John Gill Bible Commentary

And the south,.... The southern part of the land, even all of it; and having shown him that, he is directed eastward to take a view of the plain of the valley of Jericho; which lay before him, a delightful plain; see Jos 5:10, the city of palm trees; so Jericho was called, because of the multitude of palm trees which grew there, and which Josephus not only testifies (r), who speaks of it as a plain planted with palm trees, and from whence balsam comes; but several Heathen writers: Pliny says (s) Jericho was set with palm trees; Diodorus Siculus (t) speaks of the country about Jericho as abounding with palm trees, and in a certain valley, meaning the vale or plains of Jericho, is produced that which is called balsam; so Strabo says (u), Jericho is a plain surrounded with mountains abounding with palm trees, where there is a plantation of palm trees, with other fruit trees, the space of a hundred furlongs: unto Zoar; near the salt sea; see Gen 19:22. (r) De Bello Jud. l. 1. c. 18. sect. 5. & l. 4. c. 8. sect. 2. (s) Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 14. (t) Bibliothec. l. 2. p. 132. (u) Geograph. l. 16. p. 525.