“The
sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a
full day. There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when
the LORD listened to a human being. Surely the LORD was fighting for
Israel! ” [Joshua 10:13-14]
"...So the Sun stood still and the Moon stopped..."
Then
the five kings of the Amorites—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth,
Lachish and Eglon—joined forces. They moved up with all their troops
and took up positions against Gibeon and attacked it.
The Gibeonites then sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: “Do not abandon your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us! Help us, because all the Amorite kings from the hill country have joined forces against us.”
So Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his entire army, including all the best fighting men. The LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you.”
After an all-night march from Gilgal, Joshua took them by surprise. The LORD threw them into confusion before Israel, so Joshua and the Israelites defeated them completely at Gibeon. Israel pursued them along the road going up to Beth Horon and cut them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah. As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon to Azekah, the LORD hurled large hailstones down on them, and more of them died from the hail than were killed by the swords of the Israelites.
On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the LORD in the presence of Israel:
“Sun, stand still over Gibeon,
and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.”
So the sun stood still,
and the moon stopped,
till the nation avenged itself on[b] its enemies,
as it is written in the Book of Jashar.
The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the LORD listened to a human being. Surely the LORD was fighting for Israel!
Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.
Assured of victory by the Lord, Joshua engaged the enemy's forces at Gibeon, causing them to flee. Two miracles occurred in the destruction of the enemy. First there was a tremendous hailstrom, which killed more men than the Israelites had slain. But note that they were discriminating hailstones--they killed only the enemies.
Then, at the request of Joshua, the sun and the moon "stood still", prolonging the hours that the Israelites could continue to pursue and destroy the foe before they could escape to the security of their walled cities. It is literally descriptive language to say that the sun and the moon stood still.
The Gibeonites then sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: “Do not abandon your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us! Help us, because all the Amorite kings from the hill country have joined forces against us.”
So Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his entire army, including all the best fighting men. The LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you.”
After an all-night march from Gilgal, Joshua took them by surprise. The LORD threw them into confusion before Israel, so Joshua and the Israelites defeated them completely at Gibeon. Israel pursued them along the road going up to Beth Horon and cut them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah. As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon to Azekah, the LORD hurled large hailstones down on them, and more of them died from the hail than were killed by the swords of the Israelites.
On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the LORD in the presence of Israel:
“Sun, stand still over Gibeon,
and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.”
So the sun stood still,
and the moon stopped,
till the nation avenged itself on[b] its enemies,
as it is written in the Book of Jashar.
The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the LORD listened to a human being. Surely the LORD was fighting for Israel!
Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.
Assured of victory by the Lord, Joshua engaged the enemy's forces at Gibeon, causing them to flee. Two miracles occurred in the destruction of the enemy. First there was a tremendous hailstrom, which killed more men than the Israelites had slain. But note that they were discriminating hailstones--they killed only the enemies.
Then, at the request of Joshua, the sun and the moon "stood still", prolonging the hours that the Israelites could continue to pursue and destroy the foe before they could escape to the security of their walled cities. It is literally descriptive language to say that the sun and the moon stood still.
Sun, stand still..
“On
the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the
LORD in the presence of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and
you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon” [Joshua 10:12]
The Sun stood still..
