Book of Jasher

Occurrences in Scripture

The Book of Jasher is mentioned by name twice in the Old Testament.

• Joshua 10:13: When five Amorite kings attack Gibeon, Joshua leads Israel into battle. At this point Joshua says, "Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon." The text then adds, "Is not this written in the book of Jasher?"
• 2 Samuel 1:18: In introducing the song that David composed to mourn the deaths of Saul and Jonathan (the "Song of the Bow"), the text states that the song is written in the Book of Jasher. The lament itself (a poem of grief) follows in 1:19–27.

Both quotations are poetic in form. For this reason, the Book of Jasher is thought to have been a collection of songs about Israel's wars and heroes.

Name and Background

It is widely held that "Jasher" is not a personal name but a transliteration of the Hebrew word yashar. Because yashar means "straight" or "upright," the title is understood as "the Book of the Upright" (or "the Righteous"). The Vulgate translated it as "the Book of the Righteous," while the King James Version rendered it as a proper name, "Book of Jasher." The New Korean Revised Version likewise transliterates the name.

The Old Testament cites several such records that no longer survive. A notable example is "the book of the wars of the LORD" in Numbers 21:14. Such citations show that the biblical writers drew on records and songs that existed in their day.

Significance in the Context of the Whole Bible

The New Testament does not mention the Book of Jasher. The practice of quoting literature outside the Bible does, however, also occur in the New Testament; one example is the quotation of Enoch's prophecy in Jude 14–15.

Interpretation and Debate

• The question of canon: Protestant tradition generally holds that a book does not become part of the canon merely because Scripture quotes it; what matters is that the quoted portion was incorporated into the biblical text. Accordingly, some have pointed out that describing it as a "lost book of the Bible" is inaccurate.
• The sun standing still: Some read the account in Joshua 10 as a miracle that literally occurred, while others read it as poetic language. The fact that the quotation comes from a collection of poetry figures in this discussion, which is also connected to debates over biblical inerrancy.
• Later works titled "Book of Jasher": A Hebrew narrative work printed in the seventeenth century and a forgery produced in eighteenth-century England both bear the same name. Scholars do not regard either as the ancient original cited in Scripture. Translations bearing this title still circulate today, but they should be distinguished from the Book of Jasher referred to in the biblical text.

In the Korean Church

The "Sun, stand thou still" account in Joshua 10 is a frequent subject of sermons in Korean churches, and the Book of Jasher is typically explained in the course of expounding the passage.