Question:
How could the record of the sun’s standing still be written in the book of Jasher before it occurred (Joshua 10:13)? Who wrote the book of Jasher, and where can I obtain it?
Answer:
Joshua was not written until several years after the events occurred in Joshua chapter 10. In the meantime, the song in the poetic book of Jasher may have been written, from which Joshua quotes. The word “Jasher” means “The Upright,” and the book seems to have been one in which Israel recorded the deeds of her heroes in song. There are references to it also in 2 Sam. 1:18. That book, as well as others referred to in the Bible, is not known to exist, although spurious copies are available.
There is no agreement as to the book among many of the learned Jewish rabbis. Some hold that it was lost in the captivity. Four existing works claim to be the book of Jasher, appearing in 1394, 1544, 1625, and 1751 respectively. Of the last, Smith’s Dictionary remarks: “A clumsy forgery in English, which first appeared in 1751, under the title of the ‘Book of Jasher,’ deserves notice solely for the unmerited success with which it was palmed off upon the public.” That is the copy most people claim to have read or possessed.
