jordan river valley
The word Jordan may mean "descender," and descend it does. In its 200-mile journey from the region between Mt. Lebanon and Mt. Hermon in the north to the Dead Sea in the south, the Jordan descends from 1800 feet above sea level to 1300 feet below sea level. It feeds the Sea of Galilee from the north, and then continues out from the south, ultimately emptying into the Dead Sea. Its winding path is more than 220 miles long, though the actual distance from it origin to its end is less than 125 miles.
The River is part of the larger geographic phenomenon known as the Jordan River Valley. It is identified as a "rift valley." It averages 6 miles in width and features very steep walls on either side, sloping down from the surrounding landscape. Its primary sources are in the north, in the foot of Mt. Hermon. Along its path, it is also fed by tributary wadis. The old song says that River Jordan is "deep and wide." In fact, it's a rather small river. But its reputation is huge! The story of the Jordan in Scripture is never as a navigable waterway. Rather, the Jordan is both a border and a destination. It marks the border that the Israelites cross to enter the Promised Land from the east, and symbolically has come to represent the border between this life and the next. It was naturally utilized as the border to mark both tribal and national boundaries. It was the site of famous events involving Elijah, Elisha, and John the Baptist. And, perhaps most notably of all, the Jordan was where Jesus Himself was baptized. |