In Joshua 10, my RSV says ─
With the format indicated, it may be that the relevant words are a quote from the Book of Jashar; but that's hard to check because the Book of Jashar has apparently been out of print for a couple of millennia. But the author of Joshua make his own take clear: 'the sun stayed in the midst of heaven' for an extra day'.
I see from >this report< that a scientific paper (Colin Humphreys, Graeme Waddington. "Solar eclipse of 1207 BC helps to date pharaohs". Astronomy & Geophysics, 2017; 58 (5)) offers another explanation:
In the text the sun 'stood still', translating (in Strong's transliteration) danam which, says Strong, means ─
The moon however 'stopped': amad, meaning (Strong) ─
A lot of these will suit the idea that the moon covered the sun for a period of time.
And if that's right, as seems plausible, then Joshua stuck it to the Amorites on the afternoon of 30 October 1207 BCE (astronomical calendar), just one day short of Halloween, since that's the date of the only eclipse that seems to fit.
So the argument can now be made: an A for Jashar, but an F for the author of Joshua.
It brings to mind how sour Wordsworth and, separately, Keats were that the rainbow was explained as a prism effect instead of a glorious mystery. Another bit of magic falls out of the sky ...
12 Then spoke Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD gave the Amorites over to the men of Israel; and he said in the sight of Israel,
"Sun, stand thou still at Gibeon,
and thou Moon in the valley of Aijalon."
13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed,
until the nation took vengeance on their enemies.
Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stayed in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day.and thou Moon in the valley of Aijalon."
13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed,
until the nation took vengeance on their enemies.
With the format indicated, it may be that the relevant words are a quote from the Book of Jashar; but that's hard to check because the Book of Jashar has apparently been out of print for a couple of millennia. But the author of Joshua make his own take clear: 'the sun stayed in the midst of heaven' for an extra day'.
I see from >this report< that a scientific paper (Colin Humphreys, Graeme Waddington. "Solar eclipse of 1207 BC helps to date pharaohs". Astronomy & Geophysics, 2017; 58 (5)) offers another explanation:
"Modern English translations, which follow the King James translation of 1611, usually interpret this text to mean that the sun and moon stopped moving," said Humphreys [...]. "But going back to the original Hebrew text, we determined that an alternative meaning could be that the sun and moon just stopped doing what they normally do: they stopped shining. In this context, the Hebrew words could be referring to a solar eclipse, when the moon passes between the earth and the sun, and the sun appears to stop shining. This interpretation is supported by the fact that the Hebrew word translated 'stand still' has the same root as a Babylonian word used in ancient astronomical texts to describe eclipses."
In the text the sun 'stood still', translating (in Strong's transliteration) danam which, says Strong, means ─
to be dumb; by implication, to be astonished, to stop; also to perish:—cease, be cut down (off), forbear, hold peace, quiet self, rest, be silent, keep (put to) silence, be (stand) still, tarry, wait.
The moon however 'stopped': amad, meaning (Strong) ─
to stand, in various relations (literal and figurative, intransitive and transitive):—abide (behind), appoint, arise, cease, confirm, continue, dwell, be employed, endure, establish, leave, make, ordain, be (over), place, (be) present (self), raise up, remain, repair, serve, set (forth, over, -tle, up), (make to, make to be at a, with-) stand (by, fast, firm, still, up), (be at a) stay (up), tarry.
A lot of these will suit the idea that the moon covered the sun for a period of time.
And if that's right, as seems plausible, then Joshua stuck it to the Amorites on the afternoon of 30 October 1207 BCE (astronomical calendar), just one day short of Halloween, since that's the date of the only eclipse that seems to fit.
So the argument can now be made: an A for Jashar, but an F for the author of Joshua.
It brings to mind how sour Wordsworth and, separately, Keats were that the rainbow was explained as a prism effect instead of a glorious mystery. Another bit of magic falls out of the sky ...