Joshua 5

The Circumcision and Passover at Gilgal

¹Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast heard how Yahweh had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the Israelites until they had crossed over, their hearts melted and their spirits failed for fear of the Israelites.

• JOSH 5:1[FULFILLS]The nations of Canaan would hear and melt in fear ← EX 15:14-16

²At that time Yahweh said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the sons of Israel once again.” ³So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the sons of Israel at Gibeath-haaraloth.

• JOSH 5:2[NOTE]A whole army healing from circumcision right next to the enemy. It only makes sense if God was going to fight for them. Genesis 34:25 shows how risky it was.

⁴Now this is why Joshua circumcised them: All those who came out of Egypt—all the men of war—had died on the journey in the wilderness after they had left Egypt. ⁵Though all who had come out were circumcised, none of those born in the wilderness on the journey from Egypt had been circumcised.

⁶For the Israelites had wandered in the wilderness forty years, until all the nation’s men of war who had come out of Egypt had died, since they did not obey Yahweh. So Yahweh vowed never to let them see the land He had sworn to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. ⁷And He raised up their sons in their place, and these were the ones Joshua circumcised. Until this time they were still uncircumcised, since they had not been circumcised along the way.

⁸And after all the nation had been circumcised, they stayed there in the camp until they were healed.

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

¹⁰On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while the Israelites were camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, they kept the Passover. ¹¹The day after the Passover, on that very day, they ate unleavened bread and roasted grain from the produce of the land.

¹²And the day after they had eaten from the produce of the land, the manna ceased. There was no more manna for the Israelites, so that year they began to eat the crops of the land of Canaan.

• JOSH 5:12[NOTE]Forty years of manna ended the day after they ate food from the land. God provides in different ways, but He provides.

The Commander of Yahweh’s Army

¹³Now 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 approached Him and asked, “Are You for us or for our enemies?”

• JOSH 5:13[MIRACLE]Commander of Yahweh's army appears to Joshua
• JOSH 5:13[NOTE]WHO IS THIS? He accepts Joshua's worship, and the ground is holy, like the burning bush in Exodus 3:5. Many believe He is Jesus before His birth, so His words are red; others say a high angel. See the Big Question pages Who Was the Commander?

¹⁴“Neither,” He replied. “I have now come as Commander of Yahweh’s army.”

Then Joshua fell facedown in reverence and asked Him, “What does my Lord have to say to His servant?”

• JOSH 5:14[FORESHADOW]The Captain of the Lord's host → HEB 2:10MEDIUM

¹⁵The Commander of Yahweh’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.”

And Joshua did so.