Re: The sun DID stand still.
Michael K. Thompson (thompm@rpi.edu)
Tue, 11 Mar 1997 15:12:57 -0800gordon brown wrote:
>
> There are some details in Joshua 10 that may not fit the popular interpretation
> of this passage.
>
> The Israelites engaged the enemy after a nighttime march. Joshua told the sun
> to stand still over Gibeon. Gibeon was in the hills to the east of the battle
> site (near where the sun would rise) indicating that this incident may have
> occurred around sunrise. Also, the word translated `stand still' in verse 12
> is actually the Hebrew word for `be silent'. This has led some commentators to
> suggest that Joshua may have wanted the darkness to be prolonged rather than
> the daylight.
>
> Gordon Brown
I was taught in a class at Cornell that some scholars believe the
allusion is to a miltary strategy of attacking in the early morning.
This was done while the sun was at a glancing angle and so in the face
of your opponent so that they could not see well as you attacked
Michael