Joshua 5:2-15

Circumcision and Passover at Gilgal

2 At that time the LORD said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again.”

3 So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth.^[a]

4 Now this is why he did so: All those who came out of Egypt—all the men of military age—died in the wilderness on the way after leaving Egypt.

5 All the people that came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness during the journey from Egypt had not.

6 The Israelites had moved about in the wilderness forty years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the LORD. For the LORD had sworn to them that they would not see the land he had solemnly promised their ancestors to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.

7 So he raised up their sons in their place, and these were the ones Joshua circumcised. They were still uncircumcised because they had not been circumcised on the way.

8 And after the whole nation had been circumcised, they remained where they were in camp until they were healed.

9 Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So the place has been called Gilgal^[b] to this day.

10 On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover.

11 The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain.

12 The manna stopped the day after^[c] they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate the produce of Canaan.

The Fall of Jericho

13 Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”

14 “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord^[d] have for his servant?”

15 The commander of the LORD’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

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Joshua 5:2-15 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JOSHUA 5

The Canaanites being dispirited on the passage of the children of Israel through Jordan, Jos 5:1; Joshua is ordered to circumcise such of the people of Israel that were uncircumcised, Jos 5:2-9; in order to their eating of the passover, which was now to be kept, Jos 5:10; and they being now provided with corn sufficient, the manna ceased, Jos 5:11,12; and there appeared to Joshua a divine Person, in an human form, to encourage and direct him what to do in the conquest of the land, and particularly Jericho, Jos 5:13-15.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 21

1. S Exodus 4:25
2. S Ge 17:10,12,14
3. S Numbers 1:3
4. Deuteronomy 2:14
5. Numbers 32:13; Joshua 14:10; Psalms 107:4
6. S Exodus 16:35; Deuteronomy 2:7
7. Nu 14:23,29-35; Deuteronomy 2:14
8. S Exodus 3:8
9. Genesis 34:25
10. S Deuteronomy 11:30
11. S Exodus 12:6
12. S Exodus 12:11
13. S Numbers 15:19
14. Exodus 12:15
15. S Leviticus 23:14
16. Exodus 16:35
17. S Genesis 18:2; Genesis 32:24
18. Numbers 22:23
19. S Genesis 17:3
20. S Genesis 19:1
21. S Genesis 28:17; Exodus 3:5; Acts 7:33

Footnotes 4

[a]. "Gibeath Haaraloth" means "the hill of foreskins."
[b]. "Gilgal" sounds like the Hebrew for "roll."
[c]. Or "the day"
[d]. Or "lord"