New Living Translation
Joshua 10:12
12On 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.”
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 threw them into a panic, and the Israelites slaughtered great numbers of them at Gibeon. Then the Israelites chased the enemy along the road to Beth-horon, killing them all along the way to Azekah and Makkedah. 11As the Amorites retreated down the road from Beth-horon, the Lord destroyed them with a terrible hailstorm from heaven that continued until they reached Azekah. The hail killed more of the enemy than the Israelites killed with the sword. 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.” 13So the sun stood still and the moon stayed in place until the nation of Israel had defeated its enemies. Is this event not recorded in The Book of Jashar? The sun stayed in the middle of the sky, and it did not set as on a normal day. 14There has never been a day like this one before or since, when the Lord answered such a prayer. Surely the Lord fought for Israel that day!
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 stayed in place until the nation of Israel had defeated its enemies. Is this event not recorded in The Book of Jashar? The sun stayed in the middle of the sky, and it did not set as on a normal day.
- Deuteronomy 4:19And when you look up into the sky and see the sun, moon, and stars—all the forces of heaven—don’t be seduced into worshiping them. The Lord your God gave them to all the peoples of the earth.
- Deuteronomy 17:3For instance, they might serve other gods or worship the sun, the moon, or any of the stars—the forces of heaven—which I have strictly forbidden.
- Job 9:7If he commands it, the sun won’t rise and the stars won’t shine.
- Job 31:26“Have I looked at the sun shining in the skies, or the moon walking down its silver pathway,
- Psalms 19:4Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world. God has made a home in the heavens for the sun.
- Psalms 74:16Both day and night belong to you; you made the starlight and the sun.
- Psalms 148:3Praise him, sun and moon! Praise him, all you twinkling stars!
- Isaiah 28:21The Lord will come as he did against the Philistines at Mount Perazim and against the Amorites at Gibeon. He will come to do a strange thing; he will come to do an unusual deed:
- Isaiah 38:8I will cause the sun’s shadow to move ten steps backward on the sundial of Ahaz!’” So the shadow on the sundial moved backward ten steps.
- Isaiah 60:20Your sun will never set; your moon will not go down. For the Lord will be your everlasting light. Your days of mourning will come to an end.
- Amos 8:9“In that day,” says the Sovereign Lord, “I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth while it is still day.
- Habakkuk 3:11The sun and moon stood still in the sky as your brilliant arrows flew and your glittering spear flashed.
- Habakkuk 2:20But the Lord is in his holy Temple. Let all the earth be silent before him.”
- Zechariah 2:13Be silent before the Lord, all humanity, for he is springing into action from his holy dwelling.”
- 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
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
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