Joshua 10:12

Joshua 10:12 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.
• New International Version (NIV)On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)At that time Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, "Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon."
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon; And Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.”

Context of Joshua 10:12

10The Lord caused the Amorites to become confused when they saw the Israelite army. So the Israelites won a great battle there at Gibeon. They chased their enemies along the road to Beth Horon. They continued to kill the Amorite soldiers as far as Azekah and Makkedah. 11As the Amorites ran down the hill from Beth Horon, the Lord sent large stones of hail down from the sky. The hail killed them all the way to Azekah. More of the Amorite soldiers died because of the heavy stones of hail, than because the Israelite soldiers killed them. So the Lord caused the Israelites to win the fight against the Amorites. After the battle that day, Joshua stood in front of Israel and he prayed to the Lord. He said, ‘Sun, stand still over Gibeon city. Moon, stand still over Aijalon valley.’ 13So the sun stood still and the moon stopped moving across the sky. They stayed still while the Israelites punished their enemies. People wrote about this in the Scroll of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky. It did not go down for about a whole day. 14A day like that had never happened before, and it has not happened since then. The Lord answered the prayer of a man in such a great way! The Lord himself was fighting the battle on behalf of the Israelites!

Joshua 10:12 word by word

אָ֣ז יְדַבֵּ֤ר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ֙ לַֽיהוָ֔ה בְּי֗וֹם תֵּ֤ת יְהוָה֙ אֶת־הָ֣אֱמֹרִ֔י לִפְנֵ֖י בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַיֹּ֣אמֶר׀ לְעֵינֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל שֶׁ֚מֶשׁ בְּגִבְע֣וֹן דּ֔וֹם וְיָרֵ֖חַ בְּעֵ֥מֶק אַיָּלֽוֹן׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Then spakeדָבַרdâbar · to speak: speakH1696
• Joshuaיְהוֹשׁוּעַyehôshûa‛ yehôshûa‛ · JoshuaH3091
• to the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• in the dayיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
• delivered upנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
• the Amoritesאֱמֹרִי'ĕmôrîy · AmoriteH567
• beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
• the childrenבֵּןbên · son: descendant/peopleH1121
• of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• and he saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• in the sightעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eye: seeingH5869
• Sunשֶׁ֫מֶשׁshemesh · sunH8121
• stand thou stillדָּמַםdâmam · to silence: stationaryH1826
• upon Gibeonגִּבְעוֹןgib‛ôn · GibeonH1391
• and thou, Moonיָרֵחַyârêach · moonH3394
• in the valleyעֵ֫מֶק‛êmeq · valleyH6010
• of Ajalonאַיָּלוֹן'ayâlôn · AijalonH357

Cross-references for Joshua 10:12

• Joshua 10:13So the sun stood still and the moon stopped moving across the sky. They stayed still while the Israelites punished their enemies. People wrote about this in the Scroll of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky. It did not go down for about a whole day.
• Deuteronomy 4:19When you look up at the sky, you see the sun, the moon and the stars. They all shine up in the sky. But do not bend down low to them or worship them. They are there because the Lord your God has made them. He has given them to people everywhere in the world.
• Deuteronomy 17:3He may have started to worship false gods that I have commanded you not to worship. Perhaps he worships the sun, the moon or the stars.
• Job 9:7He may command the sun not to shine during the day. He may stop the stars shining at night.
• Job 31:26I have looked at the sun when it shines brightly. And I have seen the moon when it is very beautiful.
• Psalms 19:4But their message goes round all the earth. All the world can understand what they say. God has made a home for the sun in the sky.
• Psalms 74:16Days and nights both belong to you. You put the moon and the sun in their places.
• Psalms 148:3Praise him, sun and moon. Praise him, all bright stars.
• Isaiah 28:21But the Lord will do a great thing, like he did at Mount Perazim. He will be very angry, as he was in the Gibeon Valley. He will do something that is very wonderful and strange.
• Isaiah 38:8You can see the sun's shadow when it falls on the stairs that King Ahaz built. The Lord will cause the shadow to go back ten steps on these stairs.’ Then the shadow did go back ten steps!
• Isaiah 60:20Your sun will never go down again and your moon will never disappear. That is because the Lord will be the light that shines on you for ever. Then your sad days will come to an end.
• Amos 8:9The Lord God says, ‘At that time, I will make the sun go down at noon. I will make the earth become dark in the daytime.
• Habakkuk 3:11You shoot your bright arrows so that the sun and the moon stand still in the sky. Your bright spear flies like lightning, and the sun and the moon do not move!
• Habakkuk 2:20But the Lord rules from his holy temple. Everybody on the earth should be quiet in front of him.’
• Zechariah 2:13Be quiet, all people, because the Lord has left his home in heaven to come among you.’
• Joshua 19:42Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah,

Commentaries on Joshua 10:12

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12Then spake Joshua to the Lord - Though Joshua saw that the enemies of his people were put to flight, yet he well knew that all which escaped would rally again, and that he should be obliged to meet them once more in the field of battle if permitted now to escape; finding that the day was drawing towards a close, he feared that he should not have time sufficient to complete the destruction of the confederate armies; in this moment, being suddenly inspired…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12-15Verses 12-15 These four verses seem to be a fragment or extract taken from some other and independent source and inserted into the thread of the narrative after it had been completed, and inserted most probably by another hand than that of the author of the Book of Joshua. It is probable that Joshua 10:12 and the first half of Joshua 10:13 alone belong to the Book of Jasher and are poetical, and that the rest of this passage is prose. The writer of this…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 7-14Verses 7-14 The meanest and most feeble, who have just begun to trust the Lord, are as much entitled to be protected as those who have long and faithfully been his servants. It is our duty to defend the afflicted, who, like the Gibeonites, are brought into trouble on our account, or for the sake of the gospel. Joshua would not forsake his new vassals. How much less shall our true Joshua fail those who trust in Him! We may be wanting in our trust, but our…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12Joshua prayed for the day to extend so the Israelites could complete their task. This prevented the Amorites from organizing a new defense against Israel. The sun and moon, considered powerful gods in Canaan, were powerless against the LORD. Aijalon was a city near the western end of the Beth-horon road.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 12-1512-15. Then spake Joshua to the Lord ... and ... he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still ... and thou, Moon--The inspired author here breaks off the thread of his history of this miraculous victory to introduce a quotation from an ancient poem, in which the mighty acts of that day were commemorated. The passage, which is parenthetical, contains a poetical description of the victory which was miraculously gained by the help of God, and forms…Read the comment

Topics related to Joshua 10:12

• Adoni-Zedek
• Ajalon
• Amorites
• Armies
• Astronomy
• Debir
• Gibeon
• Hebron
• Meteorology and Celestial Phenomena
• Miracles
• Moon
• Sun
• War

In the dictionaries

• Gibeon
• Israel
• Joshua
• Gibeon, Gibeonite
• Israel, Israelites
• Jacob, Israel
• Children of Israel
• Adonizedec
• Ajalon
• Jasher

Commentaries on Joshua 10

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings