The 'Missing Day' Myth vs. Astronomical Reality: While the popular urban legend of a 'missing day' found by NASA computers is fiction, modern astronomical analysis provides a more concrete scientific correlation: the oldest recorded annular solar eclipse.
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1. The Biblical Account & Hebrew Philology:
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Joshua 10:12-13: Joshua commands the sun to "stand still" (Hebrew:
dom).
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Translation Analysis: Cambridge researchers argue the Hebrew word
dom can mean "cease shining" or "grow dark," implying an eclipse rather than a halt in rotation.
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Context: Occurred during the conquest of Canaan, historically dated between 1500-1200 BCE.
2. NASA Data & The 1207 BCE Eclipse:
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Precise Dating: Using NASA's solar eclipse records, researchers identified an annular solar eclipse on October 30, 1207 BCE.
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Visibility: In Gibeon, the sun would have appeared as a "ring of fire," drastically reducing light levels in the afternoon.
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Chronological Anchor: This astronomical fix provides a precise date for the reign of Pharaoh Merneptah, aligning Egyptian history with the Israelite conquest.