promised beforehand, they now saw unexpectedly their enemies bold with success; so they put sackcloth over their garments, and continued in tears and lamentation all the day, without the least inquiry after food, but laid what had happened greatly to heart.

mi, the son of Zebedias, of the tribe of Judah, who, finding a royal garment woven entirely of gold, and a piece of gold that weighed two hundred shekels,† and thinking it a very hard case that what spoils he, by running some hazard, had found, he must give away, and offer them to God, who stood in no need of them, made a deep ditch in his tent, and laid themed, and possessed with forebodings of evil, as up therein, as supposing he should not only be concealed from his fellow soldiers, but from God also.

When Joshua saw the army so much afflict

to their whole expedition, he used freedom with God, and said, "We are not come thus far out of any rashness of our own, as though we thought ourselves able to subdue this land with our own weapons, but at the instigation of Moses thy servant, because thou hast promised us, by many signs, that thou wouldst give us this land for a possession, and that thou wouldst make our army always superior in

Now the place where Joshua pitched his camp was called Gilgal,‡ which denotes liberty: for since they had now passed over the river Jordan, they looked upon themselves as freed from the miseries which they had undergone from the Egyptians, and in the wilderness. A few days after the calamity that befell Je-war to our enemies, and accordingly some sucricho, Joshua sent three thousand armed men to take Ai, a city situate above Jericho; but upon the fight of the people of Ai with them, they were driven back, and lost thirty-six of their men: when this was told the Israelites, it made them very sad, and exceeding disconsolate not so much because of the relation the men that were destroyed bare to them, though those that were destroyed were all good men, and deserved their esteem, as by the despair it occasioned; for while they believed that they were already in effect in the posses sion of the land, and should bring back the army out of the battle without loss, as Godhad

common copies, but Achar, as here in Josephus, and in the Apostolic Constitutions, VII. 2. and elsewhere, is evident by the allusion to that name in the curse of Joshua, Why hast thou troubled us? The Lord shall trouble thee." Where the Hebrew words allude only to the name Achar, but not to Achan; accordingly this valley of Achar, or Achor, was and is a known place, a little north of Gilgal, so called from the days of Joshua to this day. See Josb. vii. 24, 26. Is. lxv. 10. Hos. ii. 15. and Dr. Bernard's notes here.

*In the original this robe is called a garment of Shinar, i. e. of Babylon; and the general opinion is, that the richness and excellency of it consisted not so much in the stuff whereof it was made, as in the color whereof it was dyed, which most suppose to have been scarlet, a color in high esteem among the ancients, and for which the Babylonians were justly famous. Bochart, however, maintains that the color of this robe was various, and not all of one sort; that the scarlet color the Babylonians first received from Tyre, but the party color, whether so woven or wrought with the needle, was of their own invention, for which he produces many passages out of Heathen authors. Such as,

cess has already attended upon us, agreeably to thy promises; but because we have now unexpectedly been foiled, and have lost some men out of our army, we are grieved at it, as fearing what thou hast promised us, and what Moses foretold us, cannot be depended on; and our future expectation troubles us the more because we have met with such a disaster in this first attempt. But do thou, O Lord, free us from these suspicions, for thou art able to find a cure for these disorders, by giving us victory, which will both take away the grief we are in at present, and prevent our distrust as to what is to come."

Non ego prætulerim Babylonica picta superbe Texta, Semiramia quæ variantur acu. Mart. Ep. lib. 8. Hæc mihi Memphitis tellus dat munera, victa est Pectini Niliaco jam Babylonis acus. Ibid. lib. 14. with many more citations out of several other writers. However this be, it is certain that the robe could not fail to be a very rich and splendid one, and therefore capti. vated either Achan's pride, or rather covetousness; since his purpose seems to have been, not so much to wear it himself, as to sell it for a large price; Bochart's Phaleg. lib. 1. c. 9. Saurin, lib. 3. dissertation 3. B.

+ Here Dr. Bernard justly observes, that a few words are dropped out of Josephus's copies, on account of the repetition of the word shekels, and that it ought to be read thus, A piece of gold that weighed 50 shekels, and one of silver, that weighed 200 shekels, as in our other copies, Josh. vii. 21.

Josh. v. 9.

I agree with Dr. Bernard, and approve of Josephus's interpretation of Gilgal for liberty. || Josh. vii. 5.

believe he retired, and by that means drew them a great way from the city, they still supposing that they were pursuing their enemies, and despised them, as though the case had been the same with that in the former battle;

These intercessions Joshua put to God, as I he lay prostrate on his face; whereupon God answered him, that he should rise up, and purify his host from the pollution which was got into it, for that consecrated things had been impudently stolen, and that this was the occa-after which Joshua ordered his forces to turn sion why this defeat had happened to them; and that when they should search out and punish the offender, he would ever take care they should have the victories over their enemies. This Joshua told the people; and calling Eleazar, the high-priest, and the men in authority, he cast lots, tribe by tribe; and when the lot shewed that this wicked action was done by one of the tribe of Judah, he then again proposed the lot to the several families thereto belonging, so it was found to belong to the family of Zachar; and when the inquiry was made, man by man, they took Achar, who, upon God's reducing him to a terrible extremity, could not deny the fact, but confessed the theft, and produced what he had taken in the midst of them; so this man was immedi-ed condition, and were no way able to defend ately put to death, and attained no more than to be buried in the night, in a disgraceful manner, and such as was suitable to a condemned malefactor.

When Joshua had thus purified the host, he led them against Ai; and having by night laid an ambush round about the city, he attacked the enemies as soon as it was day; but as they advanced boldly against the Israelites, because of their former victory, he made them

* Josh. vii. 25. Since the law against sacrilege condemns transgressors to the flames, and God commanded the person here guilty to be burnt accordingly, Josh. vii. 18. the Jews affirm that Achar was actually burnt: and whereas it is said in the text that he was stoned, they think that this was done, not judicially, but accidentally, by the people, who were so highly provoked, that they could not forbear casting stones at him as he was led to execution. Vid. Munst. on Joshua vii. B.

about, and placed them against their front. He then made the signals agreed upon to those that lay in ambush, and so excited them to fight; so they ran suddenly into the city; the inhabitants being upon the walls, nay, others of them being in perplexity, and coming to see those that were without the gates. Accordingly these men took the city, and slew all they met with; but Joshua forced those that came against him to come to a close fight and discomfited them, and made them run away; and when they were driven towards the city, and thought it had not been touched, as soon as they saw it was taken, and perceived it was burnt, with their wives and children, they wandered about in the fields in a scatter

themselves, because they had none to support them. Now when this calamity was come upon the men of Ai, there were a great number of children, and women, and servants, and an immense quantity of furniture. The Hebrews also took herds of cattle, and a great deal of money, for this was a rich country: so when Joshua came to Gilgal, he divided all these spoils among the soldiers.

But the Gibeonites, † who inhabited very

disarmed him that he is no more able to rebel against him?" But the opinion of this great man seems to be a little erroneous in this case. Had the Israelites, indeed, been a pack of common murderers, who, without any commission from Heaven, were carrying blood and desolation into countries where they had no right; or had the Gibeonites been ignorant that a miraculous Providence conducted these conquerors; the fraud which they here put upon them might be then deemed innocent. For there is no + It is a question among the casuists, whether the Gi- law that obliges us, under the pretence of sincerity, to beonites could, with a good conscience, pretend that they submit to such incendiaries, and merciless usurpers, as are were foreigners, and tell a lie to save their lives? And for setting fire to our cities, and putting us and our famito this Pufendorf (Droit de la Nature, lib. 4. c. 2.) thus lies to the edge of the sword. But the case of the Gibereplies, "The artifice of the Gibeonites," says he, "had onites was particular; and if in other things they went nothing blameable in it, nor does it properly deserve the contrary to the truth, in this they certainly adhered to it, name of a lie; for what crime is there in any one's mak-when they told Joshua, We are come, because of the name ing use of an innocent fiction, in order to elude the fury of the Lord thy God, for we have heard of the fame of him, of an enemy that would destroy all before them? Nor did and all he did in Egypt, and all that he did to the two kings the Israelites, indeed, properly receive any damage from of the Amorites that were beyond Jordan, &c. Josh. ix. 9, this imposture; for what does any one lose in not shedding 10. The idea which they had conceived of the God of the blood of another, when he has it in his power to take Israel should have put them upon some other expedient from him all his substance, after having so weakened and than that of lying and deceit. They should have inquir

near

gift to them, they were to have the possession of the land of Canaan bestowed upon them, they said they were very glad to hear it, and desired to be admitted into the number of their citizens. Thus did these ambassadors speak; and, shewing them the marks of their long journey, they entreated the Hebrews to make a league of friendship with them. Accordingly Joshua, believing that they were not of the nation of the Canaanites, entered into friendship with them, and Eleazar the high-priest, with the senate, sware to them, that they would esteem them their friends and associ

near to Jerusalem, when they saw what miseries had happened to the inhabitants of Jericho, and to those of Ai, and suspected that the like sore calamity would come as far as themselves, they did not think fit to ask for mercy of Joshua, for they supposed they should find little mercy from him who made war that he might entirely destroy the nation of the Canaanites. But they invited the people of Cephirah and Kiriathjearim, who were their neighbors, to join in league with them, and told them, that neither could they themselves avoid the danger they were all in, if the Israelites should prevent them, and seize upon them:ates, and would attempt nothing that should so when they had persuaded them, they resolved to endeavor to escape the forces of the Israelites. Accordingly, upon their agreement to what they proposed, they sent ambassadors to Joshua, to make a league of friendship with him, and chose such of the citizens as were best approved of, and most capable of doing what was most advantageous to the multitude. Now these ambassadors thought it dangerous to confess themselves to be Canaanites, but thought they might avoid the danger by saying that they bare no relation to the Canaanites at all, but dwelt at a very great distance from them; and they said farther, that they came a long way on account of the reputation Joshua had gained for his virtue; and, as a proof of the truth of what they said, they shewed him the habit they were in, for that their clothes were new when they came out, but were greatly worn by the length of time they had been in their journey, for indeed they took torn garments, on purpose that they might make him believe so: so they stood in the midst of the people, and said, that they were sent by the people of Gibeon, and of the circumjacent cities, which were very remote from the land where they now were, to make such a league of friendship with them, and this on such conditions as were customary among their forefathers; for, when they understood that, by the favor of God, and his

ed (as far as the obscure dispensation they were under would have permitted them) into the cause of God's seve rity against them. They should have acknowledged, that it was their grievous sins which drew down this heavy judgment upon their nation; and after they had repented thereof in sackcloth and ashes, they should have com

be unfair against them, the multitude also assenting to the oaths that were made to them: so these men having obtained what they desired by deceiving the Israelites, went home; but when Joshua led his army to the country at the bottom of the mountains of this part of Canaan, he understood that the Gibeonites. dwelt not far from Jerusalem, and that they were of the stock of the Canaanites; so he sent for their governors, and reproached them. with the cheat they had put upon him. But they alleged on their own behalf, that they had no other way to save themselves but that, and were therefore forced to have recourse to it. So he called for Eleazar the high-priest, and for the senate, who thought it right to make them public servants, that they might not break the oath they had made to them; and they ordained them to be so; and this was the method by which these men found security under the calamity that was ready to overtake them.*

But the king of Jerusalem took it to heart that the Gibeonites had gone over to Joshua; so he called upon the kings of the neighboring nations to join together to make war against them. Now when the Gibeonites saw these kings, which were four, besides the king of Jerusalem; and perceived that they had pitched their camp at a certain fountain not far from the city, and were getting ready

mitted the rest to Providence, never doubting but that he,
who had changed the very course of nature to punish the
guilty, would always find out some means or other to save
the penitent: but this they did not do, and therefore they
were culpable. Sourin. vol. 3. dissertation 4. B.
* Josh. ix. 27.

for the siege, they called upon Joshua to assist || fell upon the enemies as they were going up them; for such was their case, as to expect to the siege; and when he had discomfited to be destroyed by these Canaanites, but to them, he followed and pursued them down suppose that they should be saved by those that the descent of the bills. The place is called came for the destruction of the Canaanites, Beth-horon, where he also understood that because of the league of friendship that was God assisted him, which be declared by thunbetween them. Accordingly Joshua hastened der and thunderbolts, as also by the falling of with his whole army to assist them; and, hail * larger than usual. Moreover it hapmarching day and night, in the morning he pened that the day was lengthened,† that the

* Josh. x. 11.

This miracle is thus related in Holy Writ: Joshua said, in the sight of all Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon, and thou Moon in the valley of Ajalon: and the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves of their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hastened not to go down about a whole day and there was no day like that, before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man; for the Lord fought for Israel.' (Josh. x. 12, &c.) Now for the better understanding of these words, we must ob

serve,

of Joshua, the most learned astronomers had no notion of the improvements which our modern professors have since attained to. They never once dreamed of the earth's rotation upon its own axis; but, according to common appearance, were fully persuaded that the sun and moon had their respective courses. Upon this supposition they formed their schemes, and thought themselves able to answer every phenomenon by them. And therefore, if God had promoted Joshua to desire the prolongation of the day in a manner more agreeable to our new astronomy, or to record the miracle in terms more suitable to it, this would have been a plain contrariety to all the rules of science then in use. The people who heard him utter the words, Earth, rest upon thy axis, would have thought him dis

pened, if related in suitable expressions, would have decried it as false in fact, or passed it by with contempt and disregard, as a wild fancy or blunder of his own.

I. That nothing is more common in Scripture than to express things, not according to the strict rules of philo-tracted; and those who read his account of what had hapsophy, but according to their appearances, and the vulgar apprehension concerning them. The sun and moon, for instance, are called two great lights; (Gen. i. 16.) but, however that title may agree with the sun, it is plain that the moon is but a small body, the least that has yet been discovered in the planetary system; and that it has no light at all, but what it borrows, and reflects from the rays of the sun; and yet, because it is placed near us, it appears to us larger than other heavenly luminaries; and from that appearance the Holy Scriptures give it such an appellation.

And in like manner, because the sun seems to us to move, and the earth to be at rest, the Scriptures speak a great deal of the pillars, and basis, and foundations, of the earth, and of the sun's rejoicing, like a giant, to run its race, (Psalm xix. 5.) and of his arising, and going down, and hasting to the place where it arose, &c. (Eccles. i. 5.) Whereas it is certain, that if the sun were made to revolve round about the earth, the general law of nature would thereby be violated; the harmony and proportion of the heavenly bodies destroyed; and no small confusion and disorder brought into the frame of the universe: but, on the contrary, if the earth turned upon its own axis every day, be made to go round the sun in the space of a year, it will then perform its circulation, according to the same law which the other planets observe; and, without the least exception, there will be a most beautiful order and harmony of motions every where preserved through the whole frame of nature. As therefore the Scriptures were designed to teach us the art of holy living, and not to instruct us in the rudiments of natural knowledge, it can be deemed no diminution either to their perfection, or divine authority, that they generally speak according to the common appearance of things, and not according to their reality or philosophic truth. The plain matter of fact is, that in the early ages, both before, and long after, the days

II. In relation to the places over which the two heavenly bodies were to stand, the sun over Gibeon and the moon over the valley Ajalon, we must observe, that (even upon the supposition of the sun's motion) the Jewish general cannot be thought to speak in a proper and philosophical sense. For since the sun is almost a million of times bigger than the earth, and 95 millions of miles distant from it, to justify the strict sense of the words, a line drawn from the centre of the sun to that of the earth must exactly pass by Gibeon, which we know it cannot do, because no part of the Holy Land lies within the tropics: and therefore we must conclude that Joshua here speaks according to the outward appearance of things, which makes the sense of his words plain and intelligible.

Wherever we are, (if so be we are not hindered by objects immediately surrounding us,) we can cast our eye upon part of the surface of the earth, and at the same time take into our prospect some small extent of the firmament of heaven, which seems as it were to cover the other; and each celestial body, which we perceive in this extent above, appears to us to be directly over such and such part of the earth as we alternately turn our eyes to: and it is thus, that the sun, when Joshua spake, seemed to him, and to those that were with him, to be over Gibeon, and the moon to be over the valley of Ajalon. This valley, in all likelihood, took its name from some adjacent town; but then, as there are three Ajalons mentioned in Scripture, one in the tribe of Ephraim, (1 Chron. vi. 69.) another in Zebulun, (Judg. xii. 12.) and another in Dan, (Josh. xix. 42.) it is reasonable to think that the place here spoken of was in Dan, the most remote province in Gibeon; for we must suppose that these two places were at some considerable distance, otherwise Joshua could not

night might not come on too soon, and be an ites; and those Canaanites that dwelt in the obstruction to the zeal of the Hebrews in pur-plain country, with auxiliaries out of the land suing their enemies, insomuch that Joshua of the Philistines; pitched their camp at Betook the kings, who were hidden in a certain cave at Makkedah, and put them to death. Now that the day was lengthened at this time, and was longer than ordinary, is expressed in the books laid up in the temple.