The eleventh episode of the sixth season of the Retelling the Bible Podcast is posted today (June 1, 2022). It dramatizes the story in the Book of Joshua in which the sun and the moon stand still in the sky in the midst if a battle against an alliance of five kingdoms.
You can listen to the story right now and subscribe to the podcast by following one of these links or by searching for the podcast on your favourite platform:
Show Notes about the Story
The story is based on the story told in Joshua 10:1-21. I took Joshua’s hymn to the “Rider on the Storm” from Psalm 68:32-35 and I quoted from Habakkuk 3:10-11 and Judges 5:20-21 in my closing remarks. Direct biblical quotations in the episode are taken from the New Revised Standard Version.
My Inspiration
This episode was greatly inspired by an academic article written by Paul M. Davidson that can be accessed here: https://isthatinthebible.wordpress.com/2015/07/30/the-day-the-sun-stood-still-interpreting-the-miracle-of-joshua-10/
The article is an amazing and exhaustive look at almost every aspect and the entire interpretation history of this chapter in the Book of Joshua. Any show notes I can offer would pale in comparison to this article so I highly recommend you read it.
The article suggests a number of ways to interpret the incident with the sun and the moon. For me, the interpretation that this was initially a poem that described a cosmic battle between Yahweh and the gods of other nations made the most sense to me and so that is why I chose the tell the story that way.
There are a few other choices I needed to make to tell a coherent story.
The Gibeonites
Though I didn’t address it directly in my story, the Gibeonite pose a particular puzzle. They are first introduced in Joshua 9 where they decide to trick the Israelites into making a covenant with them because they are so frightened of them.
But much of that seems to be contradicted when we get to the Joshua 10 where the Gibeonites are described as an extremely warlike people — that every man among them was a warrior.
Despite this, the whole question of why the Gibeonites, despite being such famous fighters, are not involved in fighting against the Amorites is not even addressed. I tried to do my best to account for these strange details in the way that I told my story.
The Book of Jashar
I am kind of fascinated by the Book of Jashar which is mentioned only here and in 2 Samuel:
17 David intoned this lamentation over Saul and his son Jonathan. 18 (He ordered that The Song of the Bow be taught to the people of Judah; it is written in the Book of Jashar.) He said,
19 “Your glory, O Israel, lies slain upon your high places!
How the mighty have fallen!
20 Tell it not in Gath;
proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon,
or the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice;
the daughters of the uncircumcised will exult.21 You mountains of Gilboa,
let there be no dew or rain upon you
nor bounteous fields!
For there the shield of the mighty was defiled,
the shield of Saul, anointed with oil no more.22 From the blood of the slain,
from the fat of the mighty,
the bow of Jonathan did not turn back,
nor the sword of Saul return empty.23 Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely!
In life and in death they were not divided;
they were swifter than eagles;
they were stronger than lions.24 O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,
who clothed you with crimson, in luxury,
who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.25 How the mighty have fallen
in the midst of the battle!Jonathan lies slain upon your high places.
26 I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;
greatly beloved were you to me;
your love to me was wonderful,
passing the love of women.27 How the mighty have fallen,
2 Samuel 1:17-27
and the weapons of war perished!”
Based on these two references to this book, I like the idea that the book was a collection of war poetry that might have been used to train young recruits for the army.
Of course I understand that the book must have been compiled many years after time in which the story of Joshua is set, but it was dramatically helpful to place the “author” in the midst of the events of this story.
Media in this Episode
AhDah by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3345-ahdah
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Unholy Knight by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4563-unholy-knight
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Stormfront by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4421-stormfront
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Sound effects available at Zapsplat.com
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