‘ And so it was that at the time of the going down of the sun, Joshua gave the command, and they took them down from the trees and cast them into the cave in which they had hidden themselves, and laid great stones on the mouth of the cave, to this very day.'
Once sunset came Joshua, in obedience to the Law, arranged for the bodies to be taken down from the trees. Then they were put in the cave where they had previously been hidden and the cave was sealed with large rocks. They were so prominent that they became a landmark and a memorial of what God had done ‘to this day'.
“To this day.” See Joshua 4:9; Joshua 5:9; Joshua 6:25; Joshua 7:26 twice; Joshua 8:28-29; Joshua 9:27; Joshua 14:14; Joshua 15:63; Joshua 16:10; Joshua 22:3; Joshua 22:17; Joshua 23:8-9, the last five included in words of Joshua. Joshua 6:25 suggests that Rahab was alive ‘to this day', Joshua 8:28 that Ai was a heap ‘to this day, Joshua 9:27 that ‘to this day' referred to the time prior to Jerusalem becoming the central sanctuary, Joshua 15:63 that the Jebusites dwelt among Israel ‘to this day', Joshua 16:10 that the Canaanites dwelt among the Ephraimites in Gezer as taskworkers ‘to this day'. All this suggests an early date for the writing of the book.