Texts in Conversation
Joshua describes the sun and moon moving together during battle, a detail that may echo Mesopotamian omen traditions where their movements at different times of the month guided decisions and battles.
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Enuma Anu Enlil
Astrological Omen Series
Ancient Near East
When the Moon and Sun are seen with one another on the fifteenth day, a powerful enemy will raise his weapons against the land. The enemy will destroy the gate of my city.
Date: 1157 B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Joshua 10:13
Hebrew Bible
11 As they fled from Israel on the slope leading down from Beth Horon, the Lord threw down on them large hailstones from the sky, all the way to Azekah. They died—in fact, more died from the hailstones than the Israelites killed with the sword. 12 The day the Lord delivered the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua prayed to the Lord before Israel: “O sun, stand still over Gibeon; O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon!” 13 The sun stood still and the moon stood motionless while the nation took vengeance on its enemies. The event is recorded in the Scroll of the Upright One. The sun stood motionless in the middle of the sky and did not set for about a full day. 14 There has not been a day like it before or since. The Lord listened to a human being, for the Lord fought for Israel!
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Notes and References
"... In the ancient Near East, great significance was attached to omens. If an army was going into battle, the omens would be consulted to see what they portended for the day. In the midsection of the month, the celestial omens were undoubtedly considered key indicators of the day on which battle should be enjoined. One can see, then, that the movement of the sun and moon potentially played a significant role in time of war, especially when a battle was to be enjoined in the middle of the month. The fact that Joshua 10 indicates that the sun is in the east and the moon in the west suggests that it is indeed the middle of the month. It is at the time of the full moon that this positioning occurs. The terminology encountered in the celestial omens helps to clarify further the situation in Joshua 10. The verb “to wait” is used in the texts to describe whether the sun and moon are seen together or not. If the moon does not “wait” for the sun, it means that the moon sets before the sun rises ..."
Walton, John H.
"Joshua 10:12-15 and Mesopotamian Celestial Omen Texts" in Millard, A. R. (ed.) Faith, Tradition, and History
(pp. 181-190) Eisenbrauns, 1994
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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