho was 825 feet below sea level. A traveler literally went "down" from Jerusalem to Jericho. Mark 10:46; Luke 10:30; 19:1-27; Heb. 11:30.