Modern Book of Jasher - Genuine?

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The Book of Jashar is mentioned in two places in the Bible:

2 Samuel 1:18 (NASB)

and he told them to teach the sons of Judah the song of the bow; behold, it is written in the book of Jashar.

Joshua 10:12-13 (NASB)

Then Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel,

β€œO sun, stand still at Gibeon,
And O moon in the valley of Aijalon.”
So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped,
Until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies.

Is it not written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day.

It's not clear, from your question, to which specific modern version of the Book of Jasher you are referring. There are several different books by that name. However, of that list, there are only two likely candidates for the one about which you are asking:

Neither of those two books are considered by most people to legitimately be the book mentioned in the Bible.

Pseudo-Jasher

This book was first published in 1751 by Jacob Ilive. It claimed to be an English translation of a Hebrew text which was found (and translated) by Flaccus Albinus Alcuinus. It was widely criticized as being a forgery by its contemporaries. It's author, Jacob Ilive, was sentenced to three years in jail for publishing it. You would be hard pressed to find anyone serious today who considers this book to be authentic.

Sefer haYashar

This is a Hebrew midrash of unknown origin. It was supposedly first published in Naples in 1552, but the oldest extant copies are from a later reprinting in Venice in 1625. The 1625 edition claims that the text from a manuscript which was found in the ruins of Jerusalem in 70 AD, but many people believe that it was likely written at a later date. Although it has sometimes been presented as the Book of Jasher that is referenced by the Bible (most notably by Moses Samuel's English translation in 1840), rabbinical Judaism does not accept that claim and the book does not itself make that claim either. Unlike Pseudo-Jasher, however, many people do believe that Sefer haYashar at least does contain legitimate Jewish legends.

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It is important to realize that there are several places in the Bible where other works are mentioned. The mention of any given work in the Bible that is outside of the Bible does not mean that the Authors of the Bible endorse such works. Jude mentions Enoch, but this does not mean he endorses this work. Paul mentions things in his letters, but these do not mean he is giving his stamp of approval on what he is mentioning (see praying for the dead, or what the prophets of Crete say about their own people). Many works that people are drawn to are also fake. The book of Jasher comes to mind. This book was written at earliest in the 1500's. No ancient manuscript of this book exists, yet it is mentioned twice in the Old Testament. From my research, I believe there may actually be two different books of Jasher mentioned in the Bible, but that is a point for a different discussion.

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