“Is This Not Written In The Book Of Jashar?” (Joshua 10:13c): References To Extra-Biblical Books In The Bible

In his survey on books, Van der Woude summarizes what is known about "lost books" in Israel. Indeed, there are in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament references to books that are now lost. In Josh 10:12b-13a, for instance, there is the famous quote: "Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and Moon, in the valley of Aijalon". The text continues: "And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies". This chapter discusses with a question and a narrative recapitulation: "Is this not written in the book of Jashar? The sun stopped in mid heaven, and did not hurry to set for about a whole day". It investigates whether or not other references to books, like the book of Jashar, have also "disappeared"? The chapter review the data for the references to the lost books and focus on the different sorts of "books of the Kings.". Keywords: book of Jashar; books of the Kings; Hebrew Bible