Joshua 10 14

Joshua 10:14 kjv

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.

Joshua 10:14 nkjv

And there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the LORD heeded the voice of a man; for the LORD fought for Israel.

Joshua 10:14 niv

There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the LORD listened to a human being. Surely the LORD was fighting for Israel!

Joshua 10:14 esv

There has been no day like it before or since, when the LORD heeded the voice of a man, for the LORD fought for Israel.

Joshua 10:14 nlt

There has never been a day like this one before or since, when the LORD answered such a prayer. Surely the LORD fought for Israel that day!

Joshua 10 verses

Joshua 10 14 Meaning

Joshua 10:14 declares that the day described was without parallel, unique among all days, because the LORD God personally responded to the specific request of a human being, Joshua, and actively intervened in battle to fight for Israel. It highlights an unprecedented divine accommodation to human prayer and a powerful demonstration of God's direct involvement in His people's conflicts.

Joshua 10 14 Context

Joshua 10:14 occurs during the critical conquest of Canaan, specifically during the southern campaign. Following Gibeon's treaty with Israel, five Amorite kings formed a coalition to attack Gibeon for their defection. The Gibeonites called upon Joshua for aid. In response, Joshua led a swift, arduous overnight march to rescue them. During the battle, the LORD supernaturally intervened by sending large hailstones from heaven, which killed more of the enemy than the Israelites' swords. As the enemy fled, Joshua, seeing that the day was drawing to a close and more time was needed to complete the rout, made an unprecedented plea for the sun and moon to stand still. Verse 14 affirms the historical reality and unparalleled nature of God's immediate and direct response to Joshua's request, demonstrating divine sovereignty over creation and His active commitment to securing victory for His people. This event established Yahweh's supremacy over all pagan deities, including the sun and moon gods worshipped by the Canaanites.

Joshua 10 14 Word analysis

• And there was no day like that:
  • Signifies uniqueness and an unprecedented event. This miracle was not a mere exaggeration but a factual anomaly in time and space.
  • Emphasizes the singular nature of God's direct intervention.
• before it or after it:
  • Reinforces the unparalleled nature of this specific day throughout history, stretching from creation onward.
  • Indicates that this was a once-in-a-history occurrence of such explicit divine accommodation.
• that the LORD hearkened (שָׁמַע - shama) unto the voice (קוֹל - qol) of a man (אִישׁ - ish):
  • LORD (יְהוָה - Yahweh): The covenant name of God, highlighting His personal, active involvement and faithfulness to His people, Israel. It underscores that it was not merely a natural phenomenon but a deliberate act of the living God.
  • hearkened (shama): This Hebrew term signifies not just to hear, but to listen attentively, understand, obey, and respond with action. It implies God’s complete and positive reception of Joshua’s prayer, resulting in divine execution. It demonstrates God's willingness to be petitioned and influenced by human prayer within His divine plan.
  • voice (qol): Refers to Joshua’s audible, direct command and petition. It highlights the spoken nature of the prayer, powerful enough to elicit such a grand response from the Creator.
  • man (ish): Refers to Joshua as a human being. The phrasing emphasizes the extraordinary condescension of the transcendent God to respond so profoundly to the request of a mortal. It underscores God's personal relationship with His chosen servants.
  • Group: "the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man": This phrase is central, portraying the profound mystery of divine sovereignty engaging with human prayer. It illustrates that prayer is not merely human supplication but can be a means through which God orchestrates His divine purposes on earth. This moment showcases God’s responsiveness and His intimate involvement in the affairs of His people.
• for the LORD fought (לָחַם - lakham) for Israel:
  • fought (lakham): Denotes active military engagement, directly connecting the extraordinary event (sun and moon standing still) to God's role as the divine Warrior on behalf of His people. This confirms the earlier shower of hailstones as part of this divine battle strategy.
  • for Israel: Clearly states the recipient and beneficiary of God's intervention. God's mighty acts are ultimately for the deliverance, establishment, and vindication of His chosen nation.
  • Group: "for the LORD fought for Israel": This clause provides the reason and theological interpretation of the preceding marvel. It emphasizes that the true power behind the victory was not Israel’s military might, but Yahweh’s direct and overwhelming intervention. This served as an unmistakable sign to Israel and their enemies of God's unique power and His unwavering commitment to His covenant with Abraham and His descendants. It reinforces the theological principle that spiritual battles are ultimately won by God's might.

Joshua 10 14 Bonus section

• The event recorded in Joshua 10:12-14 has profound theological implications for understanding God's interaction with the physical world and His covenant people. It is a powerful example of divine immanence – God acting directly and supernaturally within history.
• Many scholars interpret this event as a direct counter-statement to the sun and moon worship prevalent in Canaanite religion, effectively dethroning their perceived deities and asserting Yahweh's ultimate authority.
• While miraculous, this event also points to God’s strategic intervention to ensure His divine plan of establishing Israel in the promised land, thereby fulfilling the promises made to Abraham.
• The uniqueness stated in the verse implies a deliberate and non-replicable demonstration of God's power, setting it apart even from other great biblical miracles.

Joshua 10 14 Commentary

Joshua 10:14 stands as an ultimate testament to the efficacy of audacious prayer and the boundless power of the Living God. It solidifies the previous verse's astounding narrative, ensuring that this moment is understood as genuinely unique in history—not merely a grand event, but the singular instance where the Creator explicitly halted celestial bodies at the verbal command of a man. This unprecedented divine "hearkening" (shama) highlights God’s profound intimacy with His chosen leaders, demonstrating that He is attentive and responsive to His faithful servants who align their will with His purposes. The verse ultimately credits God alone for the decisive victory, reiterating that the triumph was not due to human strength or strategy but because "the LORD fought for Israel." It also served as a profound theological polemic against Canaanite nature deities, revealing Yahweh's absolute sovereignty over all creation, including the sun and moon worshipped as gods by the defeated nations.