The book of Joshua records an amazing astronomical sign. The Sun stood still in the middle of the sky about a whole day. This is one of the most controversial and most debated passages in all of scripture. Some insist that God demonstrated his power through this amazing one-time sign. They often go so far as to create pseudoscientific theories to prove their case. Meanwhile, those with scientific backgrounds recoil. Forced literalism causes many to dismiss the Bible altogether. This article attempts to work through this issue.
Did the Sun Stand Still?
What would happen if the Sun stood still in the sky? The answer: The Earth’s rotation would stop (or perhaps quickly slow down to a crawl). Imagine falling off a motorcycle traveling at the Earth’s rotation speed (1,040 MPH). The result would not be pretty. Consider the global impacts. The water from the banks of the sea of Galilee overflow with incredible force. Many die. Weakly constructed buildings topple. Plate tectonics disrupt. Volcanoes and earthquakes follow. Surely such an event would be remembered globally. Oral stories and recorded inscriptions should be found all over. Yet, other than the few verses from the book of Joshua, none exist.
Interpretations
Of course, an all-powerful God could harmonize all the forces of nature to create such a miracle. But why would he do that? Overturning multiple laws of nature to impact a minor conflict at Gibeon seem like a stretch. Biblical scholars look to other possibilities.
Let’s first present the verses in question:
Then Joshua spoke to Yahweh in the day when Yahweh delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel. He said in the sight of Israel,
We have a short poem followed by a narrative describing the battle. The author extracted the poem from the book of Jashar which unfortunately is now lost. The medieval forgeries are of no help.
Celestial Omen1
One explanation asserts that Joshua wanted the Sun and moon to be seen together at a time that would invoke fear among his enemies. The Assyrians considered it to be a good omen for the Sun to rise in the East while the moon is visible in the West on the 14th day of the month. It is a bad omen when this happens on the 15th. A couple of illustrative inscriptions follow:2
On the fourteenth day the Moon was seen with the Sun. When the Moon and the Sun are seen with one another on the fourteenth, there will be silence, the land will be satisfied; the gods intend Akkad for happiness. Joy in the heart of the people.
This requires that Joshua’s battle be on the 15th of the month. I suppose it is possible. Would it invoke the fear that Joshua hoped? I don’t know, but I doubt it.
Solar Eclipse
A popular explanation that has centuries of proponents posits that Joshua observed a solar eclipse. Recently Daniel Vainstub of the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev posted an interesting article.3 He writes:
According to NASA data, this type of eclipse (annular) was seen in the skies of central Israel, where the ancient city of Gibeon was located on October 30, 1207, BCE.
It started at 3:27 PM, reached its maximum at 4:28 PM (lasting 5 minutes and 14.9 seconds), and ended just as the Sun was setting around 5:38 PM. The Sun and moon were visible in the sky for a bit over two hours.
Eclipses like this were notable among ancient peoples. Inscriptions and writings document events of this kind. Homer’s Odyssey book 20:440 describes a full solar eclipse.
O you miserable men, what troubles are you feeling now? Your heads, your faces, your lower limbs are shrouded in the night. . . . Up in the sky the Sun has disappeared—an evil mist is shrouding everything .4
Homer documented an event which astronomers date to April 16, 1178, BCE at noon.5 Solar eclipses like this are used by historians to accurately synchronize dates for documents, reigns of kings, and major events. Still, how do we explain the description of Joshua’s battle? The Sun did not “stay in the middle of the sky and didn’t hurry to go down about a whole day.”
Polemic
The poem states that the Sun did not set until “the nation had avenged themselves.” We find another poem with similar language in Homer’s Iliad.
Agamemnon spake among them, saying: “Zeus, most glorious, most great, lord of the dark clouds, that dwellest in the heaven, grant that the Sun set not, neither darkness come upon us, until I have cast down in headlong ruin the hall of Priam.” 6
Joshua’s narrative is an example of a heroes epic. One day duration is typical of such an account. Consider a similar account from the Annals of Tiglath-Pileser.
I marched against the Arameans, enemies of Assur, my lord. I plundered from the edge of the land of Suhu to Carchemish of Hatti-land in a single day .7
The distance from Suhu (Al Anbar of modern-day Iraq) to Carchemish is approximately six hundred miles, way too far for a day’s journey. Obviously, this text is not meant to be literal.
Another more recent example of a hyperbolic statement was written by a confederate soldier during the Civil War battle of Antietam on Sep. 17, 1862.
The Sun seemed almost to go backwards, and it appeared as if night would never come!8
Conclusion
There is no way to know with certainty what happened during the battle at Gibeon. That being said, let’s hypothesize. Josha and his troops traveled all night before engaging the enemy (Josh 10:9). They were tired and outnumbered. The battle began. Hailstones fell causing the enemy to scatter (Josh 10:11). It is now midafternoon, and Joshua observes the start of an annular solar eclipse. He sees both the sun and moon visible in the sky. A short time later, Joshua notices, “It is getting dark.” “Too soon,” he exclaims. “Hours of daylight should still remain.” He wonders, “What if the enemy regroup?” So, he cries out to God. “Please, Don’t blot out the Sun now (Josh 10:12).” The Sun begins to emerge after the eclipse passes its zenith. The fight continues and victory is achieved (Josh 10:13). God fought for Israel (Josh 10:14).
I remember times when as a coach, my track team and I went to the national NAIA championships. There was a plane trip, a couple days of competition, and then the trip home. As we arrived, the few days away felt like weeks. Similarly, the Sun and Moon were in the sky for only a couple hours. To Joshua, it seemed like an entire day. As I reflect on this passage, one thing stands out. Even the most difficult passages have reasonable, if not irrefutable explanations. This is sufficient. Our job is not to prove scripture beyond a reasonable doubt. Faith does have its role.
Thanks for Listening
References
K. Lawson Younger Jr., Ancient Conquest Accounts: A Study in Ancient Near Eastern and Biblical History Writing , Sheffield Academic: 1990, 211–220.
R. Campbell Thompson, “The Reports of the Magicians and Astrologers of Ninevah and Babylon in the British Museum.”
Daniel Vainstub, Hezi Yizhaq and Uzi Avner, “The Miracle of the Sun and Moon in Joshua 10 as a Solar Eclipse,” Vetus Testamentum (17 Jan, 2020).
Ian Johnston, Homer’s Odyssey J.R. Minkel, “Homer’s Odyssey Said to Document 3,200-Year-Old Eclipse,” Scientific American (June 23, 2008).
A. T. Murray, Homer’s Iliad Rima 2, A.0.87.1, “Royal Inscription of Tiglath-Pileser I,” v 44-53.
D.S. Freeman, Lee’s Lieutenants: A Study in command , II, Touchstone: 2001, 224.
Richard S. Hess, Joshua , Intervarsity: 1996, 215–218.
John H. Walton, Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary , Zondervan: 2009, 47–48.
Dan Harvey, author of Wrestling with Faith and Experiencing the Apocalypse,
secondlooknow.com
This article addresses the situations faced by Joshua. This article is a testimony to truth; of how prayer and life experiences together create amazing situations that truly do build the substance of faith and how GOD works. Amazing, powerful, and very encouraging.
There is much more to learn through this article. A wonderful and powerful source.
Thanks for creating and writing this lesson.
VivHarvey
Great article. I wonder if time could be manipulated in such a way that natural laws would still work but the people would still feel time strech out. It says for about a day. They did not have watches, so seems like Joshua and co. Are relating a subjextive experience. Its still a miracle. After all, they won the battle!