The Jordan River, located in Israel, serves as the eastern border of the State of Israel. The Jordan River has been known for its healing powers since the Old Testament preached that Naaman, a Syrian general, was cured of leprosy by washing in the river, as instructed by the prophet Elisha. The Jordan River is famous in the New Testament as the place where John the Baptist preached and baptized Jesus Christ. People still visit the Jordan River today for its alleged healing purposes.
The Jordan River begins on the slopes of
Mount Hermon at the Syria-Lebanon border. It flows south to the Sea of
Galilee, and then empties into the Dead Sea, located roughly 1,312 feet below
sea level. Though the actual distance between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead
Sea is about 124 miles, but the ancient river meanders for more than 223 miles.
The river descends swiftly because it is located in a rift valley a deep crack
in or between the tectonic plates that form the Earth's surface.
While irrigation is not mentioned in the Bible,
the Jordan River has been used for irrigation purposes for millennia. The
Jordan River contains natural thermal springs that influence irrigation. In the
Tiberias region on the west side of Galilee, these thermal springs, as well as
deposits of gypsum, result
in a salty residue in the soil. The Jordan Valley does not receive a large
amount of rainfall but modern Jewish and Arab communities have created farms
based on irrigation that have been very successful. Afriqim, Ashdot Ya'aqov,
and Hawwat Shemu'el are the oldest collective agricultural settlements in Israel. Harnessing the Jordan River has made
growing bananas, oranges, sugar beets, and other fruits and vegetables
possible. Modern irrigation allows for 11.3 billion cubic feet of water from
the Jordan River to be pumped into the center and south of Israel each year.
Under the United Nations 1948 partition plan,
the Jordan River would have been part of Arab territory. In the 1967
Arab-Israeli War, the "West Bank" (of the Jordan) was conquered by
Israel. Now, the Jordan River serves as part of the border between Israel and
Jordan.
The Jordan River, located in Israel, serves as the eastern border of the State of Israel. The Jordan River has been known for its healing powers since the Old Testament preached that Naaman, a Syrian general, was cured of leprosy by washing in the river, as instructed by the prophet Elisha. The Jordan River is famous in the New Testament as the place where John the Baptist preached and baptized Jesus Christ. People still visit the Jordan River today for its alleged healing purposes.
