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Bible in Basic English

Joshua 10:13

And the sun was at rest and the moon kept its place till the nation had given punishment to their attackers. (Is it not recorded in the book of Jashar?) So the sun kept its place in the middle of the heavens, and was waiting, and did not go down, for the space of a day.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Adoni-Zedek;   Amorites;   Armies;   Astronomy;   Debir;   Gibeon;   Hebron;   Meteorology and Celestial Phenomena;   Miracles;   Sun;   War;   Thompson Chain Reference - Astronomy;   Jasher;   Moon;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Amorites, the;   Books;   Jerusalem;   Miracles Wrought through Servants of God;   Moon, the;   Sun, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Adonizedek;   Jasher;   Makkedah;   Miracle;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Canon;   Gibeon;   Joshua the son of nun;   Joshua, book of;   Miracles;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Bible, Canon of the;   God;   Heaven, Heavens, Heavenlies;   Miracle;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Prayer;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Adoni-Zedec;   Book;   Jasher;   Joshua, the Book of;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Jasher;   Jeshua;   Samuel, the Books of;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Amorites;   Book(s);   Harmony of the Gospels;   Japhia;   Joshua, the Book of;   Poetry;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Adoni-Bezek;   Adoni-Zedek;   Beth-Horon;   Canon of the Old Testament;   Israel;   Jashar, Book of;   Miracles;   Moon;   Sun;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Adonizedec ;   Book;   Eglon ;   Gibeon ;   Gilgal;   Jasher, Book of;   Jebusites ;   Lachish ;   Makkedah ;   Miracles;   Sun;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Adonizedek;   Book;   Gibeon;   Journeyings of israel from egypt to canaan;   Lachish;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Adonize'dek;   Ja'sher;   Makke'dah;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Aijalon;   Canon;   Prophets;   Silence;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Conquest of Canaan;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Adoni-Zedek;   Gentiles;   Hoham;   Jashar, Book of;   Joshua, Book of;   Poetry, Hebrew;   Time;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Adonizedek;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Anonymous Works;   Enemy, Treatment of an;   Jasher, Book of;   Jebusites;   Miracle;   Moon;   Shirah, Pereḳ (Pirḳe);   Sun;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
And the sun stood stilland the moon stoppeduntil the nation took vengeance on its enemies.
Hebrew Names Version
The sun stood still, and the moon stayed, Until the nation had avenged themselves of their enemies. Isn't this written in the book of Yashar? The sun stayed in the midst of the sky, and didn't hurry to go down about a whole day.
King James Version
And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.
Lexham English Bible
And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on its enemies. Is it not written in the scroll of Jashar? The sun stood still in the middle of the heaven and was not in haste to set for about a full day.
English Standard Version
And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day.
New Century Version
So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped until the people defeated their enemies. These words are written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and waited to go down for a full day.
New English Translation
The sun stood still and the moon stood motionless while the nation took vengeance on its enemies. The event is recorded in the Scroll of the Upright One. The sun stood motionless in the middle of the sky and did not set for about a full day.
Amplified Bible
So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, Until the nation [of Israel] took vengeance upon their enemies. Is it not written in the Book of Jashar? So the sun stood still in the middle of the sky and was in no hurry to go down for about a whole day.
New American Standard Bible
So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, Until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies. Is it not written in the Book of Jashar? And the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and did not hurry to go down for about a whole day.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And the Sunne abode, & the moone stood still, vntill the people auenged themselues vpon their enemies: (Is not this written in the booke of Iasher?) so the Sunne abode in the middes of the heauen, and hasted not to goe downe for a whole day.
Legacy Standard Bible
So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped,Until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies.Is it not written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stood in the middle of the sky and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day.
Complete Jewish Bible
So the sun stood still and the moon stayed put, till Isra'el took vengeance on their enemies. This is written in the book of Yashar. The sun stood still in the sky and was in no rush to set for nearly a whole day.
Darby Translation
And the sun stood still, and the moon remained where it was, until the nation had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? And the sun remained standing in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a full day.
Easy-to-Read Version
So the sun did not move, and the moon stopped until the people defeated their enemies. This story is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky. It did not move for a full day.
George Lamsa Translation
And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. And, behold, it is written in the Book of the Songs, So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down, about a whole day.
Good News Translation
The sun stood still and the moon did not move until the nation had conquered its enemies. This is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stood still in the middle of the sky and did not go down for a whole day.
Literal Translation
And the sun stood still, and the moon stood still , until the nation was avenged on its foes. Is it not written in the Book of the Upright? Yea, the sun stood still in the middle of the heavens, and didnot hasten to go down for a full day.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then the Sonne helde styll, and ye Moone stode, vntyll the people had auenged the selues on their enemies. Is not this wrytten in the boke of the righteous? Thus the Sonne stode styll in the myddes of heauen, and dyfferred to go downe for the space of a whole daye after.
American Standard Version
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.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the sunne abode, and the moone stoode styll, vntyll the people auenged them selues vpon their enemies. Is not this written in the booke of the righteous? So the sunne [I say] abode in the middest of heauen, and hasted not to go downe by the space of a whole day.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
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.
King James Version (1611)
And the Sunne stood still, and the Moone stayed, vntill the people had auenged themselues vpon their enemies. Is not this written in the booke of Iasher? So the Sunne stood still in the midst of heauen, and hasted not to goe downe, about a whole day.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the sun and the moon stood still, until God executed vengeance on their enemies; and the sun stood still in the midst of heaven; it did not proceed to set till the end of one day.
English Revised Version
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.
Berean Standard Bible
So the sun stood still and the moon stopped until the nation took vengeance upon its enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? "So the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day."
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the sunne and the moone stoden, til the folc of God vengide it silf of hise enemyes. Whether this is not writun in the book of iust men? And so the sunne stood in the myddis of heuene, and hastide not to go doun in the space of o dai; so long a dai was not bifore and aftirward;
Young's Literal Translation
and the sun standeth still, and the moon hath stood -- till the nation taketh vengeance [on] its enemies; is it not written on the Book of the Upright, `and the sun standeth in the midst of the heavens, and hath not hasted to go in -- as a perfect day?'
Update Bible Version
And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, Until the nation had avenged themselves of their enemies. Isn't this written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stayed in the midst of heaven, and didn't hurry to go down about a whole day.
Webster's Bible Translation
And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. [Is] not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.
World English Bible
The sun stood still, and the moon stayed, Until the nation had avenged themselves of their enemies. Isn't this written in the book of Jashar? The sun stayed in the midst of the sky, and didn't hurry to go down about a whole day.
New King James Version
So the sun stood still, And the moon stopped, Till the people had revenge Upon their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day.
New Living Translation
So the sun stood still and the moon stayed in place until the nation of Israel had defeated its enemies. Is this event not recorded in The Book of Jashar? The sun stayed in the middle of the sky, and it did not set as on a normal day.
New Life Bible
So the sun stood still and the moon stopped, until the nation punished those who fought against them. Is it not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the center of the sky. It did not hurry to go down for about a whole day.
New Revised Standard
And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in midheaven, and did not hurry to set for about a whole day.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So the sun, was still, and, the moon, stayed, until a nation should be avenged on its fees. Is not, that, written in the Book of the Upright? So then the sun stayed in the middle of the heavens, and hastened not to go in, about a whole day.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the sun and the moon stood still, till the people revenged themselves of their enemies. Is not this written in the book of the just? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down the space of one day.
Revised Standard Version
And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stayed in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, Until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies. Is it not written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day.

Contextual Overview

7 So Joshua went up from Gilgal with all his army and all his men of war. 8 And the Lord said to Joshua, Have no fear of them, for I have given them into your hands; they will all give way before you. 9 So Joshua, having come up from Gilgal all night, made a sudden attack on them. 10 And the Lord made them full of fear before Israel, and they put great numbers of them to death at Gibeon, and went after them by the way going up to Beth-horon, driving them back to Azekah and Makkedah 11 And in their flight before Israel, on the way down from Beth-horon, the Lord sent down great stones from heaven on them all the way to Azekah, causing their death: those whose death was caused by the stones were more than those whom the children of Israel put to death with the sword. 12 It was on the day when the Lord gave up the Amorites into the hands of the children of Israel that Joshua said to the Lord, before the eyes of Israel, Sun, be at rest over Gibeon; and you, O moon, in the valley of Aijalon. 13 And the sun was at rest and the moon kept its place till the nation had given punishment to their attackers. (Is it not recorded in the book of Jashar?) So the sun kept its place in the middle of the heavens, and was waiting, and did not go down, for the space of a day. 14 And there was no day like that, before it or after it, when the Lord gave ear to the voice of a man; for the Lord was fighting for Israel.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

until: Numbers 31:2, Judges 5:2, Judges 16:28, Esther 8:13, Luke 18:7, Revelation 6:10

Jasher: or, the upright, Numbers 21:14, 2 Samuel 1:18

So the sun: Joshua 10:11, Joshua 10:14, Psalms 19:4, Psalms 74:16, Psalms 74:17, Psalms 136:7-9, Psalms 148:3, Isaiah 24:23, Isaiah 38:8, Joel 2:10, Joel 2:31, Joel 3:15, Matthew 5:45, Matthew 24:29, Acts 2:20, Revelation 6:12, Revelation 8:12, Revelation 16:8, Revelation 16:9, Revelation 21:23

Reciprocal: Exodus 34:10 - I will do marvels Deuteronomy 4:19 - which the Lord Joshua 10:12 - Sun Psalms 111:6 - showed Psalms 119:91 - all are Ecclesiastes 1:5 - hasteth Habakkuk 3:11 - sun

Cross-References

Genesis 10:11
From that land he went out into Assyria, building Nineveh with its wide streets and Calah,
Genesis 10:12
And Resen between Nineveh and Calah, which is a very great town.
Jeremiah 46:9
Go up, you horses; go rushing on, you carriages of war; go out, you men of war: Cush and Put, gripping the body-cover, and the Ludim, with bent bows.
Ezekiel 30:5
Ethiopia and Put and Lud and all the mixed people and Libya and the children of the land of the Cherethites will all be put to death with them by the sword.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed,.... The sun that came out of his chamber like a bridegroom, and rejoiced as a strong man to run his course, stopped his course at once; and the moon that walks in her brightness proceeded not on, but both stood still, motionless, and continued in this position:

until the people had avenged themselves on their enemies: until the nation and people of Israel had taken vengeance on and destroyed the live kings and their forces: how this is to be reconciled to the Copernican system, or that with this, I shall not inquire. It was a most wonderful and surprising phenomenon, to see both luminaries standing still in the midst of heaven; it is pretended by some historians f, that a like miracle was wrought at the battle of Mulberg, won by the Emperor Charles the Fifth, on April 24, 1547. In the Chinese history g it is reported, that in the time of their seventh, emperor, Yao, the sun did not set for ten days, and that men were afraid the world would be burnt, and there were great fires at that time; and though the time of the sun's standing still is enlarged beyond the bounds of truth, yet it seems to refer to this fact, and was manifestly about the same time; for this miracle was wrought in the year of the world 2554, which fell in the seventy fifth, or, as some say, the sixty seventh year of that emperor's reign, who reigned ninety years:

[is] not this written in the book of Jasher? about which the Jews are divided; some say it is the book of Genesis, others the book of Deuteronomy, others the book of Judges h; the Targum interprets it of the book of the law, and so Jarchi and Kimchi; and Ben Melech interprets it of the book of the law of Moses, where they suppose this miracle was predicted. The former thinks, in the words of Jacob to Joseph, "his seed shall fill the nations", Genesis 48:19; which he supposes was fulfilled in Joshua of the tribe of Ephraim, when the whole world was filled with the fame of him on account of this miracle; and the latter in the words, "before all thy people I will do miracles",

Exodus 34:10; one was in making the face of Moses to shine, the other the standing still of the sun for Joshua, as he interprets it. Bolducius, a commentator on the book of Job i, fancies that that book is designed, and that this miracle is foretold in it, particularly in Job 9:7; "which commandeth the sun, and it riseth not"; it is most likely that this book of Jasher, in which this miracle was recorded, was a public register, or annals, in which memorable events were written, as they happened in different ages by different persons; and Masius thinks Josephus k means this by the archives laid up in the temple, to which he appeals for the truth of this miracle:

so the sun stood still in the midst of heaven; somewhere above the horizon, very probably this was about noon, when the sun was in its meridian. Gussetius l thinks about ten or eleven o'clock; it may be supposed that early in the morning Joshua came up with his troops, and engaged the kings, and it might be noon before the battle was over, and the victory obtained, at least before Joshua had proceeded in his pursuit of them, so far as he had done, when the miracle was wrought; and the rather, as it would be the more conspicuous in the several parts of the world; for had it been near sun setting, it could not have been seen in some places, and particularly by the Chinese, as it seems to have been by what has been observed:

and hasted not to go down about a whole day; which was either artificial or natural; if an artificial day, then it stood still but twelve hours; if a natural day, twenty four hours; and accordingly the length of the day must be judged of; if it was at noon when it stood still, and continued so a natural day, or twenty four hours, then as it had gone six hours to noon, and, after it returned to its motion, had six more to go to its setting, this day must be thirty six hours long; and so the Jews commonly say m; but if an artificial day, or twelve hours, then it was but a day of twenty four hours; but if this was, as the Jews say n, on the third of Tammuz, which answers to part of June, and was in the summer solstice, on the longest day in the year, when their days consisted of fourteen hours, this will make this long day four hours longer. According to the author of Ecclesiasticus, in the Apocrypha:

"Did not the sun go back by his means? and was not one day as long as two?'' (Sirach 46:4)

it was a double day, or, as he expresses it, one day became two, or was as long as two.

(In the late 1960's, someone circulated a story that NASA had discovered there was a missing day in the solar system. Using this passage they accounted for about twenty one missing hours and the account in Isaiah 38:8 to account for the rest of the missing time. This story is a complete fable and has absolutely no basis in fact. Editor.)

f See Bayle's Dictionary, vol. 4. p. 268. g Martin. Sinie. Histor. l. 1. p. 25. h T. Bab. Avoda Zara, fol. 35. 1. i Bolduc. in Job. ix. 7. k Antiqu. l. 5. c. 1. sect. 17. l Comment. Ebr. p. 281. m Targum in Cant. i. 1. T. Bab. Avoda Zara, fol. 25. 1. Kimchi in loc. So Justin Martyr. Dialog. cum Tryph. p. 361. n Seder Olam Rabba, c. 11. p. 31. Kimchi in loc.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

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.) So likewise believed the older Jewish authorities generally, the Christian fathers, and many commentators ancient and modern.

It must be allowed, indeed, that some of the objections which have been 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 ab extra and nothing more. The Agent here concerned is omnipotent and omniscient, and could, of course, as well arrest the regular consequences of such a suspension of nature’s ordinary working as He could suspend that working itself. It is, however, obvious, that any such stupendous phenomenon would affect the chronological calculations of all races of men over 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 which arise out of the passage have been felt. Accordingly, stress has been laid by recent commentators on the admitted fact that the words out of which the difficulty springs are an extract from a poetical book. They must consequently, it is argued, be taken in a popular and poetical, and not in a literal sense. Joshua feared lest the sun should set before the people had fully “avenged themselves of their enemies.” In his anxiety he prayed to God, and God hearkened 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 Psalms 18:9-15 are passages which 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. (Compare Deuteronomy 31:7.)

Sun, stand thou still - literally, as margin, “be silent” (compare Leviticus 10:3); 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 fallen upon the host of the enemy, and the expression “in the midst of heaven” Joshua 10:13 seems to import 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 margin, “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 (compare Joshua 10:43) to Gilgal was not until after he had, by the storm 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.


 
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