Biblical Hebrew Forum

[K Randolph <kwrandolph AT gmail.com>]

Uzi:

Was the Jordan always the narrow river that we see today? What was it like 3400 years ago when Joshua was alive?

A little background for the above questions—before the deforestation of the iron age, what are now dry washes in southern Israel were continuous flowing streams that could support Nile perch and crocodiles. Likewise was the Jordan 3400 years ago a deeper and wider river?

Secondly, Joshua 3:15 says that the river completely filled its banks, as it was the time of the spring runoff. Even with today’s banks, if the water completely filled them, would the river be a shallow, narrow river that people could wade through, or would it be above their heads? I’ve never been to the Jordan, but the pictures I’ve seen of it, particularly near Jericho, indicate the latter.

Yours, Karl W. Randolph.

On Fri, Jun 14, 2013 at 4:27 PM, Uzi Silber <uzisilber AT gmail.com> wrote:

Hi colleagues:

No specifically language related, but of interest.

My 10 year old son has begun reading Sefer Yehoshua, and his school asks him to read his chapter to someone at home, which means me.

As he read I couldnt help but recognize the trademark themes and expressions in the earlier books it followed.  But what struck me most was the crossing of the Jordan near Yericho, that obvious echo of Moshe's crossing of the Sea of Reeds. 

Here's the thing: as we know, the Yarden is a narrow river, if it can be described as a river.  And it can be crossed without any heavenly intervention -- no need for pushing waters to the side here.   Yet the writer imagines a dramatic crossing in need of another water-parting miracle. Why?

Seems to me that the writer may not have been very familiar with the Jordan.  

Could have he been thinking of rivers he knew better?

The very broad Tigris and Euphates perhaps?

Could it be that the author was writing his story for his fellow exiles centuries later in Babylon, using as a template the rivers he knew of?   

I'd be very interested in your take on this.

Uzi Silber

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