And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. [Is] not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.
Ver. 13. And the sun stood still.] Heb., Was silent. The whole body of the movable heaven stopped its course, and made a halt. Neither need it offend us that there is no record of this miracle in heathen histories; for Diodorus Siculus confesseth, that all heathen antiquities before the Theban and Trojan wars are either fabulous narrations, or little better.
Is not this written in the book of Jasher?] Which Jerome a will have to be Genesis: but it seemeth rather to have been some civil history or continued chronicle, such as are amongst us the Chronicles of England, which is now lost, as are also some other books, 1 Chronicles 29:29 ; 2 Chronicles 12:15 ; 2Ch 9:29 and was therefore, we may be sure, no part of the holy canon: God, by his providence, taking care and course that no one hair of that sacred head should fall to the ground. This book of Jasher, or the upright, together with Solomon's Physics, 1Ki 4:32-33 the book of his Acts, 1Ki 11:41 the books of Nathan and Gad, 1Ch 29:29 of Shemaiah, 2Ch 12:15 of Jehu, 2Ch 20:34 the books of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel and Judah, &c., were not testamentary or canonical: and are now taken away, not because they contained matter either above human capacity, or else corrupt and unsound, as Origen b determineth: but rather, as Augustine c hath it, we are to know, that although they were both pious and profitable, yet were they written out of a historical diligence for more plentiful knowledge; not by divine inspiration, for the authority of religion.
a In Ezek. xviii.
b Prolog. in Cant., ad finem.
c De Civ. Dei, lib. xviii, cap. 38.