Joshua 5:6-15

6 till they (all) were wasted, that heard not the voice of the Lord, and to which he swore before, that he should (not) show to them the land flowing with milk and honey. (Yea, for forty years, they went on the way of the very broad wilderness, until all of them had died who had not obeyed the voice of the Lord, and to whom he had sworn before, that he would not let them see the land flowing with milk and honey.)
7 The sons of them came afterward into the place of [the] fathers, and they were circumcised of Joshua; which, as they were born, were in prepuce, neither any man had circumcised them in the way. (Their sons came afterward into the place of their fathers, and they were the ones whom Joshua circumcised; for they all had foreskins, as when they were born, for no one had circumcised them on the way.)
8 And after that they all were circumcised, they dwelled in the same place of their tents, till they were healed.
9 And the Lord said to Joshua, Today I have taken away from you the shame of Egypt. And (so) the name of the place was called Gilgal , unto this present day.
10 And the sons of Israel dwelled in Gilgal, and made pask in the fourteenth day of the month at eventide, in the field places of Jericho; (And the Israelites stayed at Gilgal, and kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month in the evening, on the plains of Jericho;)
11 and they ate of the fruits of the land in the tother day, therf loaves, and pottage of the same year, either corns singed, and rubbed in the hand. (and they ate of the fruits of the land on the next day, unleavened bread, and pottage of that year, or corns singed, and then rubbed by hand.)
12 And (the) manna failed after that they ate of the fruits of the land; and the sons of Israel used no more that meat (and no longer did the Israelites receive that food), but they ate of the fruits of (the) present year of the land of Canaan.
13 And when Joshua was in the field of the city of Jericho, he raised up his eyes, and saw a man standing (over) against him, and holding a drawn sword; and Joshua went out to him, and said, Art thou with us, either (with) our adversary?
14 To whom he answered, Nay, but I am (the) prince of the host of the Lord, and now I (have) come. Joshua felled low to the earth, and worshipped, and said, What speaketh my Lord to his servant? (And Joshua fell down onto the ground, and honoured him, and said, What saith my lord to his servant?)
15 (And) He said, Unlace thy shoes from (off) thy feet, for the place, in which thou standest, is holy. And Joshua did, as it was commanded to him.

Joshua 5:6-15 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.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.