Book Of Jashar

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

Jashar, Book Of ( sçpher ha-yâshâr , ‘Book of the Righteous One’). An ancient book of national songs, which most likely contained both religious and secular songs describing great events in the history of the nation. In the OT there are two quotations from this book ( a )   Joshua 10:12-13; the original form must have been a poetical description of the battle of Gibeon, in which would have been included the old-world account of Jahweh casting down great stones from heaven upon Israel’s enemies. ( b )   2 Samuel 1:19-27; in this case the quotation is a much longer one, consisting of David’s lamentation over Saul and Jonathan. In each case the Book of Jashar is referred to as well known; one might expect, therefore, that other quotations from it would be found in the OT, and perhaps this is actually the case with, e.g. , the Song of Deborah (  Judges 5:1-31 ) and some other ancient pieces, which originally may have had a reference to their source in the title ( e.g.   1 Kings 8:12 f.).

W. O. E. Oesterley.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

jā´shar , jash´ar ( היּשׁר ספר , ṣēpher ha - yāshār  ; the King James Version Book of Jasher , margin "the book of the upright"): The title of an ancient Hebrew national song-book (literally, "book of the righteous one") from which two quotations are made in the Old Testament: (1)   Joshua 10:12-14 , the command of Joshua to the sun and moon, "Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon.... Is not this written in the book of Jashar?" (see Beth-Horon; Septuagint in this place omits the reference to Jashar); and (2)  2 Samuel 1:8 , "the song of the bow," or lament of David over Saul and Jonathan. (3) Some conjecture a third extract in  1 Kings 8:12 , "Then spake Solomon, Yahweh hath said that he would dwell in the thick darkness." The words of Yahweh are quoted by Septuagint in  1 Kings 8:53 as "written in the book of the song" ( en biblı́ō tḗs ōdḗs ), and it is pointed out that the words "the song" (in Hebrew השּׁיר , ha - shı̄r ) might easily be a corruption of היּשׁר , ha - yāshār ̌ . A similar confusion ("song" for "righteous") may explain the fact that the Peshitta Syriac of Joshua has for a title "the book of praises or hymns." The book evidently was a well-known one, and may have been a gradual collection of religious and national songs. It is conjectured that it may have included the Song of Deborah (Jdg 5), and older pieces now found in the Pentateuch (e.g.  Genesis 4:23 ,  Genesis 4:14;  Genesis 9:25-27;  Genesis 27:27-29 ); this, however, is uncertain. On the curious theories and speculations of the rabbis and others about the book (that it was the Book of the Law, of Genesis, etc.), with the fantastic reconstructive theory of Dr. Donaldson in his Jashar , see the full article in HDB .