New King James Version
Joshua 10:12
12Then 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.”
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 Living Translation (NLT)On the day the Lord gave the Israelites victory over the Amorites, Joshua prayed to the Lord in front of all the people of Israel. He said, “Let the sun stand still over Gibeon, and the moon over the valley of Aijalon.”
Context of Joshua 10:12
10So the Lord routed them before Israel, killed them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, chased them along the road that goes to Beth Horon, and struck them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah. 11And it happened, as they fled before Israel and were on the descent of Beth Horon, that the Lord cast down large hailstones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died. There were more who died from the hailstones than the children of Israel killed with the sword. 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.” 13So the sun stood still, And the moon stopped, Till the people had revenge Upon their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. 14And there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the Lord heeded the voice of a man; for the Lord fought for Israel.
Read all of Joshua 10Joshua 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, Till the people had revenge Upon their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day.
- Deuteronomy 4:19And take heed, lest you lift your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun, the moon, and the stars, all the host of heaven, you feel driven to worship them and serve them, which the Lord your God has given to all the peoples under the whole heaven as a heritage.
- Deuteronomy 17:3who has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, either the sun or moon or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded,
- Job 9:7He commands the sun, and it does not rise; He seals off the stars;
- Job 31:26If I have observed the sun when it shines, Or the moon moving in brightness,
- Psalms 19:4Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world. In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun,
- Psalms 74:16The day is Yours, the night also is Yours; You have prepared the light and the sun.
- Psalms 148:3Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all you stars of light!
- Isaiah 28:21For the Lord will rise up as at Mount Perazim, He will be angry as in the Valley of Gibeon— That He may do His work, His awesome work, And bring to pass His act, His unusual act.
- Isaiah 38:8“Behold, I will bring the shadow on the sundial, which has gone down with the sun on the sundial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward.” So the sun returned ten degrees on the dial by which it had gone down.
- Isaiah 60:20Your sun shall no longer go down, Nor shall your moon withdraw itself; For the Lord will be your everlasting light, And the days of your mourning shall be ended.
- Amos 8:9“And it shall come to pass in that day,” says the Lord God, “That I will make the sun go down at noon, And I will darken the earth in broad daylight;
- Habakkuk 3:11The sun and moon stood still in their habitation; At the light of Your arrows they went, At the shining of Your glittering spear.
- Habakkuk 2:20“But the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him.”
- Zechariah 2:13Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord, for He is aroused from His holy habitation!”
- Joshua 19:42Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Jethlah,
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
In the dictionaries
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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries