Deuteronomy 34:3
And the south, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto Zoar.
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 Joshua 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 Genesis 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.