A major river lying in the bottom of a great canyon called the Jordan Rift. This long canyon stretches from lower southwest Asia Minor (Syria) to the Gulf of Aqaba. The rift was once filled by the Lisan Lake, but significant geologic activity caused it to recede. The result was the formation of three separate bodies of water:
the Huleh Lake,
the Sea of Galilee, and
the Dead Sea.
The Jordan River flows into each of these bodies of water to this day. The name of the stream in Hebrew means "the descender."
Sources of the Jordan River
Originating at the northern end of the Huleh Basin, the river comprises four separate streams:
Nahr Bereighith
Nahr Hasbani
Nahr el-Liddani
Nahr Baniyas
In the northwest corner of the Huleh Valley, the Bereighith emerges within the area of Merj Ayoun. It flows from a spring located on a modest knoll west of Mount Hermon.
Slightly to the east is the Hasbani, a stream that descends from a spring 1,700 feet (518.2 meters) above sea level. This stream follows a course of about 24 miles (38.6 kilometers). These two smaller streams merge less than a mile above their confluence with the el-Liddani and the Baniyas.
The el-Liddani, lying between the Nahr Hasbani and the Nahr Baniyas, is located near Tel el-Qadi (the biblical city of Dan). Both the melting snows off Mount Hermon and ‘Ain Leddan, a spring nestled among thick underbrush, feed this most powerful stream of the four. Flowing quickly and briefly, the el-Liddani rushes to meet the Nahr Baniyas, the last of the four streams.
The Baniyas originates from a cave approximately 1,100 feet (335 meters) above sea level, in the northeast corner of the Huleh Valley. It is close to the New Testament site of Caesarea Philippi. The Baniyas follows a steep descent to its confluence with the other streams. These four streams make up the Jordan River. They flow together along a southerly course of 10 miles (16 kilometers) before entering Huleh Lake.
Course and Character of the River
The Jordan follows a north-south course through the Great Rift. It descends gradually from the Huleh Lake (7 feet, or 2 meters, above sea level) to the Dead Sea (1,274 feet, or 388 meters, below sea level). From the Huleh Lake the river follows a 20-mile (32.2-kilometer) course. It passes through the basaltic lip that forms the southern dam of the Huleh Basin (Rosh Pinnah Sill). Then it descends quickly to the Sea of Galilee (685 feet, or 209 meters, below sea level).
To the south lies the Dead Sea at a distance of approximately 65 miles (105 kilometers). The river that connects the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea travels a circuitous route of 200 miles (322 kilometers). The snakelike riverbed cuts through the Ghor, the canyon floor.
The Jordan has many tributaries. Not all tributaries are perennial. If there is no consistent water source, such as a spring at the head of the riverbed, these V-shaped watercourses remain dry until a seasonal deluge. When the rain comes, these dry, narrow courses are filled with fast-paced streams that flow off the sides of the canyon into the Jordan River.
North of the Sea of Galilee, four major systems feed the river system in the Huleh Basin. Nahr Dishon and Nahr Hazor are on the west side. Nahr Shuah and Nahr Gilbon are on the east. Between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea are the following major tributary systems:
on the east—Yarmuq, ‘Arab, Tayibeh, Ziqlab, Jurm, Yabis, Kufrinjia, Rajib, Zarqa, Nimrin, Abu Gharuba.
on the west—Fejjas, Bireh, Jalub, Malih, Far’ah, Aujah, el-Qelt.
The character of the Ghor varies from north to south as the canyon floor drops farther below sea level. Just south of the Sea of Galilee farmable land may be cultivated without irrigation. Occupation and settlement are more common.
Further south and farther below sea level, beyond the narrowest part of the canyon at Ghor el-Wahadina, the terrain and climate change. When the canyon floor consistently approaches 1,000 feet (305 meters) below sea level, the climate becomes more desert-like.
In this dry and desolate region, the river and its immediate surroundings become more noticeable. The river is a source of life to the plants and animals living along its banks. Its course and character are more easily discerned as it has become a real stream in the desert. The dense foliage on the banks of the Jordan is still today popular home for animals. Just as in biblical times, the low-lying shrubs and the tamarisk provide thick ground cover.
This lower section of the canyon, called the Zor, is 150 feet (45.7 meters) below the Ghor. The canyon floor is separated from the Zor by qattara, a sedimentary deposit of grayish-white marls and clays that form steep and barren slopes. This area is generally inaccessible and extremely dangerous. The Zor and qattara form a natural barrier between Cis-Jordan (west) and Transjordan (east). Trade, settlement, and travel were necessarily affected by these geographical features.
Old Testament Events Near the Jordan River
The Israelites passed across the Jordan upon entry into the promised land (Joshua 3:14–17).
The fords of the Jordan were the sites of conflict in the war of Jephthah and the Gileadites against the Ephraimites (Judges 12:1–6).
The prophet Elijah sought refuge from Ahab king of Israel by the brook of Kerith east of the Jordan (1 Kings 17:1–5).
Elijah was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind after having crossed the Jordan with Elisha on dry ground (2 Kings 2:6–12).
Naaman, the Syrian general, bathed in the Jordan at the command of Elisha, and his leprosy was healed (2 Kings 5:8–14).
Elisha made the ax head float here (2 Kings 6:1–7).
New Testament Events Near the Jordan River
Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan (Matthew 3:13–17).
Peter confessed that Jesus was the "Christ, the Son of the living God" at Caesarea Philippi. This conversation takes place near one of the sources of the Jordan, Nahr Baniyas (Matthew 16:13–20).
Jesus healed two blind men at Jericho, which is near the Jordan (Matthew 20:29–34).
Jesus also visited with Zacchaeus in Jericho (Luke 19:1–10).