Circumcision of the Israelites
1 When all the Amorite kings across the Jordan to the west and all the Canaanite kings near the sea r heard how the LORD had dried up the water of the Jordan before the Israelites until they had crossed over, s they lost heart and their courage failed because of the Israelites.
2 At that time the LORD said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelite men again.” t 3 So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelite men at Gibeath-haaraloth. 4 This is the reason Joshua circumcised them: All the people who came out of Egypt who were males—all the men of war—had died in the wilderness along the way after they had come out of Egypt. 5 Though all the people who came out were circumcised, none of the people born in the wilderness along the way were circumcised after they had come out of Egypt. 6 For the Israelites wandered in the wilderness forty years until all the nation’s men of war who came out of Egypt had died off because they did not obey the LORD. u So the LORD vowed never to let them see the land he had sworn to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. v 7 He raised up their sons in their place; it was these Joshua circumcised. They were still uncircumcised, since they had not been circumcised along the way. 8 After the entire nation had been circumcised, they stayed where they were in the camp until they recovered. w 9 The LORD then said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the disgrace of Egypt from you.” Therefore, that place is still called Gilgal today. x
Food from the Land
10 While the Israelites camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, they observed the Passover on the evening of the fourteenth day of the month. y 11 The day after Passover they ate unleavened bread and roasted grain from the produce of the land. z 12 And the day after they ate from the produce of the land, the manna ceased. a Since there was no more manna for the Israelites, they ate from the crops of the land of Canaan that year.
Commander of the LORD’S Army
13 When Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. b Joshua approached him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies? ”
14 “Neither,” he replied. “I have now come as commander of the LORD’S army.” c
Then Joshua bowed with his face to the ground in worship d and asked him, “What does my lord want to say to his servant? ”
15 The commander of the LORD’S army said to Joshua, “Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” e And Joshua did that.
5:1. Indeed, immediately following this disclosure, it is reported that kings in both the hill country (Amorite) and the coastal plains (Canaanite) west of the Jordan react with great fear when they hear about Israel’s miraculous crossing.
5:2–3. Despite the fact that the Israelites are now camping right by Jericho, further spiritual preparation is necessary before they will be ready to battle the indigenous population and take possession of the land. Such preparation is reported in 5:2–15.
5:4–7. The circumstances that necessitate the command to circumcise are as follows. When the Israelites first left Egypt, all the men were circumcised. But no circumcision had taken place during the forty years when Israel was wandering in the wilderness. Now that the generation that was of fighting age when Israel left Egypt has died under the Lord’s discipline for unbelief, the generation born during the wilderness years has remained uncircumcised.
5:8–9. But the people obey by faith, and when they do, the Lord declares that their past disgrace of having been slaves in Egypt will be “rolled away” (5:9). This is presumably because their demonstration of faith and covenant faithfulness now guarantees that they will no longer be slaves, as they are poised to take possession of their own land. The fact that they camp at Gilgal while they are healing from circumcision further drives home the Lord’s declaration, for the name Gilgal puns with the Hebrew verb meaning “roll away” (galal).
5:10. The next event in their spiritual preparation is the celebration of the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month, in accordance with the law (Ex 12:6; Lv 23:5; Nm 9:2–3; 28:16). Note that this celebration is possible only because Joshua has circumcised all Israelite males four days previously, for the law stipulates that only those who are circumcised are eligible to celebrate the Passover (Ex 12:43–49).
5:11–12. While the text provides no further detail about this celebration, it is disclosed that on the day after the celebration, the Israelites have their first taste of the produce from the land (5:11). This is followed by an end to the provision of manna (5:12), thus signaling the beginning of a new era in which, instead of the Lord having to provide for Israel’s daily needs, the people will henceforth be sustained through the produce of the land they will soon possess.
5:13–15. If the above were all intended to raise Israel’s confidence ahead of their impending battles to take possession of the land, then the final confidence booster comes when the Israelites begin moving toward Jericho for their first military encounter with the indigenous population. As Joshua looks up, he sees a man standing before him with a drawn sword in his hand. Wanting to ascertain whether he is friend or foe, Joshua asks if he is for or against them (5:13). But the answer he gets is neither. The man identifies himself as the commander of the Lord’s army (5:14a), implying that his role is not so much to help but to assume command in the Lord’s battle. Joshua is thus being reminded that the battle is ultimately not Israel’s battle, with the Lord providing help, but the Lord’s battle, with Israel needing to submit to his command.