Jer·i·cho /ˈʤɛrɪˌko/
 古時Palestine地方的都市,偏僻的地方


 Jericho
      n : a village in Jordan near the north end of the Dead Sea; in
          the Old Testament it was the first place taken by the
          Israelites under Joshua as the entered the Promised Land


 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 city was
    "accursed" (Heb. herem, "devoted" to Jehovah), and accordingly
    (Josh. 6:17; comp. Lev. 27:28, 29; Deut. 13:16) all the
    inhabitants and all the spoil of the city were to be destroyed,
    "only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of
    iron" were reserved and "put into the treasury of the house of
    Jehovah" (Josh. 6:24; comp. Num. 31:22, 23, 50-54). Only Rahab
    "and her father's household, and all that she had," were
    preserved from destruction, according to the promise of the
    spies (Josh. 2:14). In one of the Amarna tablets Adoni-zedec
    (q.v.) writes to the king of Egypt informing him that the 'Abiri
    (Hebrews) had prevailed, and had taken the fortress of Jericho,
    and were plundering "all the king's lands." It would seem that
    the Egyptian troops had before this been withdrawn from
    Palestine.

      This city was given to the tribe of Benjamin (Josh. 18:21),
    and it was inhabited in the time of the Judges (Judg. 3:13; 2
    Sam. 10:5). It is not again mentioned till the time of David (2
    Sam. 10:5). "Children of Jericho" were among the captives who
    returned under Zerubbabel Ezra 2:34; Neh. 7:36). Hiel (q.v.) the
    Bethelite attempted to make it once more a fortified city (1
    Kings 16:34). Between the beginning and the end of his
    undertaking all his children were cut off.

      In New Testament times Jericho stood some distance to the
    south-east of the ancient one, and near the opening of the
    valley of Achor. It was a rich and flourishing town, having a
    considerable trade, and celebrated for the palm trees which
    adorned the plain around. It was visited by our Lord on his last
    journey to Jerusalem. Here he gave sight to two blind men (Matt.
    20:29-34; Mark 10:46-52), and brought salvation to the house of
    Zacchaeus the publican (Luke 19:2-10).

      The poor hamlet of er-Riha, the representative of modern
    Jericho, is situated some two miles farther to the east. It is
    in a ruinous condition, having been destroyed by the Turks in
    1840. "The soil of the plain," about the middle of which the
    ancient city stood, "is unsurpassed in fertility; there is
    abundance of water for irrigation, and many of the old aqueducts
    are almost perfect; yet nearly the whole plain is waste and
    desolate...The climate of Jericho is exceedingly hot and
    unhealthy. This is accounted for by the depression of the plain,
    which is about 1,200 feet below the level of the sea."

      There were three different Jerichos, on three different sites,
    the Jericho of Joshua, the Jericho of Herod, and the Jericho of
    the Crusades. Er-Riha, the modern Jericho, dates from the time
    of the Crusades. Dr. Bliss has found in a hollow scooped out for
    some purpose or other near the foot of the biggest mound above
    the Sultan's Spring specimens of Amorite or pre-Israelitish
    pottery precisely identical with what he had discovered on the
    site of ancient Lachish. He also traced in this place for a
    short distance a mud brick wall in situ, which he supposes to be
    the very wall that fell before the trumpets of Joshua. The wall
    is not far from the foot of the great precipice of Quarantania
    and its numerous caverns, and the spies of Joshua could easily
    have fled from the city and been speedily hidden in these
    fastnesses.



 Jericho, his moon; his month; his sweet smell