Joshua's Long Day

Bible students and skeptics have long debated the events of Joshua 10. Did the sun really stand still in the midst of heaven, giving Joshua time to defeat all of Israel’s enemies? The usual explanation is that Joshua needed more time to defeat Israel’s enemies. The sun was setting, and if night came before he could finish the battle, Israel’s enemies would escape. Therefore, God miraculously extended the day. The person of faith reasons that an omnipotent God, who created the universe out of nothing, is able not only to work such a miracle but to restrain the catastrophic consequences. But is this really what the Bible describes? Linguistic analysis reveals the answer to this supposed Bible difficulty, which emerges in plain sight after a straightforward reading of the text.