Bible Question:

How tin the event of the sun standing however for a twenty-four hour period in Joshua 10:12-14 be explained scientifically/theologically?

Bible Respond:

In Joshua x:12-14, nosotros are told that during a battle, the sunday stood even so midday or nigh 12:00 p.one thousand. in order to help the nation of Israel completely defeat the armies of five Amorite kings (Joshua 10:five-xi). The boxing is described in verses vii-10. In poetry 11 we notice that the invading armies fled. It could have been in the winter since verse 11 says that God rained hailstones down from heaven on the invading army. As a issue, many died. And then in verses 12-13, we are told that Joshua spoke to God get-go then to the nation of Israel. God stopped the sun when Joshua publicly commanded that the sun terminate.

Hailstones collected by Vivian resident Les Scott

Phenomenon of Hailstones

At that place are 2 obvious miracles here. The commencement phenomenon that occurred is the hailstorm that killed many soldiers in the invading armies in verse 11.

As they fled from before Israel, while they were at the descent of Beth-horon, the Lord threw large stones from heaven on them equally far equally Azekah, and they died; at that place were more who died  from the hailstones than those whom the sons of State of israel killed with the sword. Joshua 10:11  (NASB)

While most hailstorms contain small-scale frozen chunks of water, these hailstones must have been very big. A miracle occurred that afternoon when these hailstones savage from the sky. Simply the miracle was not the size of the hailstones that killed many in the armies considering very big hailstones do occur. In recent years, fist size hailstones take destroyed homes, cars, windows, and have killed people.[1] The Telegraph documented probably the most significant hailstorm when it reported that 200 people in the Himalayas were killed by giant hailstones.[2]  The miracle that occurred for Joshua was that God commanded the hailstones to drop unexpectedly. This event also suggests that the heaven independent clouds.

Miracle of Stationary Lord's day and Moon

The second phenomenon occurred when the lord's day stood still. The passage states that Joshua commanded the sun to terminate. Here is the passage,

And so Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered upward the Amorites before the sons of State of israel, and he said in the sight of Israel,

"O sun, stand still at Gibeon,
And O moon in the valley of Aijalon."

So the sunday stood nonetheless, and the moon stopped,
Until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies.

Is it not written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and did not hasten to get downwards for about a whole mean solar day.  At that place was no day like that earlier it or after information technology, when the Lord listened to the voice of a man; for the Lord fought for Israel.  Joshua x:12-14  (NASB)

What happened? As ane would expect, there are a number of views that have been proposed to explain how this event occurred.

Sun Stood Still and Moon Stopped

View #1 – Figurative Language Was Used

1 view most what occurred claims that Joshua 10:12-xiv used figurative linguistic communication and described just what Joshua and the Israelites imagined. Supposedly, Joshua was too tired. The day seemed long and in his excitement, he wrote poetically. It only seemed similar the sun stood still to Joshua because the 24-hour interval was so long. [3]

This view is rejected for 2 reasons. Outset, there is a ameliorate explanation which will be presented later. The second reason for rejecting this view is that such a view has a low view of the Bible, since God wrote it past His Holy Spirit. Information technology is a low view since God does not prevarication. Since He wrote the Bible, the words are true.

. . . God is not a man, that He should lie . . . Numbers 23:19 (NASB)

. . . God, who cannot lie . . .  Titus 1:ii (NASB)

The conclusion is: this is non figurative language.

View #2 – An Eclipse Occurred

Another view is that Joshua was describing an eclipse. This view was held past Robert Dick Wilson (1856-1930). He based his view on the fact that the Hebrew word damam that is translated as "stood notwithstanding" can mean "silent." It is important to note that the Hebrew word damamtin can also mean "rest, look, relax, quieted and motionless." Merely "silent" is non the common translation. In the English language Standard Bible (ESV), New American Standard Bible (NASB), King James Bible (KJV), New King James Version Bible (NKJV), and Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB), the Hebrew word is translated equally "silent" less than one-third of the time. That is, the overwhelming view of many translators is that damam should not exist translated as "silent." Even if "silent" is the correct translation, this give-and-take does not provide potent back up for the concept of a solar eclipse.[4]

Wilson is not lonely in his belief that Joshua's long day was an eclipse of the dominicus.  Boling promotes the eclipse of September 30, 1131 B.C. equally the very eclipse.[5]  Eugene Faulstich has a unlike stance.  He prefers the eclipse of April nineteen, 1421 B.C.[6] Unfortunately, that eclipse occurred more than 300 years later on the event described in Joshua. The biblical engagement for the effect is estimated to have occurred about  1400 B.C.[7, 8]. However, some appointment the event about 1200.[9]  The message is that aligning the dates of the eclipse to this historical event is uncertain.

Some merits that Joshua wanted to frighten his enemies and diminish the heat of the day by an eclipse. But that is not what Joshua 10:13 states. Joshua stated that he wanted to "avenge" or repay their enemies. Insofar every bit the heat of the day is concerned, whatever relief granted the Israelites would too be granted State of israel's enemies.  More importantly, an eclipse is of a brusk duration, lasting at nearly eight minutes.[10] NASA states,

This is about vii.5 minutes. The longest total solar eclipse from 4000 BCE to 8000 CE, a bridge of 12,000 years, volition occur on July sixteen, 2186 and will last 7 minutes 29 seconds.  Its path sweeps across Colombia, Venezuela and Guyana. The August 21, 2017 total solar eclipse, past comparison, will terminal a maximum of ii minutes 43 seconds.   Nigh seventy% of eclipses last longer than this.[11]

Such a curt duration would have minimal touch on on an enemy. Further, it would not take provided very much fourth dimension to defeat the enemy with darkness of evening approaching.

A natural occurring solar eclipse is not a good explanation for iii reasons. First, astronomy cannot provide any solid supporting evidence of a solar eclipse in the time period of the event recorded in Joshua 10:13. The 2nd reason a solar eclipse did non occur was that the Hebrew text does not support a solar eclipse.  The sun and moon would not be aligned in social club to create a solar eclipse. Marten H. Woudstra made the following comment,

The respective locations of the lord's day and moon at the time that Joshua addressed them are at Gibeon and at the valley of Aijalon. This means that equally Joshua looked in the direction of the sun, he saw it standing in the heaven over Gibeon. Too the moon could be seen standing over the valley of Aijalon which was due west of Beth-horon.[12]

That is, Joshua 10:12 states that the sunday was directly overhead and the moon off to the westward.

The third reason that a solar eclipse will not explicate Joshua 10:13 is that the verse implies the sun was visible.

View #iii – Hailstorm Connected I 24-hour interval

Another view claims that Joshua actually prayed for the lord's day to not shine. That is, he prayed for darkness and the darkness was caused past the hailstorm which lasted for i day. This is the view of Claude Mariottini. He states,

It is truthful that God could end the sun and still maintain the solar system in identify. But the laws of physics bring serious doubts to the traditional interpretation of the text. The stopping in place of the sun and the moon would affect the whole solar system. In add-on, there are other problems with this interpretation. [thirteen]

Claude Mariottini claims that the laws of physics would take been violated if the dominicus stood notwithstanding. He finds a solution by assuming that the sun was "silent" too! That is, the lord's day did not polish. Rather than the upshot occurring in the middle of the day, he proposes that the hailstorm or the "darkness" continued killing armies of the Amorites (Joshua ten:five, 13). Therefore, Joshua prayed for darkness or the hailstorm to keep. He claims,

This view also allows for a amend agreement of the text without forcing upon it an estimation that would crave the reversal of the laws of physics.[14]

But this view must be rejected for three reasons. The first reason is that a literal and plain reading of Joshua 10:11-12 suggests that the hailstorm stopped in poetry eleven since we are given a summary that more than Amorite soldiers died from the hailstorm than from the Israelites. The summary statement could not accept been given in poetry 11 if the storm had connected into poetry 12-thirteen. That means the storm did non go on after the "sun stood even so." That is, the darkness did non go on.

The second reason that this view must exist rejected is that at that place is no solid textual evidence to support the idea that the sunday and moon were "silent" or "night." Archer and Waltke state,

In I Sam 14:9 the concept of "waiting" or "standing still" appears. This seems to be the significant when Joshua asks the Lord to make the lord's day "stand nonetheless" and the moon "stop" so he could pursue the Amorites (Josh 10:12–13). Those interpreters who explain this miracle in terms of the silencing of the lord's day'south heat accept a more difficult time, specially in view of the parallelism with the moon.[x]

Gleason Archer concurs by stating that the moon was in the westward and the dominicus was in the east.[15]

The final reason that this view must be rejected is that the writer claims the law of physics would have been violated if the dominicus stood notwithstanding. But such reasoning displays a depression view of the Bible and our God. If God cannot prevarication and God is all powerful, and so God can accomplish whatsoever He wants.

View #iv – The Sunday Stood Still and The Moon Stopped

The final view that we will consider is a literal view that says the sun "stood yet" and the moon "stopped." That is, the message of Joshua 10:13,

So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped,
Until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies. Joshua ten:xiii (NASB)

This view believes that the Bible is the very words of God and that is why 2 Timothy 2:15 calls the Bible the Word of Truth. The message is that the volume of Joshua is truth and records what God did.

Genesis one:1 clearly explains how the universe came into existence along with the laws of physics.

In the offset God created the heaven and the earth. Genesis 1:1  (NASB)

Since He created everything in the first, we can exist confident that He knows how to change or freeze the laws of physics and perform a miracle without destroying the universe or creating havoc. God tin can do whatever He wants to His creation. Revelation 19:six reminds united states that He is all powerful.

Then I heard something like the vox of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the  sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.  Revelation nineteen:6 (NASB)

Task 38-39 reveals that God knows the details of His creation. He put the laws of physics in place. Colossians 1:17 states that He continues to hold the universe together. He continues to maintain the subatomic particles and the laws of the universe. He is the gum of the universe! Nosotros can be confident that God knows how to modify the laws of the universe any time He desires without causing a disaster. He can do anything.

Evidence The Dominicus Stood Still

Consider the supporting testify from Dave Chiliad. Becher that the event actually occurred. He writes the following,

Diverse native Due north American Indian Tribes have tales of a long night, as detailed in 1914 by Olcott, regarding the Ojibway, Wyandot, Dogrib, Omaha and Bungee Indians.

There is a tale of a long night from Quiche Mayans of Gutemala, as well as an business relationship from Peru during the reign of Titu Yupanqui Pachacuti II (who ruled at the aforementioned fourth dimension that Joshua was in Canaan).

"The Greek historian Herodotus . . . wrote that when he visited Arab republic of egypt, the priests there showed him an aboriginal manuscript which told the story of a day which lasted nearly twice as long as a normal solar day." Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics besides tell a story of Joshua's long day, according to Fernand Crombette.

According to Gill'southward Commentary, there is a Chinese account from an aboriginal manuscript now lost, that recounted a catamenia of time during the reign of Emperor Yau (concurrent with Joshua'southward business relationship), when the sun stood still for ten days, (which is quite possibly an overestimate, subjective estimate as to the actual corporeality of time, since all their sun clocks halted). J. G. Frazer recounts a story from the Fiji Islands, in which the sun stopped from setting. [16]

Decision

Since God is anointed, we conclude that He tin can stop the sun and moon, freeze the laws of physics and still maintain the universe. Whatsoever other view is a very low, illogical and dishonoring view of an all-powerful, omniscient, self-existing God. He does not need our help to explain abroad a divine miracle with a humanistic and rationalistic caption.

Joshua x:12-14 describes a miracle performed by the God of miracles.

References:

ane. "Mamma mia! Naples hammered with fist-sized hailstones." RT.com; "8 Deadliest Hail Storms in History." NewsMax.
2. "Giant hail killed more 200 in Himalayas." The Telegraph (telegraph.co.britain).
3. J Carl Laney. Answers to Tough Questions. Kregel. 1997. pp. lx-61.
iv. "Joshua's Long Twenty-four hours." Enoch Calendars (gocentricity.com).
five. Tom Slattery. The Tragic End of the Bronze Age: A Virus Makes History. iUniverse. 2001.
6. Dave G. Becher. The Tripartite Helmet of Promise and Salvation: The Omniscience, Omnipotence. WestBow Press. 2016. Location 7144.
7. James Usher. The Annals of the World. Master Books. 2004. p.51.
8. Walvoord & Zuck. The Bible Knowledge Commentary. ChariotVictor Publishing. 1985. p. 326.
9. R. Grand. Harrison. Erstwhile Testament Times. Hendrickson Publishing. 2001. p. 177.
ten. Marten H. Woudstra. The Volume of Joshua. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 1981. 175-176.
11. NASA (eclipse2017.nasa.gov/how-long-does-longest-possible-total-solar-eclipse-last)
12. "Rereading Joshua ten:12-thirteen: The Long Solar day of Joshua." Claude Mariottini (claudemariottini.com).
13. Ibid.
14. Harris, R. 50., Archer, Grand. L., Jr., and Waltke, B. K. (Eds.). (1999). Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 193). Chicago: Moody Press.
15. Gleason Archer. Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties. Zondervan. 1982. P. 162.
sixteen. Becher. Ibid, pp. 7122-7144.

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Tin can We Trust the Bible, part ane?
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Is The Bible Complete and Inerrant?
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