134 E. WALTER MAUNDER, F.R.A.S., ON 



completely successful, up to a certain point. Probably the Amorites 

 expected him to move upon Gibeon by way of Beeroth , and moved 

 out to threaten Beeroth early in the day, leaving of course a 

 contingent to mask Gibeon. Directly Joshua learned from his 

 lieutenant that the Amorites were in strong force before Beeroth, 

 he would order his main army to move upon Gibeon, and, as 

 the narrative tells us, he destroyed the Amorite troops, who 

 no doubt were left there to continue the siege. These, when 

 attacked, would send hasty messages to the five kings who were 

 with the main body before Beeroth, to tell them that the real 

 attack was being made at Gibeon, and that their forces there 

 were being destroyed. At this news the Amorite kings were 

 seized with a panic, as the Lord had promised to Joshua should 

 be the case. Fear them not : for I have delivered them into 

 thine hand ; there shall not a man of them stand before thee." 

 The Israelite army from Beeroth cut off any retreat to the north ; 

 Joshua at Gibeon barred the way to the south and west ; one 

 narrow and difficult road alone remained — the road through the 

 two Beth-horons, and along this road they rushed in headlong 

 flight. Then it was that Joshua, seeing that his men were 

 exhausted by their long ef?orts and by the heat of the day, and 

 that the Amorites had a start of some miles along the Beth-horon 

 road, issued his commands to the heavenly bodies : — 



" Sun, cease thou [i.e., from shining) over Gibeon, 

 And thou. Moon, in the valley of Aijalon. 



" And the sun ceased (from shining), and the moon desisted, 

 until the nation had avenged themselves on their enemies. 

 Is not this written in the book of Jasher ? So the sun ceased 

 in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a 

 whole day." 



The explanation of this last statement is found in verse 10, in 

 which it is stated that the Lord " chased the Amorites by the 

 way that goeth up to Beth-horon and smote them to Azekah 

 and unto Makkedah." The Israelites had of course no time- 

 keepers, no clocks or watches, and the only mode of measuring 

 time available to them was the number of miles they marched. 

 Now from Gibeon to Makkedah by the route indicated is some 

 thirty miles, a full day's march for an army. It is possible 

 that at the end of the campaign, the Israelites, on their return, 

 found the march from Makkedah to Gibeon heavy work for an 

 entire day. Measured by the only means available to them, that 



