Don’t believe the hype and false teachings from articles, websites, books or videos about a so-called Book of Jasher. Any book claiming to be “The Book of Jasher” mentioned in Joshua 10:13 and 2 Samuel 1:18 is a fraud.
Check The Hebrew Text - Jasher is an adjective - Not a proper name
There is no book mentioned in the Bible with the proper name "Book of Jasher." Jasher (yashar) in Hebrew is an adjective, which means “The Book of Jasher” is not a proper name. Jasher (an adjective) only describes a book as a straight book, an upright book, or the book of the upright but the book is never given a proper name (title) in the Bible. Therefore, when someone claims they have a copy of a book named “The Book of Jasher," that should be the first clue they have a fraud.
Sefer haYashar
Several books have come along claiming to be the Book of Jasher, and as previously stated, they have all been found to be a fraud. However, the most popular and readily accepted of the book of Jasher frauds to-date, is a 16th-century work of Jewish fiction called “Sefer haYashar.” Many have been and continue to be duped into believing it’s the so-called book of Jasher mentioned in the Bible. Yet, nothing can be further from the truth, which you will see for yourself as we look at the internal evidence (the errors, biblical contradictions, and mythology in the book).
The Internal Evidence Debunks The Sefer haYashar's (Book of Jasher) Legitimacy
Weird Half Human - Half Animal Creatures in the book.
Sefer haYashar (Book of Jasher) Chapter 36:31-32 - Top half bear and bottom half human creature.
"31 And afterward about one hundred and twenty great and terrible animals came out from the wilderness at the other side of the sea, and they all came to the place where the asses were, and they placed themselves there. 32. And those animals, from their middle downward, were in the shape of the children of men, and from their middle upward, some had the likeness of bears, and some the likeness of the keephas, with tails behind them from between their shoulders reaching down to the earth, like the tails of the ducheephath, and these animals came and mounted and rode upon these [donkeys], and led them away, and they went away unto this day."
Sefer haYashar (Book of Jasher) Chapter 61:15 - Top half human and bottom half animal creature.
"And Zepho went and he saw and behold there was a large cave at the bottom of the mountain, and there was a great stone there at the entrance of the cave, and Zepho split the stone and he came into the cave and he looked and behold, a large animal was devouring the ox; from the middle upward it resembled a man, and from the middle downward it resembled an animal, and Zepho rose up against the animal and slew it with his swords."
Book of Jasher Debunked: God did not create mythical creatures described in the Sefer haYashar (Book of Jasher). This alone should prove the book is nothing more than a work of Jewish fiction (mythology).
Sefer haYashar (Book of Jasher) Chapter 36:31-32 - Top half bear and bottom half human creature.
"31 And afterward about one hundred and twenty great and terrible animals came out from the wilderness at the other side of the sea, and they all came to the place where the asses were, and they placed themselves there. 32. And those animals, from their middle downward, were in the shape of the children of men, and from their middle upward, some had the likeness of bears, and some the likeness of the keephas, with tails behind them from between their shoulders reaching down to the earth, like the tails of the ducheephath, and these animals came and mounted and rode upon these [donkeys], and led them away, and they went away unto this day."
Sefer haYashar (Book of Jasher) Chapter 61:15 - Top half human and bottom half animal creature.
"And Zepho went and he saw and behold there was a large cave at the bottom of the mountain, and there was a great stone there at the entrance of the cave, and Zepho split the stone and he came into the cave and he looked and behold, a large animal was devouring the ox; from the middle upward it resembled a man, and from the middle downward it resembled an animal, and Zepho rose up against the animal and slew it with his swords."
Book of Jasher Debunked: God did not create mythical creatures described in the Sefer haYashar (Book of Jasher). This alone should prove the book is nothing more than a work of Jewish fiction (mythology).
The False Book of Jasher Claims Sarai Was Abrahams Niece
Sefer haYashar (Book of Jasher) Chapter 16:23
"And Sarai, the daughter of Haran, Abram's wife, was still barren in those days; she did not bear to Abram either son or daughter." - Note: Haran was Abraham's brother.
Boof of Jasher Debunked: The Bible says Sarai was Abram's (Abraham) half-sister not his niece. So this so-called Book of Jasher contradicts the Bible. "And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife." Genesis 20:12 KJV
Sefer haYashar (Book of Jasher) Chapter 16:23
"And Sarai, the daughter of Haran, Abram's wife, was still barren in those days; she did not bear to Abram either son or daughter." - Note: Haran was Abraham's brother.
Boof of Jasher Debunked: The Bible says Sarai was Abram's (Abraham) half-sister not his niece. So this so-called Book of Jasher contradicts the Bible. "And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife." Genesis 20:12 KJV
This so-called Book of Jasher's Version of The Plagues of Egypt is Unlike the Bibles
Sefer haYashar (Book of Jasher) Chapter 80
1. Plague of Water Into Blood - Verse 3. "And the Lord sent by the hand of Aaron and turned all the waters of Egypt into blood, with all their streams and rivers. 4. And when an Egyptian came to drink and draw water, he looked into his pitcher, and behold all the water was turned into blood; and when he came to drink from his cup the water in the cup became blood. 5. And when a woman kneaded her dough and cooked her victuals, their appearance was turned to that of blood."
2. Plague of Frogs Even From Sweat - Verse 6. "And the Lord sent again and caused all their waters to bring forth frogs, and all the frogs came into the houses of the Egyptians. 7. And when the Egyptians drank, their bellies were filled with frogs and they danced in their bellies as they dance when in the river. 8. And all their drinking water and cooking water turned to frogs, also when they lay in their beds their perspiration bred frogs."
3. Plague of Lice 3 Feet Deep - Verse 10. "And he sent and smote their dust to lice, and the lice became in Egypt to the height of two cubits upon the earth."
4. Plague of Beasts - Verse 13. "And the Lord sent all kinds of beasts of the field into Egypt, and they came and destroyed all Egypt, man and beast, and trees, and all things that were in Egypt."
5. Plague of Reptiles, Bugs, and Mice - Verse 14. "And the Lord sent fiery serpents, scorpions, mice, weasels, toads, together with others creeping in dust. 15. Flies, hornets, fleas, bugs and gnats, each swarm according to its kind. 16. And all reptiles and winged animals according to their kind came to Egypt and grieved the Egyptians exceedingly. 17. And the fleas and flies came into the eyes and ears of the Egyptians. 18. And the hornet came upon them and drove them away, and they removed from it into their inner rooms, and it pursued them."
6. Long Arm Sea Creature That Unlocked Egyptian Doors - Verse 19. "And when the Egyptians hid themselves on account of the swarm of animals, they locked their doors after them, and God ordered the Sulanuth which was in the sea, to come up and go into Egypt. 20. And she had long arms, ten cubits in length of the cubit of a man. 21. And she went upon the roofs and uncovered the raftering and flooring and cut them, and stretched forth her arm into the house and removed the lock and the bolt, and opened the houses of Egypt. 22. Afterward came the swarm of animals into the houses of Egypt, and the swarm of animals destroyed the Egyptians, and it grieved them exceedingly."
7. Plague of Pestilence - Verse 23. "Notwithstanding this the anger of the Lord did not turn away from the Egyptians, and his hand was yet stretched forth against them. 24. And God sent the pestilence, and the pestilence pervaded Egypt, in the horses and asses, and in the camels, in herds of oxen and sheep and in man. 25. And when the Egyptians rose up early in the morning to take their cattle to pasture they found all their cattle dead. 26. And there remained of the cattle of the Egyptians only one in ten, and of the cattle belonging to Israel in Goshen not one died."
8. Plague of Inflamation and Boils - Verse 27. "And God sent a burning inflammation in the flesh of the Egyptians, which burst their skins, and it became a severe itch in all the Egyptians from the soles of their feet to the crowns of their heads. 28. And many boils were in their flesh, that their flesh wasted away until they became rotten and putrid."
9. Plague of Fire and Hail - Verse 30. "And the Lord sent a very heavy hail, which smote their vines and broke their fruit trees and dried them up that they fell upon them. 31. Also every green herb became dry and perished, for a mingling fire descended amidst the hail, therefore the hail and the fire consumed all things. 32. Also men and beasts that were found abroad perished of the flames of fire and of the hail, and all the young lions were exhausted."
10. Plague of Locust - Verse 33. "And the Lord sent and brought numerous locusts into Egypt, the Chasel, Salom, Chargol, and Chagole, locusts each of its kind, which devoured all that the hail had left remaining. 34. Then the Egyptians rejoiced at the locusts, although they consumed the produce of the field, and they caught them in abundance and salted them for food. 35. And the Lord turned a mighty wind of the sea which took away all the locusts, even those that were salted, and thrust them into the Red Sea; not one locust remained within the boundaries of Egypt."
11. Plague of Darkness - Verse 36. "And God sent darkness upon Egypt, that the whole land of Egypt and Pathros became dark for three days, so that a man could not see his hand when he lifted it to his mouth."
12. Plague Against The First Born - Verse 41. "And the days of darkness passed away, and the Lord sent Moses and Aaron to the children of Israel, saying, Celebrate your feast and make your Passover, for behold I come in the midst of the night amongst all the Egyptians, and I will smite all their first born, from the first born of a man to the first born of a beast, and when I see your Passover, I will pass over you."
13. Isralites Brought Coffins With Them - Verse 63. "The children of Israel also brought up, each man his father's coffin with him, and each man the coffins of his tribe."
Book of Jasher Debunked: Human sweat breeding frogs? Lice 3-feet deep? The Sefer haYashar (Book of Jasher) is exaggerating the impact of the plagues. The Bible never mentions a mythical sea creature called the Sulanuth with 15-foot arms coming on the land of Egypt to tear off roofs and unlock doors so animals can enter the homes of the Egyptians. The fraudulent Book of Jasher adds to the plagues, and blends mythology to the Exodus narrative.
Sefer haYashar (Book of Jasher) Chapter 80
1. Plague of Water Into Blood - Verse 3. "And the Lord sent by the hand of Aaron and turned all the waters of Egypt into blood, with all their streams and rivers. 4. And when an Egyptian came to drink and draw water, he looked into his pitcher, and behold all the water was turned into blood; and when he came to drink from his cup the water in the cup became blood. 5. And when a woman kneaded her dough and cooked her victuals, their appearance was turned to that of blood."
2. Plague of Frogs Even From Sweat - Verse 6. "And the Lord sent again and caused all their waters to bring forth frogs, and all the frogs came into the houses of the Egyptians. 7. And when the Egyptians drank, their bellies were filled with frogs and they danced in their bellies as they dance when in the river. 8. And all their drinking water and cooking water turned to frogs, also when they lay in their beds their perspiration bred frogs."
3. Plague of Lice 3 Feet Deep - Verse 10. "And he sent and smote their dust to lice, and the lice became in Egypt to the height of two cubits upon the earth."
4. Plague of Beasts - Verse 13. "And the Lord sent all kinds of beasts of the field into Egypt, and they came and destroyed all Egypt, man and beast, and trees, and all things that were in Egypt."
5. Plague of Reptiles, Bugs, and Mice - Verse 14. "And the Lord sent fiery serpents, scorpions, mice, weasels, toads, together with others creeping in dust. 15. Flies, hornets, fleas, bugs and gnats, each swarm according to its kind. 16. And all reptiles and winged animals according to their kind came to Egypt and grieved the Egyptians exceedingly. 17. And the fleas and flies came into the eyes and ears of the Egyptians. 18. And the hornet came upon them and drove them away, and they removed from it into their inner rooms, and it pursued them."
6. Long Arm Sea Creature That Unlocked Egyptian Doors - Verse 19. "And when the Egyptians hid themselves on account of the swarm of animals, they locked their doors after them, and God ordered the Sulanuth which was in the sea, to come up and go into Egypt. 20. And she had long arms, ten cubits in length of the cubit of a man. 21. And she went upon the roofs and uncovered the raftering and flooring and cut them, and stretched forth her arm into the house and removed the lock and the bolt, and opened the houses of Egypt. 22. Afterward came the swarm of animals into the houses of Egypt, and the swarm of animals destroyed the Egyptians, and it grieved them exceedingly."
7. Plague of Pestilence - Verse 23. "Notwithstanding this the anger of the Lord did not turn away from the Egyptians, and his hand was yet stretched forth against them. 24. And God sent the pestilence, and the pestilence pervaded Egypt, in the horses and asses, and in the camels, in herds of oxen and sheep and in man. 25. And when the Egyptians rose up early in the morning to take their cattle to pasture they found all their cattle dead. 26. And there remained of the cattle of the Egyptians only one in ten, and of the cattle belonging to Israel in Goshen not one died."
8. Plague of Inflamation and Boils - Verse 27. "And God sent a burning inflammation in the flesh of the Egyptians, which burst their skins, and it became a severe itch in all the Egyptians from the soles of their feet to the crowns of their heads. 28. And many boils were in their flesh, that their flesh wasted away until they became rotten and putrid."
9. Plague of Fire and Hail - Verse 30. "And the Lord sent a very heavy hail, which smote their vines and broke their fruit trees and dried them up that they fell upon them. 31. Also every green herb became dry and perished, for a mingling fire descended amidst the hail, therefore the hail and the fire consumed all things. 32. Also men and beasts that were found abroad perished of the flames of fire and of the hail, and all the young lions were exhausted."
10. Plague of Locust - Verse 33. "And the Lord sent and brought numerous locusts into Egypt, the Chasel, Salom, Chargol, and Chagole, locusts each of its kind, which devoured all that the hail had left remaining. 34. Then the Egyptians rejoiced at the locusts, although they consumed the produce of the field, and they caught them in abundance and salted them for food. 35. And the Lord turned a mighty wind of the sea which took away all the locusts, even those that were salted, and thrust them into the Red Sea; not one locust remained within the boundaries of Egypt."
11. Plague of Darkness - Verse 36. "And God sent darkness upon Egypt, that the whole land of Egypt and Pathros became dark for three days, so that a man could not see his hand when he lifted it to his mouth."
12. Plague Against The First Born - Verse 41. "And the days of darkness passed away, and the Lord sent Moses and Aaron to the children of Israel, saying, Celebrate your feast and make your Passover, for behold I come in the midst of the night amongst all the Egyptians, and I will smite all their first born, from the first born of a man to the first born of a beast, and when I see your Passover, I will pass over you."
13. Isralites Brought Coffins With Them - Verse 63. "The children of Israel also brought up, each man his father's coffin with him, and each man the coffins of his tribe."
Book of Jasher Debunked: Human sweat breeding frogs? Lice 3-feet deep? The Sefer haYashar (Book of Jasher) is exaggerating the impact of the plagues. The Bible never mentions a mythical sea creature called the Sulanuth with 15-foot arms coming on the land of Egypt to tear off roofs and unlock doors so animals can enter the homes of the Egyptians. The fraudulent Book of Jasher adds to the plagues, and blends mythology to the Exodus narrative.
This Book Claims God Divided The Sea in 12 For The Exodus
Sefer haYashar (Book of Jasher) Chapter 81:37-38
"37. And Moses did so, and he lifted up his rod upon the sea and divided it. 38. And the waters of the sea were divided into twelve parts, and the children of Israel passed through on foot, with shoes, as a man would pass through a prepared road."
Book of Jasher Debunked: The Bible says the sea was only divided into two, not 12, so the fake Book of Jasher contradicts the Bible.
"And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. Exodus 14:21-22 KJV
"to him who divided the Red Sea in two, for his steadfast love endures forever" Psalm 136:13 ESV
Sefer haYashar (Book of Jasher) Chapter 81:37-38
"37. And Moses did so, and he lifted up his rod upon the sea and divided it. 38. And the waters of the sea were divided into twelve parts, and the children of Israel passed through on foot, with shoes, as a man would pass through a prepared road."
Book of Jasher Debunked: The Bible says the sea was only divided into two, not 12, so the fake Book of Jasher contradicts the Bible.
"And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. Exodus 14:21-22 KJV
"to him who divided the Red Sea in two, for his steadfast love endures forever" Psalm 136:13 ESV
Conclusion
The Sefer haYahar is not the Book of Jasher. There is no such thing as a book named the Book of Jasher in the Bible because Jasher (Yahar) is an adjective and not a proper name. In addition, the Sefer haYashar speaks of mythical creatures and contradicts the Bible multiple times proving this text is a work of Jewish fiction from the 16th century and should not be considered inspired text nor should it be considered an ancient text from the B.C. era. It's a fraud!
What we listed above is only a small sample of the errors and weird accounts found in the Sefer haYashar, but there is much more we could list. Don't take this text serious or even consider it for historical purposes, because it's far from an accurate account of history. The Sefer haYashar is a joke and should be fully rejected.
What we listed above is only a small sample of the errors and weird accounts found in the Sefer haYashar, but there is much more we could list. Don't take this text serious or even consider it for historical purposes, because it's far from an accurate account of history. The Sefer haYashar is a joke and should be fully rejected.
Resources
Scripture quotations marked ESV® are from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Parting of the red sea image used by permission of freebibleimages.org
Scripture quotations marked ESV® are from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Parting of the red sea image used by permission of freebibleimages.org
