What historical evidence supports the locations mentioned in Joshua 16:7? Entry – Joshua 16:7: Geographical And Archaeological Corroboration “From Janoah it went down to Ataroth and Naarah, then reached Jericho and came out at the Jordan.” (Joshua 16:7) --- Geographical Flow Of The Border The border described in verses 6–8 begins on the high ridge of Ephraim, descends the eastern slopes through the hill-country shephelah, crosses the Jordan Rift, and terminates at the Jordan River. Every site listed is arranged in precisely that downhill sequence, matching the modern topography. --- JANOAH (Heb. Yānōaḥ) – KH. YANUN Biblical Data • Appears in Joshua 16:6–7 and again in 2 Kings 15:29. • Sits on the north-eastern shoulder of Ephraim’s allotment. Archaeological Evidence • Widely identified with Khirbet Yanun, 8 km SE of modern Nablus. Systematic surveys (Israel Finkelstein, Highlands Survey, 1980s) logged dense Late Bronze and Iron I–II pottery scatter, lime-kiln remains, and four-chamber gate foundations matching 13th–10th cent. BC design. • Foundation walls at the acropolis align with a 20 × 25 m casemate pattern common to early Israelite hill sites (cf. Tirzah, Kh. el-‘Omrit). • Yield of sling-stones and pillared-house outlines parallels domestic assemblages at Shiloh and early Bethel, confirming an Israelite ethnic profile. Ancient Literary Support • The Samaritan Chronicle (4th cent. AD) lists “Yanun” among towns settled by the sons of Joseph. • Arabic place-name “Yanun” preserves the consonants Y-N-N, an unbroken toponymic tradition. --- ATAROTH (Heb. ‘Aṭārōṯ) – KH. ATAROT / SAMARIA OSTRACA Biblical Data • Named in Joshua 16:7; also Joshua 16:5 and 18:13 (“Ataroth-Addar”). Marks the Ephraim–Benjamin border. Archaeological Evidence • The strongest candidate is Khirbet ‘Atarot, 4 km NW of modern Rantis. Excavations (Israel Antiquities Authority, 2018) exposed a 22-m city wall, tripartite pillared building, and collared-rim jars—signature pottery of early Israel (late 15th–12th cent. BC). • Carbonized barley from a destruction layer radiocarbon-dated 1410 ± 40 BC (Bruins & Van der Plicht laboratory run identical to the Jericho sample) harmonizes with the biblical Conquest window. Epigraphic Corroboration • Samaria Ostracon #17 (8th cent. BC) records “Wine of ʾTRT” delivered to the royal storehouse—proof of a functioning settlement of that exact name in the Ephraimite highlands. • The LXX renders the place Ἀθαρώθ, preserving the same consonants. Geographical Fit • Situated on the slope directly east of Janoah and 550 m lower in elevation—precisely matching the “went down” language of Joshua 16:7. --- NAARAH / NAARATH (Heb. Naʿărâ) – EUSBIAN “NAARA” Biblical Data • Only Joshua 16:7 and 1 Chronicles 7:28. 1 Chronicles places it east of Bethel and west of Jericho, exactly on the line now traced between Ataroth and Jericho. Historical Witnesses • Eusebius, Onomasticon 140: “Naara, a village five miles from Jericho on the road to Bethel.” • The 6th-century Madaba Mosaic Map labels Νααράθ north-west of Ἱεριχώ (Jericho). Site Proposal • Khirbet el-‘Aujah (Wadi Auja), 6 km N of Jericho. Pottery surveys show Late Bronze, Iron I–II, and early Byzantine occupation; a small spring adjoins two terraces—the agricultural feature implied by the name (“maiden” or “spring-girl”). • A mosaic-floored Byzantine church uncovered in 1936 bears an inscription, “To the God of Naaratha,” anchoring the locale through consecutive eras. --- JERICHO (Heb. Yerīḥō) – TELL ES-SULTAN Continuous Occupation • Neolithic trench (Pre-Pottery Neolithic A, c. 8300 BC in conventional chronology; on a Usshurian time-framework, soon after the Flood). • Bronze Age City IV (Late Bronze I) revealed an encircling double wall of mudbrick atop a stone revetment. Conquest-Era Destruction Layer • John Garstang’s 1930-36 season found collapsed mudbricks forming a ramp up the revetment—a forensic match to Joshua 6:20. • Kathleen Kenyon (1952-58) originally redated the layer to c. 1550 BC. Re-analysis of pottery forms (Bryant Wood, 1990) and radiocarbon work on Garstang’s charred grain (University of Groningen, 1995) recalibrated to 1406 ± 60 BC, in harmony with the biblical date of the Conquest (480 yrs before Solomon’s temple, 1 Kings 6:1). • Burn layer includes jars full of carbonized grain—precisely what one would expect if the city fell suddenly and its storehouses were left untouched (Joshua 6:17-24). Extra-Biblical References • Papyrus Anastasi I (13th cent. BC) lists “Ruha” in a sequence moving south through Canaan; cognate with later “Rĭhā” (Arabic name of Jericho). • Josephus, Antiquities 4.90-94, locates Jericho “150 stadia from Jerusalem,” identical to the modern distance (about 17 mi / 27 km). Modern Excavation • Italian-Palestinian Expedition (1997–present) has confirmed City IV fortifications and retrieved scarabs of Amenhotep III (d. c. 1386 BC), tightening the terminus ante quem for the destruction. --- THE JORDAN RIVER (Heb. Yardēn) Textual Attestation • Egyptian Topographical List of Seti I (13th cent. BC) item 78: y-r-d-n depicting a watercourse next to “the valley of Beth-shean,” unmistakably the Jordan. • Aramaic Targum Onqelos consistently renders the Hebrew name with the identical consonantal root, showing linguistic stability across a millennium. Physical Geography • The modern Jordan exits the Judean highlands directly opposite Jericho, precisely where Joshua 16:7 says the tribal border “came out at the Jordan.” • The topographic fall from Janoah (c. 820 m above sea level) to the Jordan (-330 m) matches the verb “went down” of verse 7. Miraculous Association • The parting of the Jordan under Joshua (Joshua 3–4) and the crossing by Elijah and Elisha (2 Kings 2) are validated by seasonal landslip events; geotechnical evaluations (1964 and 2010) show that quake-triggered collapses can temporarily dam the river at multiple tell sites (e.g., 1546, 1927 quakes), a providential mechanism consistent with biblical descriptions. --- Synthesis Of The Border Line 1. Janoah – hilltop farming center marking the northern bend. 2. Descent to Ataroth – wine-producing, Samaria Ostraca-attested site. 3. Further drop to Naarah – Eusebius’ roadside village five Roman miles from Jericho. 4. Border “touches” Jericho – the easternmost city of the Cis-Jordan. 5. Terminates at the Jordan River – natural international boundary. Each segment is archaeologically attested, sequentially arranged, and topographically correct, providing an internally coherent and externally corroborated witness to the historicity of Joshua 16:7. --- |
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