Albert Barnes Commentary Joshua 10:12-15

"Then spake Joshua to Jehovah in the day when Jehovah delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel; and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; And thou, Moon, in the valley of Aijalon. And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, Until the nation had avenged themselves of their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stayed in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. And there was no day like that before it or after it, that Jehovah hearkened unto the voice of a man: for Jehovah fought for Israel. And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, unto the camp to Gilgal." — Joshua 10:12-15 (ASV)

These four verses seem to be a fragment or extract taken from some other and independent source and inserted into the thread of the narrative after it had been completed, and inserted most probably by another hand than that of the author of the Book of Joshua.

It is probable that Joshua 10:12 and the first half of Joshua 10:13 alone belong to the Book of Jasher and are poetical, and that the rest of this passage is prose.

The writer of this fragment seems to have understood the words of the ancient song literally, and believed that an astronomical miracle really took place, by which the motion of the heavenly bodies was for some hours suspended. (Compare also Ecclesiasticus 46:4.) Likewise, the older Jewish authorities generally, the Christian fathers, and many commentators ancient and modern believed this.

It must be allowed, indeed, that some of the objections urged against this view on scientific grounds are easily answered. The interference, if such there were, with the earth’s motion was not an act of blind power from an external source and nothing more. The Agent here concerned is omnipotent and omniscient, and could, of course, arrest the regular consequences of such a suspension of nature’s ordinary working just as effectively as He could suspend that working itself.

It is, however, obvious that any such stupendous phenomenon would affect the chronological calculations of all peoples across the whole earth and do so in a similarly striking and very intelligible manner. Yet no record of any such perturbation is anywhere to be found, and no marked and unquestionable reference is made to such a miracle by any of the subsequent writers in the Old or New Testament. For reasons like these, many commentators have explained the miracle as merely optical.

The various explanations show how strongly the difficulties arising from the passage have been felt. Accordingly, recent commentators have emphasized the admitted fact that the words causing the difficulty are an extract from a poetical book. They must consequently, it is argued, be taken in a popular and poetical, not a literal, sense.

Joshua feared that the sun would set before the people had fully avenged themselves of their enemies. In his anxiety he prayed to God, and God listened to him. This is boldly and strikingly expressed in the words of the ancient book, which describes Joshua as praying that the day might be prolonged—or, in poetical diction, that the sun might be stayed—until the work was done.

Similarly, Judges 5:20 and Psalm 18:9-15 are passages that no one construes as describing actual occurrences; they set forth only internal, although most sincere and, in a spiritual sense, real and true convictions.

This explanation is now adopted by theologians whose orthodoxy upon the plenary inspiration and authority of holy Scripture is well known and undoubted.

(Joshua 10:12) In the sight of Israel - literally, “before the eyes of Israel,” i.e., in the sight or presence of Israel, so that the people were witnesses of his words. .

Sun, stand thou still - literally, as the margin indicates, “be silent” ; or rather, perhaps, “tarry,” as in 1 Samuel 14:9.

Thou, Moon - The words addressed to the moon as well as to the sun, indicate that both were visible as Joshua spoke. Below and before him, westward, was the valley of Ajalon; behind him, eastward, were the hills around Gibeon. Some hours had passed since in the early dawn he had attacked the enemy’s army, and the expression “in the midst of heaven” (Joshua 10:13) seems to indicate that it was now drawing toward mid-day, though the moon was still faintly visible in the west. If the time had been near sunset, Joshua would have seen the sun, not, as he did, eastward of him, but westward, sinking in the sea.

The valley of Ajalon - i.e., “the valley of the gazelles.” This is the modern Merj Ibn Omeir, described by Robinson, a broad and beautiful valley running in a westerly direction from the mountains toward the great western plain. The ancient name is still preserved in Yalo, a village situated on the hill which skirts the south side of the valley.

(Joshua 10:13) Book of Jasher - i.e., as the margin indicates, “of the upright” or “righteous,” a poetical appellation of the covenant-people (compare “Jeshurun” in Deuteronomy 32:15, and note; and compare Numbers 23:10, Numbers 23:21; Psalms 111:1). This book was probably a collection of national odes celebrating the heroes of the theocracy and their achievements, and is referred to again (marginal reference) as containing the dirge composed by David over Saul and Jonathan.

About a whole day - i.e., about twelve hours; the average space between sunrise and sunset.

(Joshua 10:15) Joshua’s return to Gilgal was not until after he had, by the assault and capture of the principal cities of south Canaan, completed the conquest of which the victory at Gibeon was only the beginning.

This verse is evidently the close of the extract from an older work, which connected the rescue of Gibeon immediately with the return to Gilgal, and omitted the encampment at Makkedah (Joshua 10:21), and also the details given in Joshua 10:28-42.