Paragraph 10:12–15
10:12a
On the day that the LORD gave the Amorites over to the Israelites: This is the same day as the events referred to in 10:10–11. In 10:12–15, the author told the story of the battle of Gibeon again from another perspective and added new information to what he had already said. It may be clearer in some languages to translate the clause the day that the LORD gave the Amorites over to the Israelites as an independent sentence. For example, you could say:
Yahweh gave the Israelites victory over the Amorites on that day. On that same day Joshua spoke to Yahweh…
the LORD gave the Amorites over to the Israelites: The clause the LORD gave the Amorites over to the Israelites is a Hebrew idiom. It indicates that Yahweh helped the Israelites to defeat the Amorites. For example:
the Lord gave the men of Israel victory over the Amorites (Good News Translation)
10:12b
Joshua spoke to the LORD: Some English versions follow the Hebrew word order, “spoke Joshua to the LORD.” It puts the verb before the subject. The natural English word order is Joshua spoke as in the Berean Standard Bible. Translate this phrase in a way that is natural in your language.
Joshua spoke: In some languages it may be more natural to translate the word spoke as “prayed.” For example:
on that same day Joshua prayed to Yahweh while the Israelites watched him
10:12c
in the presence of Israel: The phrase in the presence of Israel indicates that the Israelites who fought the battle watched while Joshua prayed to Yahweh.
10:12d
O sun, stand still over Gibeon: The expression, O sun, stand still over Gibeon is a kind of figurative language called personification. Personification gives human characteristics to non-human things for poetic effect. In 12b Joshua spoke to Yahweh. In 12d Joshua spoke to the sun. If the reader does not understand that this is figurative language, it is good to make this clear. One way to clarify this is to include some implicit information:
Joshua asked Yahweh ⌊to make the sun and the moon stand still.⌋ He said, “Sun, stay still at Gibeon. And moon, stay still in the valley of Aijalon.”
O sun, stand still: The command sun, stand still may not be natural in some languages. The sun does not have legs and it may not be possible to say that the sun can stand.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
Sun, stop moving in the sky
-or-
Sun, stay in one place
over Gibeon: It may be more natural to translate the phrase over Gibeon as “at Gibeon,” or “above Gibeon.” The sun shone in the sky over the town of Gibeon. Use a preposition that is natural in your language.
O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon: The expression O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon is an example of personification. Personification gives human characteristics to non-human things for poetic effect.
the Valley of Aijalon: The phrase Valley of Aijalon refers to the valley where the town of Aijalon was, seven to ten miles west of Gibeon. The Amorites fled from Gibeon as far as Azekah (10:10d). Aijalon was between Gibeon and Azekah.
Here are some ways to translate 10:12c-d:
Joshua prayed to the Lord in front of all the people of Israel. He said, “Let the sun stand still over Gibeon, and the moon over the valley of Aijalon.” (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
In the presence of the people of Israel, Joshua said, “Yahweh, cause the sun to stop moving over Gibeon and cause the moon to stop moving over the valley of Aijalon.”
General Comment on 10:12d
In the ancient Near East many people believed that natural objects such as the sun and the moon had a soul or a spirit. The Bible does not teach this. Joshua did not actually speak to the sun or the moon, and he did not expect them to respond to his command. The language Joshua used is a figure of speech called “personification.” Personification gives human characteristics to non-human things. It is used to add emotional impact to the story. As you translate this verse, keep in mind that this response by the sun and moon to Joshua’s command is poetic language. It should not be understood literally.
A miracle of God’s power took place when he lengthened the day. It was God, responding to the prayer of Joshua, who caused the miracle. The sun and moon did not actually do anything. God made them stand still.
Joshua spoke to both the sun and the moon. Biblical scholars do not agree on why he addressed both the sun and the moon. One possibility is that Joshua prayed this prayer in the early morning when the sun was rising in the east and the moon was setting in the west.
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