Continuing a chronological Bible study:
(Joshua 5:1) And it came to pass when all the kings of the Amorites who were on the side of the Jordan westward and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan from before the children of Israel until we had passed over, that their heart melted; neither was there spirit in them anymore because of the children of Israel.
In the last chapter and post, the children of Israel, having crossed over the Jordan on dry land, placed twelve memorial stones commemorating the miracle their God had performed for them. When the kings of the Amorites on this west side of the Jordan (the Amorites having already been conquered on the east side) and the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea, probably the Mediterranean Sea, heard about how the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan River to allow the Israelites to safely cross over, they lost all courage and were completely dejected, concluding it was surely all over for them as they could do nothing against so powerful a God.
(2) At that time the Lord said to Joshua, "Make you sharp knives and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time."
After they had crossed over the Jordan River and were encamped at Gilgal, the Lord told Joshua to make sharp knives and circumcise the children of Israel again. The original word "tsor" that was translated as "sharp" actually means "stone," so he was to make knives of stone or flint, and I'm sure they were to be made sharp as he was to perform circumcisions a second time. It's not that the people who had been circumcised the first time would need another circumcision, but most of these people had not yet been circumcised, probably it being neglected while they were in the wilderness, so that is what is meant by a second time.
(3) And Joshua made him sharp knives and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins.
Joshua did as the Lord instructed him and made flint knives and circumcised those children of Israel who were not yet circumcised. The place was evidently afterward called the hill of the foreskins, possibly because a hill of foreskins was made there as they were heaped one upon another.
(4) And this is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: all the people who came out of Egypt, males, all the men of war, died in the wilderness on the way after they came out of Egypt. (5) Now all the people who came out were circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness on the way as they came out of Egypt had not been circumcised.
Indeed, Joshua explained why a second circumcision was necessary. All the men who came out of Egypt had been circumcised, but as they had wandered in the wilderness for forty years, those men had died and a whole new generation had been born, and those had not yet been circumcised.
(6) For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness till all the people, men of war, who came out of Egypt were consumed because they did not obey the voice of the Lord, to whom the Lord swore that He would not show them the land which the Lord swore to their fathers that He would give us, a land that flowed with milk and honey.
And the reason why the Israelites had to wander in the wilderness for forty years was because they did not have faith in the Lord and disobeyed Him when they would not go into their promised land and take what He had given them, after ten of the twelve spies came to the people with a bad and scary report of the inhabitants of the land. The Lord said that none of the people then living twenty years old and older would be allowed to enter their promised land, but they would die in the wilderness (Numbers 14:32-34). Only Joshua and Caleb, who trusted the Lord and gave good reports of their promised land, were allowed to live and see their inheritance.
(7) And their children whom He raised up in their stead, those Joshua circumcised, for they were uncircumcised because they had not circumcised them on the way.
The children of the nonbelievers whom God raised up to replace their fathers and accept the Lord's gift to them, those Joshua circumcised as they had not been circumcised while they wandered in the wilderness.
(8) And it came to pass, when they had done circumcising all the people, that they abode in their places in the camp till they were healed.
After all the circumcisions were performed, the people stayed in their camp until they were all healed.
(9) And the Lord said to Joshua, "This day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you." Wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal unto this day.
The Lord then said to Joshua that the reproach of Egypt, that is the reproach of the uncircumcised heathens, had been rolled away from the Israelites. It appears that this was the time when the place was first named Gilgal which meant wheel, as one rolling away.
(10) And the children of Israel camped in Gilgal and kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at evening in the plains of Jericho.
The Israelites camped in Gilgal in the plains of Jericho, and on the fourteenth day of the month they celebrated the Passover, according to one of the statutes of the Lord that Moses told the people they were to observe when they came into their promised land (Deuteronomy 12:1, 16:1).
(11) And they ate of the old corn of the land on the day after the Passover, unleavened cakes and parched grain on the very same day.
The day after the Passover, the people ate corn of the past year's harvest that was in the land, as well as unleavened cakes and parched grain.
(12) And the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither did the children of Israel have manna anymore, but they ate of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.
Manna, God's food from heaven, ceased on the day after the Israelites had eaten of the old harvest of the land, and they never had manna again as there was no need because they ate of the fruit of the land of Canaan.
(13) And it came to pass when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, there stood a man opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, "Are you for us or for our adversaries?"
It happened that while Joshua was standing at the border of Jericho that he looked up and saw a man with his sword drawn in his hand. Joshua went to him and because of his warlike posture, asked if he was for the Israelites or for their enemies.
(14) And He said, "No, but as Captain of the host of the Lord, I have now come." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and worshiped, and said to Him, "What does my Lord say to His servant?"
The man said no, that He was Captain of the angelic host of the Lord. The commentaries that I study have convinced me that this was the Lord Jesus Himself. He was captain of all. Joshua fell on his face and worshiped Him, which a mere angel would have forbidden him to do (Revelation 22:8-9, Matthew 4:9-10). Joshua seems to have acknowledged Him as His Lord in human form when he called himself His servant and asked what He wished him to do. Although I have to admit, that since the King James Version never capitalized the pronouns of the Lord, Joshua could have been asking an angel, a representative of the Lord, what message His Lord was sending to him. But again, since the Man did not rebuke Joshua for worshiping Him, it does appear that He was the Lord Jesus.
(15) And the Captain of the Lord's host said to Joshua, "Loosen your shoe from off your foot, for the place on which you stand is holy." And Joshua did so.
Indeed, the Captain of the Lord's host told Joshua to remove his shoes for he was standing on holy ground, another indication that he was in the presence of the Lord Jesus Himself. Joshua did as He told him. The Lord appearing before Joshua would have served as a great encouragement to him, and therefore, to the people of Israel. After all, the Lord stopping the manna may have looked as if He was withdrawing His help from His people, but by sending Jesus Himself, He showed that He Himself was leading the people to their victory, and they had nothing to fear.
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