A DIRT GUY FROM ISRAEL sent me a comment this week adding weight to a theory I reported in the Bible video When the Jordan River Stopped for Joshua.
In that video I reported a theory about how the Jordan River stopped so Joshua and the Jews could cross into the Promised Land during the springtime flood season.
Here’s what the Bible says happened:
“As soon as the feet of the priests who were carrying the Ark touched the water at the river’s edge, the water above that point began backing up a great distance away at a town called Adam” (Joshua 3:15-16).
The theory is that an earthquake shook loose dirt cliffs upriver, damming the river long enough for the Jews to cross. It has happened many times in recorded history. In 1927 it happened at the very spot where the Bible says it happened, the city of Adam, some 20 miles (32 km) upriver of Jericho. The landslide dammed the river for 21 hours.
Here’s what the dirt guy said about the theory, with bracketed notes I added:
Not only logical, but absolutely possible. I personally saw a similar event near Nahraim, about two kilometers [a little over a mile] south of the point were the Yarmuk River joins the Jordan River [north of the ancient city of Adam]. A cliff some 100 feet high slid into the river and closed the streambed for several hours. A herd of cattle that grazed on one bank crossed the river to feed on the other side. Some 5-6 hours later the rising water above the slide cut through the temporary dam and within 24 hours all was normal.
The dirt guy is University of Minnesota-educated Abba Niv, regional engineer at the Israeli Soil Conservation Service.
The earthquake theory is just that – a theory. But for many newcomers to the Bible, it’s encouraging to know that this miracle story makes perfect sense to an Israeli who knows his dirt.
For more about the Jordan River
- Youtube video: When the Jordan River stopped for Joshua
- Jericho quake zone: Bible & science
- A Quick Guided Tour Through the Bible, page 57
- The Complete Guide to the Bible, page 65.
- The Complete Visual Bible, page 79.
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Bible Gateway Blogger
Nice read, Stephen. As one who assumes what is written in the Bible is true, unless there is a reasonable argument to believe otherwise, this is pleasing and very interesting.
Hi Tom. I think even skeptics enjoy reading about the times when science and Bible history agree.
All the more reason to believe in the timing of miracles!
God made everything he can calm waters and he can make hail fire and an earthquake at his command.
Hello Steve, I am doing a bible study on Daniel, and in my reading this morning, I went back to Joshua (as referenced in my guide) and read about this very event. In the study notes of my Bible (NIV) for Chapter 3 vs. 13, a reference is made to the 1927 ‘parting’ of the Jordan, and a quick Google search led me to your page. I find this fantastic and exciting, and I just wanted to reach out to you and thank you. My horizons have broadened this morning.
I am currently at work and need to shift my focus, but I am excited to explore your blog further later.
Kindest Regards,
Barbara Koehn (Christian, daughter, wife, mother, grandmother)
Hi, Barbara. Yes, I was fascinated to discover that while writing my book, The Complete Guide to the Bible, several years ago. You’ll find some cool maps about that on the Bible I’ve been paraphrasing, CasualEnglishBible.com. Go to Joshua 3 and hit the Maps tab. I haven’t paraphrased Daniel yet. That book is up next, after I finish creating maps for 2 Chronicles. We’ve got over 900 Bible maps now, many in 3D-style. Thanks for the kind words. Peace to you. –Steve