Joshua’s command (or prayer) in the last half of this verse is in poetic language and poetic form. Whatever the original meaning, it is taken literally by the writer of the account, who quotes from The Book of Jashar (verse 13); this book is referred to also in 2 Samuel 1.18 and nowhere else. It was probably a collection of ancient war songs.

The clause On the day that … over the Amorites may be more effective as a complete sentence: “So the LORD gave the men of Israel victory over the Amorites on that day.” If the initial clause becomes a sentence, then it is possible to remove the potential confusion of Good News Translation, which uses two verbs of a single event (spoke to the LORD and In the presence of the Israelites he said). One can then translate “On that same day, Joshua stood up in the presence of the Israelites and prayed to the LORD. He said….” Or, if Joshua’s words to the Lord are understood as a command rather than a prayer, “On that same day Joshua stood up in the presence of the Israelites and said to the LORD….”

But whether Joshua’s words to the Lord are conceived of as a prayer or a command, a problem still remains, for Joshua addresses the sun and moon directly, not the Lord. This difficulty may be resolved, however, if the prayer (or command) begins “LORD, cause the sun to stand still….”

Aijalon Valley is some 6.5 kilometers south of the lower (western) end of the mountain pass at Beth Horon.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Newman, Barclay M. A Handbook on Joshua. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1983. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .