Commentary on Joshua - Keil & Delitzsch - David Cox

Keil and Delitzsch <strong>Commentary</strong> on the Old Testament
Joshua said before the eyes (i.e., in the presence) of Israel, so that the Israelites were
witnesses of his words (vid., Deut 31:7): "Sun, stand still (wait) at Gibeon; and,
Moon, in the valley of Ajalon." daamam (OT:1826), to be silent, to keep one's self
quiet or still, to wait (1 Sam 14:9). The address to the sun and moon implies that they
both of them stood, or were visible in the heavens at the time; and inasmuch as it was
spoken to the Lord, involves a prayer that the Lord and Creator of the world would
not suffer the sun and moon to set till Israel had taken vengeance upon its foes. This
explanation of the prayer is only to be found, it is true, in the statement that the sun
and moon stood still at Joshua's word; but we must imagine it as included in the
prayer itself. gowy (OT:1471) without an article, when used to denote the people of
Israel, is to be regarded as a poetical expression.
In the sequel (v. 13b) the sun only is spoken of: "and the sun stood still in the midst
of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day." The poetical word 'uwts
(OT:213), to press or hurry, is founded upon the idea that the sun runs its course like
a strong man, with vigour, and without weariness or cessation (Ps 19:6-7). It follows
from this, that Joshua merely prayed for the day to be lengthened, i.e., for the setting
of the sun to be delayed; and that he included the moon (v. 12), simply because it was
visible at the time. But even if this is the case, we are not therefore to conclude, as C.
v. Lapide, Clericus , and others have done, that Joshua spoke these words in the
afternoon, when the sun was beginning to set, and the moon had already risen. The
expression hashaamayim (OT:8064) bachatsiy (OT:2677), "in the half," i.e., the
midst, "of the sky," is opposed to this view, and still more the relative position of the
two in the sky, the sun at Gibeon and the moon in the valley of Ajalon, i.e., in the fine
broad basin on the north side of Yalo (see at Josh 19:42), the present Merj Ibn Omeir
( Rob. iii. p. 63, 64), which is four hours' journey to the west of Gibeon. As Joshua
smote the enemy at Gibeon, and they fled to the south-west, he was not doubt on the
west of Gibeon when he commanded the sun and moon to stand still; and therefore
from his point of view the sun would be in the east when it stood over Gibeon, and
the moon in the far west when it stood over the valley of Ajalon. But that could only
be the case before noon, a few hours after sunrise, when the moon had not yet set in
the western sky.
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