Zarethan

AI summary: Zarethan matters because it belongs both to the crossing tradition and to the kingdom's craft economy. One set of references places it near the dramatic stopping of the Jordan, while another links the wider area with Solomon's casting works. The cross references present Zarethan as a Jordan-side place of passage and production.¹

When the Hebrews crossed the Jordan, as soon as the feet of the priests were dipped in the water, the flow of the stream was arrested. The point of arrest was the “city of Adam beside Zaretan,” probably near Succoth, at the mouth of the Jabbok, some 30 miles up the river from where the people were encamped. There the water “stood and rose upon an heap.” Thus the whole space of 30 miles of the river-bed was dry, that the tribes might pass over (Josh. 3:16, 17; comp. Ps. 104:3). ³