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The Elisha Spring
Elisha Spring – Friday prayer and tour of Jericho
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Elisha’s Miraculous Sweetening of the Waters of Jericho

By Yonathan Gormezano

In the Book of Kings, the Bible relates the Prophet Elisha's miraculous sweetening of the waters of what is now known as the Elisha Spring, right next to Tel Jericho.

The Back-Story

The inhabitants of Jericho (that included many Jews) were, and always had been, dependent on the fresh-water springs in and around the city of Jericho for their livelihood, and in particular, the large spring right next to Tel Jericho, later to be called the Elisha Spring.

The waters of this spring had become unhealthy, forcing the inhabitants of Jericho to buy their water from nearby Naaran. Naaran was blessed with plentiful good water from its local Dyuk Spring (right next to the Naaran Synagogue, which stands there to this day).

However, the inhabitants of Naaran profited from the situation by selling their water to the inhabitants of Jericho at an exorbitant price. So, the inhabitants of Jericho asked the Prophet Elisha to help them out of their predicament.

So, the Prophet Elisha sweetened the waters of Jericho's spring by a miraculous method, thereby freeing the people of Jericho from their dependence on exorbitantly priced water from Naaran.

Having completed his mission, the Prophet Elisha left Jericho and made his way to Beit El in the Benjamin Mountains (verse 23), passing through Naaran and the present-day Highway 449 leading from Naaran into the Benjamin Mountains.

On his way through Naaran, little boys (Naarim) came and jeered at him. The Biblical commentator Rashi says "not little boys (Naarim) but people from Naaran (Anashei Naaran)", for the inhabitants of Naaran were furious with the Prophet Elisha for having put an end to their extortion.

English Translation of the Biblical Text

II Kings (2:19-24)

v19 The leaders of the town (i.e., Jericho) said to Elisha, “Look, the town is a pleasant place to live in, as my lord can see; but the water is bad and the land causes bereavement.”

v20 He responded, “Bring me a new dish and put salt in it.” They brought it to him;

v21 He went to the spring and threw salt into it. And he said, “Thus said G-D: I heal this water; no longer shall death and bereavement come from it!”

v22 The water has remained wholesome to this day, in accordance with the word spoken by Elisha.

v23 From there he went up to Bethel. As he was going up the road, some little boys came out of the town and jeered at him, saying, “Go away, baldhead! Go away, baldhead!”

v24 He turned around and looked at them and cursed them in the name of G-D. Thereupon, two she-bears came out of the woods and mangled forty-two of the children.

English translation of the Biblical text: Sefaria, under a CC-BY-NC licence.