The Histories · Old Testament

Joshua 5

Circumcision, Passover and the commander near Jericho

General context

News of the Jordan crossing leaves the kings west of the river afraid. The Lord commands circumcision, and Joshua carries it out for the males born in the wilderness who had not received it. They remain in camp until healed. At Gilgal the Lord declares that Egypt's reproach has been rolled away. Israel observes Passover on the fourteenth evening of the month, eats the land's produce the next day, and then sees the manna cease. Near Jericho, Joshua encounters a man with a drawn sword and asks which side he supports. The figure answers that he has come as commander of the Lord's host. Joshua bows in worship and asks for instruction; he is told to remove his shoe because the ground is holy, and he obeys.

Cited passages: Joshua 5:1, Joshua 5:2, Joshua 5:3, Joshua 5:4, Joshua 5:5, Joshua 5:6, Joshua 5:7, Joshua 5:8, Joshua 5:9, Joshua 5:10, Joshua 5:11, Joshua 5:12, Joshua 5:13, Joshua 5:14, Joshua 5:15

Joshua 5 (KJV)

¹And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, which were on the side of Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, which were by the sea, heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel, until we were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel.

²At that time the Lord said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time.

³And Joshua made him sharp knives, and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins.

⁴And this is the cause why Joshua did circumcise: All the people that came out of Egypt, that were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way, after they came out of Egypt.

⁵Now all the people that came out were circumcised: but all the people that were born in the wilderness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, them they had not circumcised.

⁶For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people that were men of war, which came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they obeyed not the voice of the Lord: unto whom the Lord sware that he would not shew them the land, which the Lord sware unto their fathers that he would give us, a land that floweth with milk and honey.

⁷And their children, whom he raised up in their stead, them Joshua circumcised: for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them by the way.

⁸And it came to pass, when they had done circumcising all the people, that they abode in their places in the camp, till they were whole.

⁹And the Lord said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal unto this day.

¹⁰And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho.

¹¹And they did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the passover, unleavened cakes, and parched corn in the selfsame day.

¹²And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.

¹³And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?

¹⁴And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?

¹⁵And the captain of the Lord’s host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.

This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.

Historical context

The chapter explains the second circumcision through generations: those who left Egypt were circumcised, while those born on the journey were not. It does not describe performing the operation twice on the same men. The KJV's sharp knives are flint knives in the ASV and stone knives in the BBE. The explanation for Gilgal links its name with rolling away reproach. KJV calls the food old corn, while ASV and BBE say produce of the land; the text does not identify who grew or stored it. The encounter names the figure's role as commander, but gives him no personal name and does not explicitly identify him as a later named angel or as Jesus.

Cited passages: Joshua 5:2, Joshua 5:3, Joshua 5:4, Joshua 5:5, Joshua 5:6, Joshua 5:7, Joshua 5:8, Joshua 5:9, Joshua 5:11, Joshua 5:12, Joshua 5:13, Joshua 5:14, Joshua 5:15

Literary context

Before the attack on Jericho, the narrative pauses for bodily recovery, remembrance of deliverance and a change in the source of daily food. The final encounter redirects Joshua's question about sides toward the visitor's authority as commander of the Lord's host. Joshua moves from asking whom the figure supports to asking what his lord says to his servant. The removal of his shoe closes the chapter with obedience on holy ground.

Cited passages: Joshua 5:8, Joshua 5:9, Joshua 5:10, Joshua 5:11, Joshua 5:12, Joshua 5:13, Joshua 5:14, Joshua 5:15

Key moments

The uncircumcised generation (Joshua 5:7). Joshua circumcises the children raised in place of the wilderness generation.
Passover at Gilgal (Joshua 5:10). Israel keeps Passover in the plains of Jericho on the fourteenth evening.
Manna ceases (Joshua 5:12). The narrative marks the transition to eating the produce of Canaan.
Holy ground (Joshua 5:15). The commander tells Joshua to remove his shoe, and Joshua obeys.

For reflection

Joshua's question changes after he hears who the visitor says he is. When has listening carefully required you to revise the question you first brought to a situation?