Joshua based his petition ( Joshua 10:12) on God"s promise ( Joshua 10:8). It was a public prayer that he spoke in the hearing of the Israelites. [source][source][source]
There are two basic explanations of this miracle among evangelical scholars. [source][source][source]
1.God slowed or stopped the earth"s rotation, or He tilted its axis thereby lengthening the period of daylight. Most of those who hold this view believe God counteracted the worldwide effects of this miracle by His supernatural power. [1] The main problem with this view is its improbability. Would God (He could, of course) perform such a worldwide miracle simply to give Israel more daylight? Advocates reply that this is the normal meaning of the words the writer used. [source][source][source]
2.This may have been a local miracle whereby God provided additional light for Israel. Some advocates of this view believe God created unusual atmospheric conditions that resulted in the refraction of sunlight after the sun had set. Others feel God provided a light for Israel that may even have looked like the sun but was a different source of light, such as the shekinah. [2] The main problem with this view is the language used in the text that seems to imply an actual alteration of the earth"s rotation. Advocates reply that this is the language of appearance and point to similar miracles in Scripture (e.g, Exodus 10:21-23; 2 Kings 20:10-11). Some also cite God"s promise to provide day and night regularly, which seems to favor this view ( Genesis 8:22; cf. Jeremiah 33:20-21). [source][source][source]
Robert Dick Wilson, a competent and conservative Hebrew scholar, believed that both the sun and the moon experienced an eclipse by other heavenly bodies. [3] He argued that the Hebrew words translated "stand still" and "stood still" can be translated "be eclipsed" and "was eclipsed." This is another possible explanation. Various writers have suggested many other views and variations of these views. [4] For example, John Holladay Jr. believed Joshua was voicing belief in astrology and was calling for a favorable alignment of the heavenly bodies. [5] David Howard Jr. suggested that God spoke the words in Joshua 10:12 b and Joshua 10:13 a rather than Joshua. [6] Most interpreters take Joshua 10:12 b and Joshua 10:13 a as Joshua"s words and believe he was praying to Yahweh. [source][source][source]
The Canaanites regarded the sun and moon as deities. Their control by Yahweh must have deeply impressed Israel"s enemies. [3] The Book of "Jashar" ("righteous," Joshua 10:13) seems to have been a collection of stories of Israel"s heroes. Some of these stories, if not all of them, were in verse and commemorated God"s great acts for Israel (cf. 2 Samuel 1:18). An additional note that Yahweh fought for Israel ( Joshua 10:14) reemphasized God"s initiative for His people in faithfulness to His promises. [source][source][source]
"God fights for Israel. He also fights with and through Israel. She cannot expect the victory, however, if she does not do her part." [8][source]