The Miracle of the Sun and Moon in Joshua 10 as a Solar Eclipse

What is it about?

The paper offers an interpretation of the astronomical phenomenon described in Josh 10:12–13 as an annular solar eclipse. According to NASA data, this type of eclipse was seen in the skies of central Israel, where the ancient city of Gibeon was located, on October 30, 1207 BCE. A philological analysis of both Joshua 10 and Habakkuk 3 shows that the phenomenon is described using polysemic verbs in poetic style, describing the darkening of the sun by the moon “standing” in front of it. The story of the miracle of the sun and moon over Gibeon preserved in Joshua 10 and Habakkuk 3 preserves the memory of an impressive astronomical event that was observed during the settlement period (between the late thirteenth and late eleventh centuries BCE). It was etched into collective memory and put into verse, like many other events from the conquest period, such as the Song of Deborah and the Song of the Sea—poems that were later incorporated into narrative compositions that were included in the Bible. A linguistic, philological, and literary analysis of the biblical texts through comparison to Mesopotamian sources clearly shows that what we have before us is a description of a rare event in which the sun was almost completely darkened during the day as a result of the moon’s “standing” in front of it.

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Why is it important?

The date suggested by this investigation for one of the decisive battles between the Israelite tribes and a coalition of Canaanite cities combines with the dating of various sites and artifacts to the late thirteenth century BCE to create a web of fixed chronological anchors for the process of conquest and settlement: 1. Archaeological evidence: Many hundreds of archaeological sites discovered in the central highlands that are connected by most researchers to the beginning of the settlement of the Israelite tribes have been dated to the late thirteenth century to the early twelfth century BCE. These sites, which were discovered in many excavations and surveys, brought new ethnic characteristics to the land of Canaan, such as not eating pork. In the renewed excavations at Tel Hazor beginning in the 1990s, the most reliable dates for the destruction of the last Canaanite city were obtained, and they point clearly to the second half of the thirteenth century BCE. 2. The Merneptah stele: The famous inscription of Pharaoh Merneptah, which contains the first mention of the name “Israel,” is the most important document for addressing this issue, both from a chronological standpoint and from a historical and ethnic standpoint. Merneptah reigned from 1213–1203 BCE, meaning that the eclipse discussed here occurred during his reign. According to most scholars, the campaign against Canaan in which he encountered the Israelite tribes occurred in his fifth year, that is, 1208/9 BCE, about one year before the eclipse. But it is surely more logical to assume that the Egyptian campaign occurred after decisive Israelite victories, which undermined Egypt’s weak grip on the land, rather than the reverse. This chronological sequence—a full discussion of which is outside the scope of this article—is consistent with the view of scholars who understand the “Israel” in the Merneptah inscription as the main impetus for the campaign, which was a response to the threat of Israel’s conquest of large parts of the highlands. The combination of all these facts allows us to produce a general chronological outline according to which two of the decisive battles between the Israelites and the Canaanite cities, the conquest of Hazor and the battle of Gibeon, took place by the year 1207 BCE, turning Israel into a rising power claiming possession of large areas of central Canaan.