Why the Bible Mentions the Book of Jasher — And Why It Isn’t in Your Bible

The Bible refers to a mysterious work called the Book of Jasher—or the Book of Jashar—in Joshua 10:13 and 2 Samuel 1:18. Yet you will not find it in the table of contents of most Bibles. Was an inspired book removed from Scripture? Was the original manuscript lost? And are any of the modern books sold as “The Book of Jasher” actually the ancient work quoted by the Bible? In this episode of Scripture Backstory, we examine what Joshua and Second Samuel say, what the Hebrew title Sefer ha-Yashar means, what the lost work may have contained, and why quoting a source does not automatically make the entire source part of the biblical canon. We also distinguish between the ancient Book of Jashar, the later Jewish Sefer ha-Yashar translated into English in the nineteenth century, and the eighteenth-century Pseudo-Jasher associated with Jacob Ilive. Biblical passages discussed: Joshua 10:12–14 2 Samuel 1:17–27 Numbers 21:14 1 Chronicles 29:29 Acts 17:28 Titus 1:12