Joshua commands the people A. M. 2554. An. Exod. Isr. 41. Anno ante I. Olymp. 674, them: and set men by it for to keep | the hindmost of them; suffer them 19 And stay ye not, but pursue after your enemies, and smite a Heb. cut off natural enough for him to conclude that he had a sufficiency of time for the purpose, his men having been employed all night in a forced march, and half a day in close fighting; and indeed had he not been under an especial inspiration, he could not have requested the miracle at all, knowing, as he must have done, that his. men must be nearly exhausted by marching all night and fighting all day. But it may be asked, What is the meaning of 'n bachatsi hashshamayim, which we translate in the midst of heaven? If, with Mr. Bate, we translate chatsah, to part, divide asunder, then it may refer to the horizon, which is the apparent division of the heavens into the upper and lower hemisphere; and thus the whole verse has been understood by some eminently learned men, who have translated the whole passage thus: And the sun stood still in the (upper) hemisphere of heaven, and hasted not to go down when the day was complete; that is, though the day was then complete, the sun being on the horizon-the line that to the eye constituted the mid heaven-yet it hasted. not to go down; was miraculously sustained in its then almost setting position; and this seems still more evident from the moon's appearing at that time, which it is not reasonable to suppose could be visible in the glare of light occasioned by a noon-day sun. the tail. A. M. 2554. An. Exod. Isr. 41. Anno ante Olymp. 674. fore, his philosophic knowledge out of the question, he certainly spoke as if he had known that the solar influence was the cause of the earth's rotation, and therefore, with the strictest philosophic propriety, he requested that that influence might be for a time restrained, that the diurnal motion of the earth might be arrested, through which alone the sun could be kept above the horizon, and day be prolonged. His mode of expression evidently considers the sun as the great ruler or master in the system; and all the planets (or at least the earth) moving in their respective orbits at his command. He therefore desires him, in the name and by the authority of his Creator, to suspend his mandate with respect to the earth's motion, and that of its satellite, the moon. Had he said, Earth, stand thou still, the cessation of whose diurnal motion was the effect of his command, it could not have obeyed him; as it is not even the secondary cause either of its annual motion round the sun, or its diurnal motion round its own axis. Instead of doing so, he speaks to the sun, the cause (under God) of all these motions, as his great archetype did when, in the storm on the sea of Tiberias, he rebuked the wind first, and then said to the waves, Peace! be still! Luna, nepiμwoo; Be SILENT! be DUMB! Mark iv. 39; and the effect of this command was a cessation of the agitation in the But the main business relative to the standing still sea, because the wind ceased, to command it, that is, of the sun still remains to be considered. I have already assumed, as a thoroughly demonstrated truth, that the sun is in the centre of the system, moving only round his own axis, and the common centre of the gravity of the planetary system, while all the planets revolve round him, Prop. 2 and 3; that his influence is the cause of the diurnal and annual revolutions of the earth; nor can I see what other purpose his revolution round his own, axis can possibly answer, Prop. 5. I consider that the word dom, in the text, refers to the withholding or restraining this influence, so that the cessation of the earth's motion might immediately take place. The desire of Joshua was, that the sun might not sink below the horizon; but as it appeared now to be over Gibeon, and the moon to be over the valley of Ajalon, he prayed that they might continue in these positions till the battle should be ended; or, in other words, that the day should be miraculously lengthened out. Whether Joshua had a correct philosophical notion of the true system of the universe, is a subject that need not come into the present inquiry but whether he spoke with strict propriety on this occasion is a matter of importance, because he must be considered as acting under the Divine influence, in requesting the performance of such a stupendous miracle; and we may safely assert that no man in his right mind would have thought of offering such a petition had he not felt himself under some Divine afflatus. Leaving, there to exert its influence upon the waters. The terms in this command are worthy of particular note: Joshua does not say to the sun, Stand still, as if he had conceived him to be running his race round the earth; but, Be silent or inactive, that is, as I understand it, Restrain thy influence-no longer act upon the earth, to cause it to revolve round its axis; a mode of speech which is certainly consistent with the strictest astronomical knowledge; and the writer of the account, whether Joshua himself or the author of the book of Jasher, in relating the consequence of this command is equally accurate, using a word widely different when he speaks of the effect the retention of the solar influence had on the moon in the first case. the sun was silent or inactive, dom; in the latter, the moon stood still, yamad. The standing still of the moon, or its continuance above the horizon, would be the natural effect of the cessation of the solar influence, which obliged the earth to discontinue her diurnal rotation, which of course would arrest the moon; and thus both it and the sun were kept above the horizon, probably for the space of a whole day. As to the address to the moon, it is not conceived in the same terms as that to the sun, and for the most obvious philosophical reasons; all that is said is simply, and the moon on the vale of Ajalon, which may be thus understood: "Let the sun restrain his influence or be inactive, as he appears now upon Gibeon, that the moon may continue as she appears now over the vale of Ajalon." It is worthy of remark that every word After overthrowing their enemies, A. M. 2554. 20. And it came to pass, when they were consumed, that the An. Exod. Isr. Joshua and the children of Israel rest which remained of them en 41. Anno ante I. Olymp. 674. A. M. 2554. B. C. 1450. An. Exod. Isr. 41. Anno ante 21 And all the people returned 1 Olymp. 674. in this poetic address is apparently selected with the out occasioning the slightest disturbance in the motions greatest caution and precision. . of any others of the planetary system. It is vain to cry out and say, "Such a cessation of motion in one planet could not take place without disordering the motions of all the rest ;" this I deny, and those who the sun derived his being and his continuance) that the effect might be what is expressed in the command: and therefore it is said, ver. 14, that the LORD HEARKENED UNTO THE VOICE OF A MAN, for the Lord fought for Israel. Persons who are no friends to Divine revelation say "that the account given of this miracle supposes the earth to be in the centre of the system, and the sun moveable; and as this is demonstrably a false philoso-assert it neither know the Scripture nor the power of phy, consequently the history was never dictated by God; therefore they do greatly err. That the day the Spirit of truth." Others, in answer, say "that was preternaturally lengthened, is a Scripture fact. the Holy Spirit condescends to accommodate himself That it was so by a miracle, is asserted; and whether to the apprehensions of the vulgar. The Israelites that miracle was wrought as above stated, is a matter would naturally have imagined that Joshua was de- of little, consequence; the thing is a Scripture fact, ranged had he bid the earth stand still, which they whether we know the modus operandi or not. I need grant would have been the most accurate and philo-scarcely add that the command of Joshua to the sun sophical mode of command on this occasion." But is to be understood as a prayer to God (from whom with due deference bath to the objectors and defenders I must assert, that such a form of speech on such an occasion would have been utterly unphilosophic; and that the expressions found in the Hebrew text are such as Sir Isaac Newton himself might have denominated, every thing considered, elegant, correct, and- I have thus gone through the different parts of this sublime. Nor does it at all appear that the prejudices astonishing miracle, and have endeavoured to account of the vulgar were consulted on this occasion; nor is for the whole in as plain and simple à manner as posthere a word here, when properly understood, that is sible. It is not pretended that this account should inconsistent with the purest axiom of the soundest phi-satisfy every reader, and that every difficulty is solved; losophy, and certainly nothing that implies any contra- it would be impossible to do this in such a compass as diction. I grant that when the people have to do with that by which I am necessarily circumscribed; and I astronomical and philosophical matters, then the terms have been obliged, for the sake of brevity, to throw of the science may be accommodated to their appre-into the form of propositions or observations, several hensions; it is on this ground that Sir Isaac Newton himself speaks of the rising and of the setting of the sun, though all genuine philosophers know that. these appearances are produced by the rotation of the earth on its own axis from west to east. But when matters of this kind are to be transacted between God and his prophets, as in the above case, then subjects relative to philosophy are conceived in their proper terms, and expressed according to their own nature. At the conclusion of the 13th verse a different expression is used when it is said, So the sun stood still, it is not points which may appear to demand illustration and proof; for such I must refer the reader to Astronomical Treatisés. Calmet, Scheuchzer, and Saurin, with several of our own countrymen, have spoken largely on this difficult subject, but in such a way as, I am obliged to confess, has given me little satisfaction, and which appears to me to leave the main difficulties unremoved. Conscious of the difficulties of this subject, I beg leave to address every candid reader in the often quoted words of an eminent author: -vaijaamod hash ויעמד השמש ; amad עמד donn, but דום FRANCIS. Vive, Vale! si quid novisti rectius istis, Candidus imperti; si non, his utere mecum. HOR. Epist. I. i., E. vi., ver. 68. Farewell! and if a better system's thine, Impart it frankly or make use of mine. Book of Jasher] The book of the upright. See the note on Num. xxi. 14. Probably this was a book which, in reference to Joshua and his transactions, was similar to the commentaries of Cæsar, on his wars with the Gauls. Critics and commentators are greatly divided in their sentiments relative to the nature of this book. The opinion above appears to me the most probable. shemesh, which expression, thus varying from that in the command of Joshua, may be considered as implying that in order to restrain his influence which I have assumed to be the cause of the earth's motion, the sun himself became inactive, that is, ceased to revolve round his own axis, which revolution is probably one cause, not only of the revolution of the earth, but of all the other planetary bodies in our system, and might have affected all the planets at the time in question; but this neither could nor did produce any disorder in nature; and the delay of a few hours in the whole planetary motions dwindles away into an imperceptible point in the thousands of years of their revolu- Verse 14. And there was no day like that] There tions. But the whole effect mentioned here might was no period of time in which the sun was kept so have been produced by the cessation of the diurnal long above the horizon as on that occasion. Some motion of the earth, the annual being still continued; learned men have supposed that the Fable of Phaeton and I contend that this was possible to Omnipotence, was founded on this historic fact. The fable may be and that such a cessation might have taken place with-seen with all the elegance of poetic embellishment in The five kings are A. M. 2554. An. Exod. Isr. 41. Anno ante I. Olymp. 674. to the camp to Joshua at Makke- | nor be dismayed, be strong, and 22 Then said Joshua, Open the mouth of the cave, and bring out those five kings unto me out of the cave. 23 And they did so, and brought forth those five kings unto him out of the cave, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon. 24 And it came to pass, when they brought out those kings unto Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said unto the captains of the men of war which went with him, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings. And they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them. с 25 And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, f A. M. 2554. of good courage: for thus shall An. Exod. Ist. 41. Anno ante I. Olymp. 674. 26 And afterward Joshua smote them, and slew them, and hanged them on five trees and they were hanging upon the trees until the evening. 27 And it came to pass at the time of the going down of the sun, that Joshua commanded, and they took them down off the trees, and cast them into the cave wherein they had been hid, and laid great stones in the cave's mouth, which remain until this very day. 28 And that day Joshua took Makkedah, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof he utterly destroyed, them, and all the souls that were therein; he let none remain: and he did to the king of Mak kedah has he did unto the king of Jericho. 29 Then Joshua passed from Makkedah, ↳ Exod. xi. 7.—Psa, cvii. 40; cx. 5; cxlix. 8, 9; Isa. xxvi. Deut. iii. 21; vii. 19.- - Chap. viii. 29.5, 6; Mal. iv. 3- d Deut. xxxi. 6, 8; chap. i. 9. the commencement of the second book of Ovid's Metamorphoses; but I confess I can see nothing in the pretended copy that can justify the above opinion. Verse 15. And Joshua returned-unto the camp to Gilgal.] That the Israelitish army did not return to the camp at Gilgal till after the hanging of the five kings and the destruction of their cities, is sufficiently evident from the subsequent parts of this chapter. When all this business was done, and not before, they returned unto the camp to Gilgal; see ver. 43: This verse is omitted by the Septuagint and by the AngloSazon; and it does not appear to have existed in the ancient hexaplar versions; it stands in its proper place in ver. 43, and is not only useless where it is, but appears to be an encumbrance to the narrative. Should it be considered as genuine and in its proper place, I would propose that makkedah should be read instead of gilgalah, for we find from ver. 21 that Joshua had a temporary camp there. Then Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, unto the camp to MAKKEDAH; after which we may suppose that Joshua having secured the cave, sent some detachments to scour the country and cut off all the remaining straggling Canaanites; when this was done they also returned to the camp at Makkedah, as is related ver. 21, and when the business was completed they struck the camp at Makkedah, and all returned to their fortified camp at Gilgal, ver. 43. Verse 16. Hid themselves in a cave] It is very likely that this cave was a fortified place among some rocks; for there were many such places in different parts of Palestine. Verse 21. None moved his tongue] The whole transactions of this important day had been carried on so evidently under the direction of God that there was not the least murmuring, nor cause for it, among them, VOL. II. ( 4 ) h Deut. xxi. 23; for their enemies were all discomfited. There is an expression similar to this, Exod. xi. 7, on which the reader is requested to consult the note. Verse 24. Put your feet upon the necks of these kings.] This act was done symbolically, as a token, not only of the present complete victory, but of their approaching triumph over all their adversaries, which is the interpretation given of it by Joshua in the succeeding verse. Verse 26. Smote-slew-and hanged them on five trees] Hanging alive seems a barbarous custom: among the Hebrews, criminals were first deprived of life; this was the debt required by justice: then they were hanged up, perhaps generally by the hands, not by the neck; this was done by way of example, to deter others from committing the crimes for which those had suffered but they were never permitted to hang thús exposed all night, as this could have answered no purposé, either of justice or example, as they could not be seen in the night-season. One day also was deemed enough for their exposure, it being thought sufficient to show the public that justice had been executed; and to have exhibited them longer would have appeared to be a barbarous cruelty which attempted to extend punishment beyond the possible requisitions of justice. See the note on Deut. xxi. 23. Verse 28. That day Joshua took Makkedah] It is very possible that Makkedah was taken on the evening of the same day in which the miraculous solstice took place; but as to the other cities mentioned in this chapter, they certainly were subdued some days after, as it is not possible that an army, exhausted as this must have been with a whole night's march, and two days' hard fighting, could have proceeded farther than Makkedah that night; the other cities were successively taken in the following days. Verse 29. Fought against Libnah] This city was b 49 Joshua takes and A. M. 2554. An. Exod. Isr. 41. Anno ante JOSHUA. and all Israel with him, unto Libnah, and fought against Libnah: 30 And the LORD delivered it I. Olymp. 674. also, and the king thereof, into the hand of Israel: and he smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein; he let none remain in it; but did unto the king thereof as he did unto the king of Jericho. 31 And Joshua passed from Libnah, and all Israel with him, unto Lachish, and encamped against it, and fought against it: 32 And the LORD delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel, which took it on the second day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein, according to all that he had done to Libnah. 33 Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish; and Joshua smote him and his people, until he had left him none remaining. 34 And from Lachish Joshua passed unto Eglon, and all Israel with him and they encamped against it, and fought against it: 2 Kings viii. 22.- See chap. xiv. 13; xv. 13; Judg. i. 10. near Makkedah, see chap. xv. 42, and fell to the tribe | of Judah, ver. 20, 42, and was given to the priests, chap. xxi. 13. Sennacherib besieged it, after he had been obliged to raise the siege of Lachish. See 2 Kings xix. 8; Isa. xxxvii. 8. Verse 32. Lachish] It appears that this was anciently a very strong place; notwithstanding the people were panic-struck, and the Israelites flushed with success, yet Joshua could not reduce it till the second day, and the king of Assyria afterwards was obliged to raise the siege. See above, and see the note on ver. 3. Verse 33. Horam king of Gezer] It is likely that Horam was in a state of alliance with the king of Lachish, and therefore came to his assistance as soon as it appeared that he was likely to be attacked. Joshua probably sent a detachment against him, before he was able to form a junction with the forces of Lachish; and utterly destroyed him and his army. Gezer is supposed to have been situated near Azotus. See 1 Mac. xiv. 34. It fell to the tribe of Ephraim, chap. xvi. 3, but was probably taken afterwards by some of the remnant of the Canaanitish nations; for we find it was given by Pharaoh to his sonin-law Solomon, 1 Kings ix. 16, which proves that it had got out of the possession of the Israelites previously to the days of Solomon. destroys several cities. A. M. 2554. An. Exod. Isr. 41. Anno ante 35 And they took it on that day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein he utterly destroyed that day, according to all that he had done to Lachish." 1. Olymp. 674. 36 And Joshua went up from Eglon, and all Israel with him, unto Hebron; and they fought against it : 37 And they took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof, and all the souls that were therein he left none remaining, according to all that he had done to Eglon; but destroyed it utterly, and all the souls that were therein. 38. And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to 'Debir; and fought against. it : 39 And he took it, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed all the souls that were therein; he left none remaining as he had done to He See chap. xv. 15; Judg. i. 11. when he took the city, which was some days after the transactions at Makkedah? Either this slaying of the king of Hebron must refer to what had already been done, or the Hebronites, finding that their king fell in battle, had set up another in his place; which was the king Joshua slew, after he had taken the city and its dependencies, as is related ver. 37. It appears that the city of Hebron had fallen back into the hands of the Canaanites, for it was again taken from them by the tribe of Judah, Judg. i. 10. Debir had also fallen into their hands, for it was reconquered by Othniel, the son-in-law of Caleb, ib. ver. 11-13. The manner in which Calmet accounts for this is very natural: Joshua, in his rapid conquests, contented himself with taking, demolishing, and burning those cities; but did not garrison any of them, for fear of weakening his army. In several instances no doubt the scattered Canaanites returned, repeopled, and put those cities in a state of defence. Hence the Israelites were obliged to conquer them a second time. This is a more rational way of accounting for these things, than that which supposes that the first chapter of Judges gives the more detailed account of the transactions recorded here; for there it is expressly said, that these transactions took place after the death of Joshua, (see Judg. i. 1,) and consequently cannot be the same that are mentioned here. Verse 39. Destroyed all the souls] a) hɔ na ipin" vaiyacharimu eth col nephesh, they brought every person under an anathema; they either slew them, or reduced them to a state of slavery. Is it reasonable to say those were slain who were found in arms, of the others they made slaves? ( 4*.) Verse 40. All the country of the hills] See the note on Deut. i. 7. Destroyed all that breathed] Every person found in arms who continued to resist; these were all destroyed, those who submitted were spared: but many no doubt made their escape, and afterwards reoccupied certain parts of the land. See ver. 36, 37. Verse 41. And all the country of Goshen]. Calmet contends that this was the very same country in which the Hebrews.dwelt before their departure from Egypt; and according to this hypothesis he has constructed his map, causing it to extend from the Nile, which was called the river of Egypt, along the frontiers of the land of Cush or Arabia. It however appears plain that there was a city named Goshen in the tribe of Judah, see chap. xv. 51; and this probably gave name to the adjacent country, which may be that referred to above. Verse 42. Did Joshua take at one time]. That is, he defeated all those kings, and took all their cities, in ONE campaign; this appears to be the rational construction of the Hebrew. But these conquests were so rapid and stupendous, that they cannot be attributed either to the generalship of Joshua, or the valour of the Israelites; and hence the author himself, disclaiming the merit of them, modestly and piously adds, because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel. It was by this aid that Joshua took all these kings and their land at one time in a single campaign. And when all the circumstances related in this chapter are properly weighed, we shall find that GOD alone could have performed these works, and that both reason and piety require that to HIM alone they should be attributed. 1. THE principal subjects of this important chapter have been considered so much in detail in the preceding notes, that there is little room to add any thing Joshua returns to Gilgal 41 And Joshua smote them from Kadesh-barnea, even unto Gaza, and all the country of Goshen, even unto Gibeon. A. M. 2554. B. C. 1450. An. Exod. Isr. 41. Anno ante I. Olymp. 674. 42 And all these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time, P.because the LORD God of Israel fought for Israel. 43 And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, unto the camp of Gilgal. to what has already been said. The principal subject is the miracle of the sun's standing still; and to assert that all difficulties have been removed by the preceding notes and observations, would be to say what the writer does not believe, and what few readers would perhaps feel disposed to credit. Yet it is hoped that the chief difficulties have been removed, and the mira cle itself shown to have nothing contradictory in it. If, as is generally believed, the sun and moon were objects of the Canaanitish adoration, the miracle was graciously calculated to check this superstition, and to show the Israelites, as well as the Canaanites, the vanity of such worship, and the folly of such dependence. Even their gods at the command of a servant of JEHOVAH, were obliged to contribute to the destruction of their votaries. This method of checking su perstition and destroying idolatry God adopted in the plagues which he inflicted upon the Egyptians; and by it at once showed his justice and his mercy. See the concluding observations on Exod. xii. 2. The same God who appeared so signally in behalf of his people of old is still the governor of the heavens and the earth; and, if applied to, will do every thing essentially necessary for the extension of his truth and the maintenance of his religion among men. How is it that faith is so rarely exercised in his power and goodness? We have not, because we ask not. Our experience of his goodness is contracted, because we pray little and believe less. To holy men of old the object of faith was more obscurely revealed than to us, and they had fewer helps to their faith; yet they believed more, and witnessed greater displays of the power and mercy of their Maker. Reader, have faith in God, and know that to excite, exercise, and crown this, he has given thee his word and his Spirit; and learn to know that without him thou canst do nothing. CHAPTER XI. The kings of Hazor, Madon, Shimron, and Achshaph, with those of the mountains, plains, &c., and various chiefs of the Canaanites and Amorites, confederate against Israel, 1-3. They pitch their tents at the waters of Merom, 4, 5. The Lord encourages Joshua, 6. He attacks and discomfits them, 7, 8. Houghs all their horses, and burns all their chariots, 9. Takes and burns several of their cities, 10–13. The Israelites take the spoils, 14, 15. An account of the country taken by Joshua, 16-18. The Gibeonites only make peace with Israel, 19. All the rest resist and are overcome, 20. Joshua cuts off the Anakim, 21, 22. The conquered lands are given to Israel, and the war is concluded, 23.. |