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Hebrew Bible · Joshua 10:11–13

The sun stands still

EvidenceDocumentedThe text exists and is quoted from a published translation. What it describes is a separate question.What this means
ReferenceJoshua 10:11–13
Writtenc. 650–550 BCE
SetConquest of Canaan
The LORD cast down great stones from heaven upon them… Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed.

Translation: KJV

Read it literally

A bombardment from the sky followed by a whole day of light. Either an eclipse misunderstood, or something above the battlefield lighting it.

What scholars say

The line is quoted from an older lost poem, 'the book of Jasher'.

From the sky Strange time
People and places hereGibeon

Quick answers about Joshua 10:11–13

Where is Joshua 10:11–13 found?

Joshua 10:11–13 (Hebrew Bible). Translation quoted: King James Version (1611; standard 1769 text), with Apocrypha.

When was Joshua 10:11–13 written?

c. 650–550 BCE.

What do scholars say about Joshua 10:11–13?

The line is quoted from an older lost poem, 'the book of Jasher'.

Rabbit holes in this passage

TextBook of JasherThe Bible twice cites a lost book of Jasher, and in 1625 a book by that name was printed in Venice. It claims to be rescued from Jerusalem's ruins, yet scholars date it to the medieval period. Here Nimrod's hunting power comes from Adam's own garments, which made animals kneel to whoever wore them. What else is in it?

Sources

  1. King James Version (1611; standard 1769 text), with ApocryphaPrimary text
  2. The Book of Jasher (1887 edition of the 1840 translation)Primary text

Scholarly dates are rounded. The wording follows the named public-domain translation.

Updated