Joshua 10:12

12 Then Joshua spoke to the Lord, in the day in which the Lord delivered the Amorite into the power of Israel, when he destroyed them in Gabaon, and they were destroyed from before the children of Israel: and Joshua said, Let the sun stand over against Gabaon, and the moon over against the valley of Aelon.

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 struck them with terror before the children of Israel; and the Lord destroyed them with a great slaughter at Gabaon; and they pursued them by the way of the going up of Oronin, and they smote them to Azeca and to Makeda.

11 And when they fled from the face of the children of Israel at the descent of Oronin, then the Lord cast upon them hailstones from heaven to Azeca; and they were more that died by the hailstones, than those whom the children of Israel slew with the sword in the battle.

12 Then Joshua spoke to the Lord, in the day in which the Lord delivered the Amorite into the power of Israel, when he destroyed them in Gabaon, and they were destroyed from before the children of Israel: and Joshua said, Let the sun stand over against Gabaon, and the moon over against the valley of Aelon.

13 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.

14 And there was not such a day either before or after, so that God should hearken to a man, because the Lord fought on the side of Israel.