{"id":53699,"date":"2019-04-14T22:10:26","date_gmt":"2019-04-14T19:10:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=53699"},"modified":"2022-11-06T16:05:03","modified_gmt":"2022-11-06T14:05:03","slug":"did-the-sun-really-stand-still","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/did-the-sun-really-stand-still\/","title":{"rendered":"Did The Sun Really Stand Still?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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While the precise circumstances of our chapter are relatively unknown, some of its lines are quite famous, particularly, \u201cSun stand still in Gibeon and moon in the valley of Ayalon\u201d (verse 12).<\/span><\/p>\n

Although popular lore tends to take this literally\u2014and even searches ancient records for evidence of related astronomical phenomena\u2014some Jewish authorities found that interpretation untenable. Here, for instance is the commentary of Gersonides (known as Ralbag, R. Levi ben Gershom; Provence, 1288-1344):<\/span><\/p>\n

One the many worthy questions raised by this episode is that if the sun stood still and its visible movement was nullified, then this wonder would be greater by far than all the wonders performed by Moses. All of those concerned natural phenomena of a lower order while this is of a significantly higher order\u2026 if this were so, it would contradict the Torah\u2019s stipulation that \u201cNo prophet comparable to Moses has arisen for Israel\u2026 in respect of all the wonders and signs that he performed in sight of all Israel.\u201d (Dt. 34:10-11)<\/span><\/p>\n

How, then, does Gersonides interpret the verse? He considers it a figure of speech, comparable to \u201ctime stood still.\u201d \u00a0Just as we might use that expression to describe an activity that took less time than anticipated, so does the Book of Joshua. Saying that \u201cthe sun stood still,\u201d signifies that the pursuit and subduing of the combined enemy forces gathered at Gibeon that ordinarily would have taken more time than was available at that hour of the day (since battles were not fought at night), was, miraculously, accomplished in a limited amount of daylight.<\/span><\/p>\n

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