Israel. New Gold and Silver Proof Coins Tell the Biblical Story of the Fall of Jericho’s Walls

The 29th coin in the Biblical Art series focuses on a story of unwavering faith over physical force. The fall of the Walls of Jericho is one of the most remarkable events in the Bible. It is a profound expression of the power of unwavering faith and the divine presence that led the Children of Israel in their conquest of the Land of Canaan. The story, which is told in the Book of Joshua, emphasises the importance of faith and wholehearted obedience to the divine command.

After forty years of wandering in the wilderness, the Children of Israel finally reached the Promised Land. The first city encountered on their route was Jericho. However, the city was surrounded by massive, fortified walls. Instead of commencing with a direct attack on the city, Joshua, son of Nun and the leader of his people received an exceptional divine command to encircle the city once each day for six days. Accompanied by the priests, they were to carry the Ark of the Covenant and blow Shofars, an ancient musical horn, typically made from a ram's horn, used in Jewish religious rituals. On the seventh day, they were to encircle the city seven times and at the end of the seventh and final circuit, the priests were to blow the Shofars, while the people were to shout, and the walls of city would fall.

The people listened to the voice of Joshua and did exactly as they were instructed. On the seventh day, after having encompassed the city seven times and blowing the Shofars, the walls did indeed come tumbling down which was clear proof of a divine miracle -

‘And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the Shofars, that Joshua said to the people, Shout - for the Lord has given you the city’

(Joshua 6:16)

The story of the fall of the Walls of Jericho has become a metaphor for the triumph of spirituality over matter and unwavering faith over physical force. While a historical account, this story also has a moral teaching and lesson that faith in the Almighty can bring about ground-breaking results. Even in the case of seemingly impenetrable walls, whether physically, emotionally or spiritually, unyielding faith is likely to lead to a breakthrough. This also teaches us that when faced with great challenges, the power of belief can help to find new and unexpected ways to triumph.

The gold and silver proof coins are produced by the Holy Land Mint at their facilities in Nesher, Haifa on behalf of the Bank of Israel and designed by Michal Hamawi Mizrahi and Moshe Pereg. The obverse side of the coin depict the historical Walls of Jericho as they begin to collapse. In the lower area are the priests, some are shown carrying the Ark of the Covenant and some blowing the Shofar. The reverse side includes the Israeli State Emblem which is placed at the top along the upper rim along with word ISRAEL in Hebrew, English and Arabic placed underneath. The border inscription JERICHO’S WALLS FALL (JOSHUA 6, 20) is shown along the lower rim while the Hebrew inscription is seen along the left rim and the same in Arabic is shown along the right rim. Centred is a bold numeral denoting the coins’ face value along with the currency NEW SHEKELS and year of issue 2025 shown in Hebrew, English and Arabic text. To the left of the numeral is an artistic element representing one of the priests blowing a Shofar. The mintmark "מ" placed below the artistic element indicates a proof strike while a Star of David indicates a BU specimen.

Available from the 9^th November, each coin is encapsulated and presented in a custom-branded Holyland Mint case accompanied with a certificate of authenticity. All coins in the 2025 Biblical Art range are available to purchase as a separate item. For additional information on these and other coins issued by the Bank of Israel, please visit the e-webshop of the Holyland Mint.