"... The episode described in verse 4 evokes one of Joshua’s four miracles narrated in the book that bears his name, only two of which are recorded in Ben Sira’s text. Here we have the miracle of the sun which stops at Joshua’s command and enables the Israelites to win the battle of Gibeon (Joshua 10:12–13). However, Ben Sira does not confine himself to reporting the episode just as it is presented in the book of Joshua; he rereads it in order to offer a new interpretation. Firstly, he changes the order of events. Whereas in Joshua 10, the miracle of the hail is mentioned first (verse 11) and then that of the sun (verse 12), in Sirach 46, the miracle of the sun (verse 4ab) precedes that of the hail (verse 5d). Secondly, the sage makes a summary of Joshua 10:12–14, taking up only the essential items (he omits, for example, the mention of the moon) and emphasizing the depredations of the enemies. Thirdly, he places Joshua’s prayer between the two miraculous interventions (verse 5a), thus awarding it a central position in the account. In this way, Ben Sira discovers a new face of Joshua, one hitherto hidden. The warrior strong in battle suddenly becomes a man of prayer ..."