Jordan River photos of floods early 1900s

When Joshua needed to cross the Jordan River with all of his people, the waters “piled up in a heap” in a town called Adam (Joshua 3:16). These photos from the early 1900s can help people see how the Jordan could, indeed, stop flowing if the steep banks of the river fell into the water upstream. On July 11, 1927, an earthquake in the same area caused an avalanche of dirt. The river stopped flowing for a full day. Elijah and Elisha encountered a similar miracle when the older prophet handed his mantle to the younger one. Today, the Jordan River never floods. Modern dams along the Jordan’s path control water flow. In addition, heavy irrigation means very little water reaches the Dead Sea. Sometimes, it seems to only be a trickle of water! Trying to explain the magnitude of Joshua’s crossing of the river at flood stage will be greatly enhanced by using these photos. The flooded plain must have looked more like a sea, reminiscent of Moses leading the Hebrews through the Red Sea at the beginning of their journey. While the water might not have been very deep for Joshua’s crossing, at some point the people would have stepped in very deep and fast-moving water. Without a miracle, they couldn’t have crossed the Jordan at flood stage.