"O sun, stand still at Gibeon,
And O moon in the valley of Aijalon."
10:13 So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, Until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies Is it not written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day.
10:14 There was no day like that before it or after it, when the LORD listened to the voice of a man; for the LORD fought for Israel. (Joshua 10:12-14)
This passage is one of the most famous and intriguing texts in the Old Testament. Some scholars treat the passage as a literal event, while others insist that it must be figurative. Three observations must be made:
1) Verse 14 explains that there was no day like that before it or after it. This statement demonstrates that the occurrence was unique, and this is strengthened by the fact that the account also is written in the now lost Book of Jashar (v. 13).
2) The text itself indicates that the sun stood still: So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies (v. 13b).
3) Intriguingly, "research has brought to light reports from Egyptian, Chinese, and Hindu sources of a long day."[1] Conversely, there are Native American legends of a very long night. If light continued to shine over Canaan for an extended period of time, it stands to reason that darkness would persist on the other side of the world.
Joshua 10, therefore, unequivocally declares that God miraculously lengthened the day so that Joshua’s armies could defeat the Amorites. Nothing in the chapter would suggest that we should read the events recorded in verses 12-14 in a figurative way. Since God is the Creator of every atom in the entire universe, He is able to do whatever He desires. Miracles are no problem for Him. If God orders the sun and moon that He created to stand still, they stand still!
Ah Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You (Jeremiah 32:17)
"Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?" (Jeremiah 32:27)
[1] Gleason L. Archer Jr., A Survey of Old Testament Introduction, rev. ed. (Chicago: Moody, 1985), 278.
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