Joshua 3:16

That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.

The waters which came down, х hayorªdiym (H3381)] - descended rapidly.

From above - i:e., from the sea of Galilee.

Stood and rose up upon an heap, х need (H5067) 'echaad (H259), one mound; Septuagint, peegma hen] (Psalms 33:7; Psalms 78:13: see the note at Exodus 15:8) - a firm, compact barrier.

Very far, [Septuagint, makran sfodra sfodroos] - i:e., high up the stream.

From the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan, х bee-'Aadaam (H121), in Adam the city] - Zarthan or Zartanah, near mount Sartabeh, in the northern part of the Ghor (1 Kings 4:12; 1 Kings 7:46) [the Septuagint has, instead of these names, heoos merous Kariathiarim] (Genesis 14:5) - i:e., a distance of 30 miles from the Israelite encampment; and 'those, that came down toward the sea of the desert' х yaam (H3220) haa-`Araabaah (H6160), the sea of the Arabah; Septuagint, hee thalassa Araba): cf. Deuteronomy 4:49] - the Dead Sea-failed, and were cut off (Psalms 114:2). The river was thus dried up as far as the eye could, reach. Jordan takes its name, 'the Descender,' from the force of its current, which, after passing the sea of Galilee, becomes greatly, increased as it plunges through 27 'horrible rapids and cascades,' besides a great many lesser, through a fall of 1,000 feet, averaging from 4 to 5 miles an hour (Lynch, 'Report of American Expedition,' pp. 149, 205; Stanley, 'Sinai and Palestine,' p. 276; Lieutenant Symond's 'Survey'). When swollen 'in time of harvest' it flows with a vastly accelerated current.

Right against Jericho, х neged (H5048)] - in front, in full view of. The exact spot is unknown; but it cannot be that fixed by Greek tradition-the pilgrims' bathing-place-both because it is too much to the north, and the eastern banks are there sheer precipices of 10 or 15 feet high (Van de Velde, 2:, p. 272). Stanley says, 'It was probably at the point, near the present southern fords, crossed at the time of the Christian era by a bridge (Josephus, 'Antiquities,' b. 5:, ch. 1:, sec. 3).