The Sun Stands Still at Gibeon #47

The sun standing still at Gibeon is one of the most discussed miracles in the book of Joshua. When five Amorite kings attacked Israel’s new allies, the Gibeonites, Joshua marched through the night to relieve them and, during the battle, asked the LORD to make the sun and moon stand still. Joshua 10 says the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and did not set for about a full day.

Biblical Account

The Gibeonites had earlier tricked Israel into a treaty by pretending to come from a distant land, and Israel honored the agreement once the deception was discovered, making them woodcutters and water carriers (Joshua 9:3-27). When Adoni-zedek, king of Jerusalem, formed a coalition with the kings of Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon and attacked Gibeon, the Gibeonites appealed to Joshua for help. The LORD told Joshua not to fear because the enemy was already delivered into his hands (Joshua 10:1-8).

Joshua marched all night from Gilgal and surprised the coalition. The enemy fled down the pass of Beth-horon, and the LORD threw large hailstones from the sky, so that more died from the hail than from Israel’s swords (Joshua 10:9-11). Then, as recorded, Joshua spoke to the LORD in the presence of Israel and said, “Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.” The text says the sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day, and it cites the Book of Jashar as a source for the poetic lines (Joshua 10:12-13). It adds that there had been no day like it before or since, when the LORD heeded the voice of a man, for the LORD fought for Israel (Joshua 10:14).

The five kings hid in a cave at Makkedah and were later brought out and executed (Joshua 10:15-27).

Theological Significance

The central claim is that the LORD Himself fought for Israel, and the hailstones and the prolonged day are presented as His doing. The passage also emphasizes prayer as the trigger, though the text stresses that it was unusual. The prophet Habakkuk later describes the sun and moon standing still at the flash of God’s arrows, using similar imagery (Habakkuk 3:11).

Historical and Archaeological Notes

Interpreters disagree on what actually happened. Some take the passage as a literal lengthening of the day. Others suggest that the language is poetic, that the sun’s heat was held back by hail and cloud, that a sign in the sky was involved, or that the Hebrew verb often translated “stand still” can mean “be silent” or “cease,” so that Joshua’s request might have been for the sun to stop shining and relieve the heat rather than to stop moving. The text does not resolve the question, and no external record corroborates a long day. Many readers, whichever view they take, treat the event as a sign of God’s power in battle.