Book of Jasher (biblical book)
The Book of Jasher (also spelled Jashar;
The translation "Book of the Just Man" is the traditional Greek and Latin translation, while the transliterated form "Jasher" is found in the Apocrypha section of the
Biblical references
The book is mentioned twice in the Hebrew Bible. A possible third reference exists with a variant spelling.
In Joshua
According to the Book of Joshua, while Joshua was winning a battle against Adonizedek (king of Jerusalem) and his allies, Joshua prayed for the sun and moon to stand still.[1] Joshua 10:13 then states:
And the Sun stood still, and the Moon stayed,
until the people had avenged themselves on their enemies.
Is this not written in Sefer HaYashar?
The presence of this event in a book of poetry has been interpreted as a poetic description of the prolonged battle.[2]
According to the
In Samuel
According to the
, he began as follows:To teach the sons of Judah [the use of] the bow. Behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.
The
The Septuagint translation renders sefer hayashar in both cases as the 'book of the just'. It also misses the reference to the bow. It reads:
καὶ εἶπεν τοῦ διδάξαι τοὺς υἱοὺς Ιουδα ἰδοὺ γέγραπται ἐπὶ βιβλίου τοῦ εὐθοῦς[6]
And he gave orders to teach it to the sons of Judah: behold, it is written in the book of the just.— 2 Samuel 1:18, Septuagint
In Kings
A possible third reference appears in 1 Kings 8. In the Septuagint (though not in the Hebrew text or in most translations), verse 8:53 says that the preceding prayer of Solomon is written "in the book of song" (ἐν βιβλίῳ τῆς ᾠδῆς). The Hebrew version of "book of song" could be ספר השיר (sefer ha-shir), which is the same as "Sefer HaYashar" with two letters transposed. According to Alexander Rofeh, this suggests that the name of "Sefer HaYashar" could be related to its function as a book of song, and the second word of "Sefer HaYashar" might have originally been שיר (shir, "song") or ישיר (yashir, "he will sing").[7]
See also
- Book of Jasher (Pseudo-Jasher) – an 18th-century literary forgery which purports to be an English translation of the lost Book of Jasher
- Non-canonical books referenced in the Bible
- Sefer haYashar (midrash) – a Hebrew midrash, also known as The Book of Jasher, named after the lost Book of Jasher
- Yehimilk inscription - uses the same or cognate word: YŠR, upright
References
- ^ Joshua 10:12
- ^ Harry Whittaker. Bible Studies. Cannock: Biblia. pp. 72–73. 'The sun stood still.'
- ^ Genesis 48:19
- ^ "Yehoshua - Joshua - Chapter 10". The Complete Jewish Bible with Rashi Commentary. The Judaica Press.
- ^ The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV): Containing the Old and New Testaments. Wheaton: Crossway. 2007.
ESV 2 Samuel 1:17-18 text reads: "And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and Jonathan his son, and he said it should be taught to the people of Judah; behold, it is written in the Book of Jashar. He said: …."
ESV 2 Samuel 1:18 footnote 1, at "he said it," reads: "Septuagint; Hebrew the Bow, which may be the name of the lament's tune." - ^ Blue Letter Bible, LXX 2 Sam. 1:18, accessed 14 January 2014.
- ^ Rofeh, Alexander. "Yehoshua bin Nun beToldot Hamesoret Hamikrait: 8".