Joshua 10:12

12 On the day that the LORD gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to the LORD in the presence of Israel: “O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.” ^[a]

Joshua 10:12 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 10:12

Then spake Joshua to the Lord
In prayer, and entreated as follows, that the sun and moon might stand still, until the victory was complete; though the Jewish writers interpret it of a song; so the Targum, then Joshua praised, or sung praise, as in the Targum on ( Song of Solomon 1:1 ) ; and which is approved of by Jarchi and Kimchi:

in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children
of Israel;
the five kings of the Amorites, and their armies, ( Joshua 10:5 ) ;

and he said, in the sight of Israel;
in their presence, and in the hearing of great numbers, being under a divine impulse, and having strong faith in the working of the miracle, after related, and that it would be according to his word; he was bold to say what he did, being fully persuaded he should not be disappointed, and made ashamed:

sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon, and thou, moon, in the valley of
Ajalon;
where they now appeared, and were seen by all Israel, the one as if over Gibeon, and the other as in the valley of which Masius thinks is the same with the valley of Gibeon, ( Isaiah 28:21 ) ; and so must be near Gibeon, and the sun and the moon not far from one another, as they might be if it was now new moon, as Kimchi and R. Isaiah; or on the decrease; some say seven days before her change: but Abarbinel is of opinion that it was near the full of the moon, which was just rising in the valley of Ajalon, and the sun near setting as it seemed over Gibeon, and were just opposite one to another; and Joshua fearing he should not have time to pursue his enemies, and make the victory entire, should the sun set, prays that both sun and moon might continue in the position they were; the sun that he might have the benefit of daylight, which was the chief thing desired; the moon being only mentioned, that the heavenly motions might not be confounded, and the order of the orbs disturbed; and he observes, with Jarchi and Kimchi, that Gibeon was in the tribe of Benjamin, ( Joshua 18:25 ) ; and Ajalon in the tribe of Dan, ( Joshua 19:42 ) ; and it may be observed, that there was also another in the tribe of Zebulun, ( Judges 12:12 ) ; but that seems to be at too great a distance; and still less probable is what some late travellers have observed ^F5, that the plain of Sharon near Joppa, is thought by many to be the place where Joshua defeated the five kings, when the sun stood still the opinion of Masius, first mentioned, seems most likely.

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FOOTNOTES:

F5 Egmont and Heyman's Travels, vol. 1. p. 290.

Joshua 10:12 In-Context

10 And the LORD threw them into confusion before Israel, who defeated them in a great slaughter at Gibeon, pursued them along the ascent to Beth-horon, and struck them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah.

11 As they fled before Israel along the descent from Beth-horon to Azekah, the LORD cast down on them large hailstones from the sky, and more of them were killed by the hailstones than by the swords of the Israelites.

12 On the day that the LORD gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to the LORD in the presence of Israel: “O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.”

13 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.”

14 There has been no day like it before or since, when the LORD listened to the voice of a man, because the LORD fought for Israel.

Footnotes

• [a] See Jasher 88:63.