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.