The Pulpit Commentary — Joshua — Section 226

consciousness of God's immediate presence in (or upon) Gibeon." In the valley or AJa- and help. For a full discussion of this re- lon. The valley of the dee,·, according to the markable p1Lsse.ge the ree.der is 1·eferred to Hebrew. The word for valley is Emek bore the Introduction. In the eight of Israel (LXX. \t)a,-ayt). See note on oh. viii. 18. '?V\ "before the eyes of.'' This brings Ajalon beeame afterwards a Levitice.l city (see eh. xxi. 24), and wo.s in the inherito.nce the scene yi\;dJy before our eyes : the storm of Dan (eh. xix. 42). See also 1 Se.m. xiv. rolling away over the mountains, the enemy 31. It he.s been identified with the modern in full retreat and ";Id confusion, the sun Yfilo (so Robinson, Vandevelde, 11nd Con- bursting forth from behind the clouds, and der), and was therefore four hours' journey the leader of the Israelites, in the sight of westward from Gibeon. It we.s possibly near all his troops, perhaps on the crest of the the time of full moon, e.nd Joshua. ea.lied for eminence on which Gibeon stands, or per- the light of the moon to help him when the haps at Upper Beth-horon (see note on ver. sun had set. The very fact of his he. ving called 10), uttering his sublime apostrophe to the npon the moon to oome to his assistance is " two great lights" which God had given to an argument age.inst the literal interpreta- mankind, not to withdraw their presence tion of the passage. • The moon could have until the Lord had "avenged him of his been no help to him as long e.s the sun was ad ,ersaries." The battle had been short, in the heavens. It is thought by some that but decisi,e. The Israelites had no doubt the moon must have been alreo.dy in the (ver. 9) fallen upon the enemy unawares at heavens, or why should Joshua have ad- the dawn of day as they were preparing for dressed her? This may have been the the attack on Gibeon. A few hours had case, and he might thus have adjured the sufficed to pnt them to the rout, b{'/·. the moon to give him her help after the sun had utmost expedition wonld be necess:,y to gone down, by which time he would have complete their destruction before the .i)trk- arrived at Aja.Ion, e. supposition which is ness set in. Hence the ejaculation c,f the quite consistent with probability, Jewish commander as the difficnlty of the task he had imposed npon himself, namely, Ver. 13.-The moon stayed. The word of utterly annihilating that vast host before 10V, which does mean to stand still, is nsed light failed, flashed upon him. Sun, stand here. See also Habak. iii. 11. But if we thou stllL The poetic form of this passage are to apply it to the moon and not to the is clear to every one who has the smaJ.lest light of the moon, where would be the use acquaintance with the laws of Hebrew of the moon's standing still in the valley of poetry. For the Book of Je.sher, from Aje.lon, when she would be low down in the which it is apparently a quotation (see Intro- sky westward, and incapable of rendering duction, Sec. 2). Stand thou still. Thie Josbna any help? If we regard the light of is not the literal rendering of the original. the moon e.s meant, there is no phrase more In no other passage has the verb Cll;)';I this common in poetry and poetic prose than to speak of moonbeams " resting " npon an sense. The sense " stand still " here would object. The people. The word here is seem to be an inference from ver. 14. The •p. See note on eh. v. 6. The Book or litere.l rendering is, "be dumb." Hence in Exod. xv. 16, and in Lam. ii. 10, it signi- Ja.sher. See Introduction, Note vi. And the fies to be dumb with amazement or terror. sun stood still Here the word 11;>)! is used In l Sam. xiv. 9 it seems to mean, "stay of the sun. But, as before, it refers natur- your advance" (" tarry," Authorised Ver- ally enough to the sun's light. The declin- sion), e.nd the word rendered " stand still " ing sun continued to shine upon Gibeon, in the last part of the verse is 101/, See and in the neighbourhood, upon the descent also Psa. i,. 5 (Heh.), where it i.e rendered from Beth-boron the Upper, e.nd on the "be still." i.e.," be silent;" and Job xxx. whole region throughout which the fugitive 27, e.nd Le.m. ii. 18. The word must not Canaanites were scattered. V-.'e need not therefore be pressed to mean that the sun's suppose that all the discomfited host fled in course was completely arrested in the one direction, and poesi bly in the neighbour- heavens. All that can be assumed is that hood of Gibeon itself there remained quiLe it did not set until the people were avenged enough of the scattered portions of the host of their enemies. The passage is evidently to need urgently the sun 'a light to complete part of e. triumphal song, like that recorded their destruction. The midst. The Hebrew in Judges v., where in ver. 20 there is a very here is not the usual word for midst. It similar thought, which no one ever thinks signifies litere.lly, the half. About a. whole of interpreting litere.lly. Upon Glbeon. da.y. Literally, as a 7,erfect day. Tl.ie Beth-horun we.s north-west of Gibeon. The LXX. renders ov 1rporr11rop1v,ro ,;, ov"µac Eic meaning of the phrase would perhaps be, ri>..or; ,jµlpac µ,iir, and the Vulgo.te," Non fes- " Sun, rest thou (i.e., cease not to shine) ti.ne.vit occumbere spatio uniu8 diei,"' What on. x. 1-43.] TB:E BOOK OF JOSB:UA.