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THE KING’S BUSINESS
Tw® Interesting Questi®»®
DM J o s t a a C©maaas» By WILLIAM EVANS, Ph. D„ D. D. I. Joshua Commanding the Sun to Stand Still. This incident in the sacred Scriptures has been cited as a scientific objection to the authority and integrity of the Word of God. It has been cited as a proof that the Bible is not a reliable revelation; that-“it is out of date because it speaks of the sun and .moon standing still, whereas any school boy knows that the sun and moon do not move at all, but that the earth revolves around them.” This sounds clever, but is it? The Bible ita describing scientific facts uses the lan guage of appearances rather than accuracy, just as we do in this advanced scientific age. Take up' any daily newspaper in this twentieth century, afld you will read, “The sun or the moon rises,” “the sun or the moon sets,” at such and such an hour. But does it? Is not our modern newspaper guilty of a most flagrant s'cientific mistake, and one which our modern scientist does not seem anxious to correct? Even in this day we speak of the “dew falling,” although we know that the dew does not fall, but, on the contrary, rises. In defense of these (false) scientific statements we are told that this is the way these things appear to us as we look, at them, although in real ity it is not so; that the language of scientific appearance, and not ‘scientific accuracy, is used. Why should we not be as charitable with the Bible, then? Because the Bible in describing faqts of science uses the language of appearances rather than scientific accuracy, is it therefore to be called unscientific? The Bible was not written for scientists alone, but for all kinds and conditions of people. Did Joshua command the sun and moon to stand still in the midst of the heavenst It is to be regretted that many of those who attack certain narratives in the Bible are not more thoroughly acquainted with what the Bible actually says, and especially with the original languages in which these events were written. The knowledge of four Heb rew words used in Joshua’s story would help much in the understanding of that miracle. Because of such ignorance writers have given different positions to thé sun at the- time of Joshua’s command. One so-called scholar writes, “If the expression ‘above Gibeon’ be exact, then the early morning must be intended; if ‘in the midst of the heaven,’ then it must be the noon day.” It does not seem to have occurred to this writer in what a laughable position he thus places himself in that he is thereby picturing Joshua as commanding the sun not to go down early in the morning, or at its height at noon. The word translated “stand still” means to be dumb, or silent, to wait, to rest, to tarry. Thirty times in the Old Testament it is so rendered; and in no other place, save here, is it translated “stand still.” The word, therefore, should be translated “tarry” or “wait.” The words “in the midst of” mean, liter ally, “the half of” and not the “midst” or the “middle.” In more than one hundred and six cases it is so translated (cf. “one half of their beards,” 2 Samuel 10:4. They could not shave off one middle, but one half). Thqs the passage in Joshua should read, “Sun rest, wait, tarry, or be still in the half of the heavens.” By the “half of the heavens” is meant, of course, the visible horizon—at least so the ancients who were acquainted with the whole circle of the earth understood it. The command of Joshua, therefore, was for the sun, which ' was about to go down into the invisible half of the heaven, to ¡remain in sight.
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