And it came to pass when he heard. Above, at the beginning of chapter 9, Scripture relates that all the kings assembled to wage war against Israel. Hashem frustrated their plans and cast confusion among them, so that they did not all come together at once. The inhabitants of Gibeon—whose king had also participated in the council of those kings, for the Hivites are mentioned there—decided to make peace with Israel. This aroused the anger of the five kings named here, and they went up to wage war against Gibeon. They then fell into Joshua’s hands while separated from the larger alliance described at the beginning of the preceding chapter.

For he had captured. 1] He heard that Joshua had captured Ai through cunning and military stratagems. This emboldened him to gather his allies and wage war, since Israel’s strength appeared to depend only upon cunning and strategy. 2] He heard that as Joshua had done to Jericho, so he had done to Ai. Had Joshua devoted only Jericho to destruction, this could have been understood as the customary practice of conquerors, who destroy the first city in order to instill fear. But since he also destroyed Ai, it was evident that he intended to destroy them all. This stirred them not to remain silent. 3] And that the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace. This brought discouragement into everyone’s heart, for they would say: If Gibeon is afraid to fight, how can we withstand Israel? 4] And they were in their midst. Once Israel had accepted the Gibeonites, many others might likewise make peace with them and submit to tribute so that Israel would spare their lives. Moreover, because the Gibeonites now dwelt among Israel, Israel had acquired inhabited cities that could provide provisions, food, shelter, and refuge.

And they were greatly afraid. For everyone would take Gibeon’s conduct as an example.

For Gibeon was a great city. That is: 1] It was great in quality, possessing importance and authority like one of the royal cities. 2] It was great in size, being larger than Ai. 3] It was great in military strength, for all its men were mighty warriors.

And let us strike it. Since all the kings had assembled and agreed to wage war, the Gibeonites had violated the law of the country and harmed the entire confederation by giving assistance to its enemies.

Save us and help us. The distinction between salvation and assistance is clear: One who saves accomplishes everything himself, whereas one who assists contributes only part of the effort, leaving the person receiving assistance as the principal actor. Therefore, they said, “Save us—or at least help us to some extent, and we ourselves will fight.” (For they have gathered together. In verse 5, however, Scripture says, “They assembled,” because assembling follows gathering, as I explained in my commentary on Isaiah, chapter 11. The kings had already gathered together above, in chapter 9; here they needed only to assemble for action against Israel. The Gibeonites, however, spoke from the perspective of those being attacked. Since this was the beginning of the kings’ concerted action against them, they said, “For they have gathered together.”)

For I have delivered them into your hand. This had already been done, for their very coming was brought about by Me in order to deliver them into your hand. (Not a man shall stand. There is a distinction between “No man shall take his stand before you,” which always refers to his initially positioning himself for battle, and “not a man shall stand,” which means that even though they took their stand—for here they did position themselves for battle—they did not remain standing, but collapsed and fell.)

He went up from Gilgal all night. Consequently, he came upon them suddenly.

And Hashem cast, etc., as far as Azekah. That hailstones should fall upon a particular place and kill people and animals is a natural occurrence. Here, however, it was miraculous: they fled as far as Azekah with Israel pursuing them, yet the hailstones did not strike the pursuing Israelites, who continually reached the places where the enemy had stood. Rather, the stones pursued the enemy from above and departed from each place as soon as Israel arrived there.

Questions (12–14) Why does Scripture say, “On the day that Hashem delivered,” etc.? This appears superfluous, since it already says “Then Joshua spoke,” meaning at that very time. Why does it repeat itself, saying both “the sun was still” and “the sun stood”? And why does it insert between them, “until the nation had avenged itself upon its enemies”? It should have said, “The sun and the moon stood in the midst of heaven until the nation had avenged itself upon its enemies.” What is the book called the Book of Jashar? Why did the sun stand still for precisely twenty-four hours? What does Scripture mean by saying, “There was no day like that day,” etc.? The Sages said (Avodah Zarah 25a) that the sun also stood still for Moses, and Hashem had already heard the prayers of the prophets and performed signs and wonders through them in every generation. And why does it conclude, “For Hashem fought for Israel,” implying that this was what distinguished that day from all preceding and subsequent days? Hashem had fought for Israel both before and afterward whenever they were worthy. Moreover, it is astonishing: What need was there for this miracle, and what purpose did it serve? They had already conquered and defeated the Amorites, so why did Joshua request this miracle without necessity?

Then Joshua spoke. In the portion of Ki Tissa (Exodus 34:9), Moses prayed: “If I have found favor in Your sight, O Hashem, let Hashem, I pray, go in our midst,” etc. That is, he asked that Hashem’s Providence over them be revealed and remain directly attached to them, without an intermediary, so that their warfare would not be conducted naturally through an angel, but miraculously. Hashem answered him (ibid., 10): “Behold, I make a covenant: before all your people I will perform wonders such as have not been created in all the earth or among any of the nations; and all the people among whom you dwell shall see the work of Hashem, for it is awesome.” He informed Moses that He would grant his request and distinguish Israel in three respects: First, the wonders He would perform for them would be manifest and known to the entire people, as it says, “Before all your people I will perform wonders.” Second, they would be wonders without precedent, as it says, “Wonders such as have not been created.” Third, they would not merely occur before all Israel—that is, in the presence of the entire nation—but would afterward become renowned throughout the earth and among all the nations, so that everyone would know the work of Hashem. It then says (ibid., 11–12): “Observe that which I command you this day. Behold, I drive out before you the Amorite,” etc.; “Take heed lest you make a covenant,” etc. From this we learn that these wonders would be performed during the conquest of the seven nations, the first of which mentioned is the Amorite. It further says (ibid., 27): “Hashem said to Moses: Write these words for yourself, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.” This means that Hashem commanded him to record this passage because the covenant with him was made in accordance with these words. That is, the promise, “Behold, I make a covenant: before all your people I will perform wonders,” was conditional upon these words; if Israel did not fulfill them, He would not perform the promised wonders. Moses recorded this in a book, which Scripture here calls the Book of Jashar, because through it He guided them to walk in the light of Hashem. With this, consider and understand these verses: When Joshua saw that Hashem was fighting for Israel against the Amorites, he desired that Hashem fulfill the covenant He had made with Moses and which was recorded in the Book of Jashar—to perform for them a manifest and renowned miracle. Therefore, Scripture says, “Then Joshua spoke to Hashem”: he spoke of and invoked the covenant that Hashem had made.

On the day that Hashem delivered the Amorite before the children of Israel. The Amorite was the first of the nations enumerated there in the Book of Jashar. Corresponding to the first condition—“Before all your people I will perform wonders”—Scripture says, “And he said in the sight of Israel”: Joshua proclaimed this aloud so that all Israel would hear. Corresponding to the other two conditions, he said, “Sun, stand still at Gibeon.” This would fulfill “wonders such as have not been created,” for no such miracle had yet been performed among the heavenly bodies; and it would also fulfill “throughout the earth and among all the nations,” because this miracle would become known from the rising of the sun to its setting. Now, Joshua asked only that the sun and moon themselves be halted, not that the entire daily celestial sphere cease revolving. The latter would not have been so great a wonder. It was a greater wonder for the sphere that moves everything not to depart from its regular course, with all the stars continuing to revolve in their orbits, while only the two great luminaries became still and ceased moving. The first would be comparable to stopping a millwheel by damming the flowing water that turns its wheels, which is a relatively minor feat. The second, however, resembles a mighty man grasping the millwheels with his hands while the water continues driving them, exerting his strength against the force moving them and arresting their motion—a display of tremendous power and strength. This is what Joshua accomplished: he arrested the movement of the sun and moon even while the daily sphere continued moving and drawing the mighty celestial bodies along through its power and strength. The sun then stood opposite Gibeon and the moon opposite the Valley of Aijalon, and he commanded them to cease their movement. In their figurative language, the Sages said (Tanchuma, Acharei Mot 9; see Shocher Tov on Psalms 19) that “stand still” means: Cease singing. They also interpreted “Then Joshua spoke to Hashem” to mean that Joshua sang in place of the two luminaries. For the creatures’ operation according to their nature constitutes their song: through their natural activity they proclaim the glory of God, Who implanted that nature within them and established it as an unchanging law. The cessation of their natural activity is therefore their silence from this song. Yet because this cessation was not accidental but deliberate, brought about through Joshua and Israel—His servants who perform His will—to demonstrate that through them God overturns the celestial order by His Providence, it constituted a song even more wondrous than the song of nature. This was the song that Joshua sang.

[And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped.] This is a parenthetical statement. Therefore, the word amad (“stopped”) is vocalized with a kamatz, indicating a pause and teaching that this is a parenthetical statement, as is known from the rules of language. The verse should be understood as follows: “Joshua said: ‘Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon, until the nation has avenged itself upon its enemies.’ Is this not written in the Book of Jashar?” All of this was spoken by Joshua. The words “And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped” are those of the author of the book, reporting that Joshua’s words were fulfilled. Moreover, the miracle did not wait until Joshua had finished speaking: when he said, “Sun, stand still at Gibeon,” the sun became still at that very moment; and when he said, “And moon, in the Valley of Aijalon,” the moon became still at that very moment. This, then, is the meaning of his words: Joshua said, “Sun, stand still at Gibeon” until the nation has avenged itself upon its enemies—that the sun and moon should remain still until the vengeance was complete. He then gave the reason for his request: “Is this not written in the Book of Jashar?” That is, is it not written in the Book of Jashar, where Hashem made the covenant, “Before all your people I will perform wonders,” promising to perform such a manifest miracle during the war against the Amorite? Therefore, I ask: “Sun, stand still at Gibeon.”

And the sun stood. Scripture initially said, “And the sun became still,” for stillness means the cessation of motion. This related that the very moment these words left Joshua’s mouth, even before he had finished speaking, the sun ceased moving. It now proceeds to state where the sun stood and how long it remained there: “And the sun stood”—that is, it remained standing in the midst of heaven, at the zenith of that horizon, and this continued for approximately a whole day, twenty-four hours. Although the completion of the vengeance did not require so much time, the sun nevertheless “did not hasten to set” of its own accord. For since only the sun and moon ceased moving while all the host of heaven continued revolving in their usual courses, had the sun remained still for less than twenty-four hours, great confusion and disorder would have arisen in the celestial system. Each star has its own particular position relative to the sun, at a distinct point, and never alters this position or its distance from the sun. If, for example, the sun had hastened to set after twelve hours, it would have approached the stars that had stood as far from it as east is from west and withdrawn by that same measure from the stars that had been near it. This alteration would then have remained forever, producing a permanent change in the order of creation, which is impossible. The sun therefore necessarily remained standing until the stars returned to the point at which they had stood the previous day when the sun became still; it then resumed its motion according to the fixed order of their courses. It also necessarily follows that the sun and moon ceased only their daily movement from east to west, while their annual movement from west to east did not cease. Had that movement also stopped, the sun would necessarily have had to remain standing for an entire year, until the celestial system—which continued moving that day and thus altered its order and position relative to the sun and moon—returned to its original position. Since the sun, despite ceasing its east-to-west motion, nevertheless moved one degree westward through its annual course, it had to remain standing slightly longer than twenty-four hours, until the stars reached the position to which it had shifted westward, as is known to those versed in astronomy. Scripture therefore says, “approximately a whole day,” employing the comparative prefix kaf.

And there was not. That is, this miracle contained something unprecedented, the like of which had never occurred. First, with respect to the one who brought about the miracle: all miracles were performed either by the will of Hashem, or, if they were performed through a prophet, the prophet had to offer prayer and supplication. Never did a prophet perform a miracle by issuing a decree, as Joshua did when he decreed that the sun and moon should become still, and they did so. Thus, Scripture says that there was no day like that day, etc., when Hashem listened to the voice of a man. There was no prayer or supplication here, only a voice: Joshua issued a command with his voice to the sun, and Hashem listened. Second, it was unprecedented in the purpose for which the miracle was performed. Whenever a miracle occurred by the will of Hashem, its purpose was sometimes to magnify His great name and sometimes to exalt Israel. But whenever a miracle came about through a prophet’s prayer, it was either for the honor of Hashem or to save Israel from an oppressor. Never had a prophet requested a sign or wonder whose sole purpose was to make known that Hashem fought for Israel, for whenever deliverance was readily attainable by natural means, he did not request a miracle. Here, Israel had already been saved through natural means, or through a miracle close to nature, and Joshua’s decree that the sun stand still was intended solely to make known that Hashem fought for Israel. No such miracle brought about through a prophet had occurred before or afterward. The meaning of the verse is therefore that there was no day like that day, when Hashem listened to a man’s voice—to the command that a man issued aloud, seeking to announce and publicize that Hashem fought for Israel—and Hashem heeded his voice and decree for that purpose. Such a thing had never occurred.

Questions (15–21) Here it says that he returned to Gilgal, whereas verse 21 indicates that the camp remained at Makkedah and that from there they fought their surrounding enemies, without immediately returning to Gilgal.

And he returned. At that time they did not find the kings among the slain, and assumed that they had escaped to their cities, where they would gather an army once again. Israel would therefore have to march against those cities, so Joshua intended to return to Gilgal and renew the war after the troops had rested for a while. I have already explained in Ayelet HaShachar (Principle 10) that certain verbs indicate that the subject intended to perform an action even though he did not actually perform it.

And they fled. But through Hashem’s Providence, the kings who fled did not return to their cities; instead, they hid in a cave at Makkedah, near Joshua’s camp, and the matter became known to Joshua.

Have been found. For until then they had searched for them but had not found them, as explained above (verse 15).

And he said. From this Joshua perceived that it was through the Providence of the blessed God that they should finish the war now that the enemy’s kings had fallen, before the people could appoint other kings, as the inhabitants of Hebron later did (below, verse 37). He therefore abandoned his earlier intention (above, verse 15) to return to Gilgal, and commanded that stones be rolled over the cave’s entrance and that the troops not remain there, but continue the pursuit.

And strike their rear guard. That is, cut down even the tail end of the army—the surviving fugitives—for it has already become evident that Hashem has delivered them into your hand.

And it came to pass. After they had struck them all down—and only a few survivors escaped into the fortified cities—all the people returned safely to the camp at Makkedah.

None sharpened—against even one man of the children of Israel, no one sharpened his tongue. (24–25) Place your feet. This served as a sign that all their enemies would likewise fall beneath their feet, thereby strengthening and encouraging them, as it says, “Be strong and courageous.” The letter heh in ha-halekho functions in place of asher (“who”), as in “whom Samuel had dedicated” (I Chronicles 26:28), while the final aleph is additional, as in (Isaiah 28:12), “but they would not listen.”

Questions (28) Why did they not attack Makkedah immediately, before they found the kings?

And Makkedah. At first, when Joshua thought that the kings were still at large, he was afraid to attack Makkedah lest he be forced to fight on two fronts, for the cave in which the kings had hidden was outside Makkedah. Now, however, he captured Makkedah.

Questions (29–36) Why does Scripture say, “He fought against Libnah,” whereas concerning Lachish it says, “He fought against it,” and afterward, “They fought against it”?

And he fought against Libnah. With the verb “to fight,” there is a distinction according to whether it is followed by “with,” “against,” or “in.” When “fight” is followed by “with,” it indicates that both sides engage one another in battle. This occurred at Libnah, for Joshua was then pursuing the five kings and had not intended to attack Libnah. Rather, as Joshua passed by there—as Scripture says, “Joshua passed on to Libnah”—the inhabitants of Libnah came out against him and initiated battle, so the two sides fought one another. Concerning Lachish, Scripture says, “He fought in it,” meaning that he penetrated the city and fought within it. In all the other cases, it says, “He fought against it,” because they were fortified cities, and he fought against each one in order to capture its stronghold.

Questions (37–39) Does it not say below (chapter 14) that Caleb captured Hebron, and in Judges that Othniel captured Debir, which is Kiriath-sepher?

And they captured it. Below (chapter 14), it is stated that Caleb captured Hebron in the fifth year after Israel entered the land. Likewise, the subsequent statement that Joshua captured Debir appears to contradict Judges 1:13, which says that Othniel son of Kenaz captured it. We must therefore say that Joshua captured the city of Hebron, whereas Caleb conquered the city’s surrounding fields and villages; for it is stated there that only the city’s field and villages were given to Caleb, while Hebron itself was a Levitical city, as explained below (chapter 21). The same must be said regarding Debir. Alternatively, the account recorded below in chapter 14 actually belongs here: when Joshua came before Hebron, Caleb reminded him of Moses’ promise. Joshua then gave Hebron to Caleb, who fought against the city and cut down the Anakim. The conquest is attributed to Joshua because it was accomplished under his authority and command. Similarly, Othniel son of Kenaz struck Debir at that time, and its conquest is likewise attributed to Joshua for this reason. Scripture relied on the later account concerning the allotments to explain the precise circumstances of the conquest. As for the statement here that Joshua killed its king, although that king was already said to have been killed in the battle of Gibeon, Radak explains that in the meantime they had appointed another king. Alternatively, there may have been two kings there.

And as he had done to Libnah. The words “as he had done to Hebron” might lead one to think that he captured Debir’s king alive and hanged him, as he had done to the king of Hebron. Scripture therefore says that he did the same to Debir—that its destruction resembled Hebron’s—and to its king as he had done to Libnah, where the king was killed among the slain, as stated in verse 30: “as he had done to the king of Jericho.” This means that he was not captured alive.

All the land. The entire southern region.

The hill country and the Negev. That is, the dry and arid land. The opposite of “the hill country” is the lowland, and the opposite of “the Negev” is the slopes—that is, the slopes of the streams.

And he struck them. In this battle.

From Kadesh-barnea to Gaza. This is the southern territory extending from east to west, which constitutes the southern boundary of the land of Judah.

And all the land of Goshen. In the hill country, he conquered the land of Goshen, which was situated in Judah’s allotment in the hills (below, 15:51).

As far as Gibeon. Which lay within Benjamin’s allotment.

And all the kings. Who ruled within this southern territory.

Joshua captured them in a single campaign. This excludes the kings in the other regions of the land, whom he did not conquer in a single campaign, as stated in the following chapter.