What Does Joshua 10:12 Mean?
Then Joshua spoke to the LORD on the day the LORD gave the Amorites over before the children of Israel, and he said before the eyes of Israel, Sun, hush over Gibeon; and you, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.THE KEY
The command translated “stand still” also carries the sense “be silent,” making the sun’s halt a hush as well as a pause.
THE MEANING
You see a victory whose violence stays visible: the LORD gives the Amorites before Israel, while Joshua commands the sun above Gibeon and the moon above Ajalon. Human speech, divine action, and the addressed sky occupy the same moment.
THE ROOT
דּוֹם
dom
GROWS FROM
דמם
d-m-m
Be silent, become still, cease.
The command translated “stand still” is דּוֹם (dom), from דמם (damam): to be silent or still. English makes the posture easy to picture; the Hebrew also lets you hear a hush in the command.
ALSO GROWS
damam: Be silent or still; cease.
דָּמַם
This verb family lets the command carry the sense of quieting as well as stopping.
dumiyyah: Silence, quiet waiting.
דּוּמִיָּה
This related form appears in Psalm 62:1, where the KJV renders it “waiteth”; silence and waiting meet in the root.
נָתַן
nathan
GROWS FROM
נתן
n-t-n
Give, set, place.
“gave the Amorites over” in this verse is nathan. The Hebrew verb beneath “delivered up” is נָתַן (nathan), meaning give, set, or place. The verse presents the Amorites as placed before Israel by the LORD, naming the source of the battle’s outcome while the violence remains explicit.
ALSO GROWS
mattanah: Gift, present.
מַתָּנָה
This noun from the same root carries giving into the form of what is given.
Nethinim: Those given or assigned for service.
נְתִינִים
The name for a group assigned to temple service preserves the root’s sense of being given to a place or purpose.
יְהוֹשֻׁעַ
Yehoshua
GROWS FROM
ישע
y-sh-ʿ
Deliver; bring out of constriction into spaciousness.
Joshua’s name bears the nature of deliverance, formed from יָשַׁע (yasha) with the divine name: the LORD delivers. Here that deliverance is concrete and partisan, Israel’s advance coincides with the Amorites being handed over.
ALSO GROWS
yeshuah: Deliverance.
יְשׁוּעָה
This noun names the deliverance carried in Joshua’s name and in the victory the verse describes.
moshia: Deliverer, one who brings out.
מוֹשִׁיעַ
This related form makes the root’s action personal: the one who delivers.
THE PATTERN
Scripture repeatedly makes stillness a spoken command within danger, addressing the visible world where the threat unfolds.
And Moses said to the people, Do not fear, take your stand, and see the deliverance of the LORD, which he will do for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again for the ages.The sun and moon stood in their dwelling; at the light of your arrows they went, and at the shining of your flashing spear.And waking, he rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, Be silent. Be muzzled. And the wind wore itself out, and a great calm came.THE THREAD
Hush before the LORD, and wait for him in labor. Do not burn yourself because of the one who pushes through on his way, because of the man who makes schemes.Psalm 37:7 uses the same root, דמם (damam), behind “Rest” to name quieting before the LORD. Joshua’s command carries that word into the sky above a violent battle, so “stand still” also resonates with silence.
Read the SDV Bible.
Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.
The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.
Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us