What Is the Book of Jasher? Why It Isn’t in the Bible
Short answer
The Book of Jasher was an ancient text named twice in Scripture, at Joshua 10:13 and 2 Samuel 1:18. It was likely a collection of poems and songs about Israel’s history, now lost for centuries.
The books sold today under that title are not that ancient book. The Book of Jasher does not belong in the Bible, because it was never recognized as inspired Scripture.
Two Old Testament verses mention a book that is not part of the Bible itself. In Joshua 10:13 and 2 Samuel 1:18, readers are directed to an outside source called "the Book of Jasher." That one detail has sparked centuries of curiosity, and some confusion, because several modern books now carry the same title. This page explains what the real, ancient Book of Jasher likely was, why it was never included in the biblical canon, and how today's books that claim its name differ from the text referenced in Scripture.
What Does the Bible Say About the Book of Jasher?
The Bible names the Book of Jasher directly in two places. Joshua 10:13 records that the sun and moon stood still during Israel's battle at Gibeon, and the writer adds, "Is this not written in the Book of Jasher?" The verse treats the book as a known, existing record that readers of that era could apparently consult for themselves. The second reference appears in 2 Samuel 1:18.
David composes a lament for Saul and Jonathan, called the Song of the Bow, and the text says he ordered it taught to the people of Judah, adding, "Behold, it is written in the Book of Jasher." Both references treat the book the same way, as an existing outside source, not as Scripture itself. Neither Joshua nor Samuel quotes the Book of Jasher at length. Each simply points to it, the way a modern writer might cite an old archive without reprinting its pages.
What Kind of Book Was the Original Book of Jasher?
The original Book of Jasher was almost certainly a collection of Hebrew poems and songs describing notable events in Israel's early history. Both biblical citations point to poetic material. The words about the sun standing still in Joshua 10 read as a fragment of victory poetry, and the Song of the Bow in 2 Samuel 1 is explicitly a lament set to music.
Scholars draw this conclusion from the content of the two citations, not from any surviving copy of the book. Its name, Jasher or Yashar, means "upright" or "just one," which may describe its subject matter or simply reflect a title convention now lost to us. The Bible refers to several other lost writings in a similar way, such as the Book of the Wars of the Lord in Numbers 21:14 and the Book of the Acts of Solomon in 1 Kings 11:41.
None of these outside sources survive today, and none were treated as Scripture by the biblical writers who cited them. They functioned as historical references, the way a modern historian might cite an old court record without treating it as inspired.
Why Was the Book of Jasher Never Included in the Bible?
The Book of Jasher was never included in the Bible because it was never recognized as an inspired, prophetic writing. Being mentioned in the Bible is not the same as being inspired by God; a book can be true, useful, and historically real without being Scripture, the way a modern history book can accurately cite a court document without the document becoming part of the history book itself. Ancient Israel and the early church applied consistent standards for the canon: books needed prophetic or apostolic origin, consistency with earlier recognized revelation, and acceptance by the worshiping community over time.
The Book of Jasher never met that recognition. It was not written by a prophet delivering God's word, and no evidence shows that Israel's priests or later Jewish and Christian communities ever regarded it as Scripture. That is also likely why the book did not survive.
Communities copy, guard, and pass down what they consider Scripture with great care, while writings treated as ordinary records, however valuable, often do not survive centuries of copying, war, and decay. The loss of the Book of Jasher does not weaken the Bible's reliability; it confirms that Israel drew a clear line between Scripture and everything else, including other true and useful writings.
What Are the Modern Books Called "Book of Jasher" Today?
The books sold today under the title "Book of Jasher" are not the ancient text the Bible references. Two different works commonly circulate under this name. The best known is an English-language book first published in the 1840s, presented as a translation of an ancient Hebrew original, though modern scholarship has not verified that claim. Its content is a lengthy narrative retelling of biblical history, running from creation through the conquest of Canaan, which differs sharply from the two brief poetic citations the Bible actually points to.
A second work sometimes cited as a source behind it is a medieval Hebrew text called Sefer haYashar, composed many centuries after the biblical period, retelling Genesis through Judges with added legendary detail. Neither text has ever been accepted by any Jewish or Christian canon, ancient or modern, and neither carries the endorsement of a recognized prophet or apostle. Treating either one as missing chapters of biblical history is a mistake; it confuses a later literary work with an ancient lost record that no one alive today has ever seen.
How Should You Respond to a "Book of Jasher" Sold Online?
Treat any modern "Book of Jasher" as a historical curiosity at most, never as missing Scripture. If you see one sold online, apply a few simple tests. Watch especially for language suggesting the church hid or suppressed it.
Ask whether the book has a verified chain of custody back to the biblical period; none of the modern editions do. Ask whether any recognized body of believers, Jewish or Christian, ever received it as authoritative; none has. Ask whether its content matches what the Bible's own brief citations suggest, poetic in form and historical in subject; the popular modern editions instead read as expanded, novelized retellings.
This same test works for evaluating any claimed lost book, not just this one: check for verified origin, recognized reception, and consistency with confirmed Scripture. Curiosity about ancient history is not wrong, but building doctrine or devotional practice on an unverified modern text is a mistake. The Bible you already hold has been tested and copied for thousands of years by the communities God gave it to, and that confidence does not require a missing book to complete it.
Key Bible verses
- "So the sun stood still, and the moon stayed... Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day." — Joshua 10:13
- "Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher," introducing David's lament for Saul and Jonathan. — 2 Samuel 1:18
- "Wherefore it is said in the book of the wars of the LORD," a separate lost source cited the same way the Bible cites the Book of Jasher. — Numbers 21:14
- "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." — 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Frequently asked questions
Is the Book of Jasher mentioned in the Bible?
Yes. It is named twice, in Joshua 10:13 and 2 Samuel 1:18. Both references point to it as an existing outside record, not as part of Scripture itself.
Can I read one of the modern Book of Jasher editions?
You can read one out of historical curiosity, the way you might read any old text. Just remember it is not the ancient book the Bible references, and it carries no authority for doctrine or practice.
Is the Book of Jasher part of the Apocrypha?
No. The Apocrypha is a specific set of ancient Jewish writings that some churches include in study editions of the Bible. The modern Book of Jasher editions are separate works with a different, later history, and no major tradition includes them among the Apocrypha.
Does a lost book being mentioned in the Bible threaten its reliability?
No. Citing an outside source does not mean endorsing everything in it as inspired. The Bible's own writers distinguished between quoting a historical record and writing under God's inspiration, and the books later recognized as Scripture were tested and confirmed by the community that received them across many centuries.