Joshua Chapter 5

At a Glance

  • Joshua 5 sits at a quiet, yet pivotal, threshold moment: the people have crossed into the land, and now their identity must be realigned through covenant faithfulness.
  • The moment rests in Gilgal, where the reproach of Egypt is rolled away, and the people observe Passover anew.
  • Historical & Literary Context.
  • Placed early in the conquest narrative, Joshua 5 anchors the people’s identity in covenant faithfulness before further military campaigns.
  • - Renewal and purification: Circumcision signifies a cleansed identity ready for covenant life.

CHAPTER REFERENCE

Joshua 5

Chapter Overview

Joshua 5 sits at a quiet, yet pivotal, threshold moment: the people have crossed into the land, and now their identity must be realigned through covenant faithfulness. The narrative moves from victory and transition to renewal and purification. First, the westward kings hear of Israel’s exploits, signaling a shift in fear and morale among the nations (5:1). Then God commands a profound act: sharp knives for circumcision—the second time for Israel—because a generation born in the wilderness had not been circumcised. The generals and the people who came out of Egypt, except the first generation who died in the wilderness, were now to be clean and consecrated to the Lord, a return to Abrahamic obedience and a restoration of covenant status.

The moment rests in Gilgal, where the reproach of Egypt is rolled away, and the people observe Passover anew. The chapter highlights both physical renewal (circumcision) and ritual memory (Passover), binding the present generation to the promises and formative experiences of the past. The sustenance afterward—eating the old grain of the land—signifies a shift from wilderness provisioning to settled, land-based living under God’s care. This chapter thus marks a transition from a warrior-trajectory in the wilderness to a settled, covenantal community prepared to inherit and inhabit the land.

Historical & Literary Context

Placed early in the conquest narrative, Joshua 5 anchors the people’s identity in covenant faithfulness before further military campaigns. Genre-wise, it is historical narrative with ceremonial and theological emphasis, illustrating how obedience and ritual purity shape the people’s readiness for divine assignment. Gilgal becomes a symbolic center of renewal, echoing earlier sanctuaries and foreshadowing later memory sites. The chapter links the story of entry into Canaan with the ongoing process of transformation necessary for inheriting the land.

Key Themes

- Renewal and purification: Circumcision signifies a cleansed identity ready for covenant life.

- Covenant continuity: The generation that wandered is replaced by a faithful generation prepared to receive the land.

- Reinterpretation of memory: Gilgal becomes a memory-site for liberation from Egypt and a fresh start in the land.

- Divine provision and timing: Passover timing, food from the land, and the cessation of manna signal a new phase.

- Identity and belonging: A people defined by obedience to God’s covenant.

Modern Application

Joshua 5 invites readers to consider the gaps in spiritual heritage—moments when faithfulness must be renewed across generations. Contemporary life often overlooks renewal rites or spiritual checkups; this chapter shows the importance of intentional cleansing and recommitment to covenant life. Practical applications include:

- Periodic community renewal ceremonies—affirmations of identity in Christ or in faith traditions—where members are reminded of the core promises and commitments.

- Rituals of remembrance that reconnect younger generations with their spiritual ancestry and the lessons learned in earlier seasons.

- A disciplined rhythm of Sabbath, feast, and gratitude to acknowledge dependence on God’s provision as one transitions from “wandering” to “landedness.”

- Genesis 17 (circumcision as sign of the covenant)

- Exodus 12 (Passover as memory and identity)

- Joshua 6 (Jericho and the role of sanctified people in conquest)

- Deuteronomy 10 (the renewal of the covenant and the Covenant Law)

- Moses (for covenantal ritual and identity formation)

- Jesus (for themes of renewal, new covenant, and identity in community)

Chapter Text

1

And 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.

2

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

3

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

4

And 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.

5

Now 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.

6

For 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.

7

And 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.

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 whole.

9

And 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.

10

And 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.

11

And 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.

12

And 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.

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 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?

14

And 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?

15

And 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.

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