Joshua 5: Circumcision and Passover at Gilgal, and the commander of Yahweh's army

In plain English: All the kings of the Amorites west of the Jordan and all the kings of the Canaanites by the sea heard how Yahweh had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the Israelites until we (or: they) had crossed over. Their hearts melted, and they had no more courage (literally: spirit) because of the Israelites.

Good to know: The Hebrew letters here spell "we had crossed", and this Bible follows them. The Hebrew word cards on this page give "they had crossed" instead. With "we", the writer speaks as one of those who crossed. With "they", it is the Israelites who crossed. The text does not say more.

In plain English: At that time Yahweh said to Joshua, "Make knives of flint and circumcise the men of Israel again, a second time."

In plain English: So Joshua made knives of flint and circumcised the men of Israel at the hill of the foreskins (Hebrew: Gibeath Haaraloth).

The Hebrew words: The place name is Gibeath Haaraloth. The dictionary gives gibah as "a hillock" and orlah as "the prepuce": the hill of the foreskins.

Good to know: Circumcision was first given to Abraham in Genesis 17:10 and 17:11, as "a token of the covenant". The text explains in verses 4 to 7 why this generation had not been circumcised.

In plain English: This is why Joshua circumcised them: all the males who came out of Egypt, all the men of war, had died in the wilderness on the way, after they came out of Egypt.

In plain English: All the people who came out had been circumcised, but none of the people born in the wilderness on the way out of Egypt had been circumcised.

In plain English: For the Israelites walked forty years in the wilderness, until the whole nation, the men of war who came out of Egypt, had died (literally: were finished), because they did not listen to Yahweh's voice. Yahweh had sworn to them that he would not let them see the land he had sworn to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.

In plain English: Their sons, whom he raised up in their place, were the ones Joshua circumcised. They were uncircumcised, because no one had circumcised them on the way.

In plain English: When the whole nation had been circumcised, they stayed where they were in the camp until they were healed.

In plain English: Yahweh said to Joshua, "Today I have rolled away the reproach (or: disgrace) of Egypt from you." So that place has been called Gilgal to this day.

The Hebrew word: "Rolled away" is galal, which the dictionary gives as "to roll". The name Gilgal sounds like it, and the text gives this as the reason for the name. The dictionary gives Gilgal only as a place name.

Good to know: The text does not say what "the reproach of Egypt" is. The dictionary gives the word as "disgrace". Readers explain it in different ways: the shame of slavery in Egypt, the scorn of the Egyptians, or the shame of being uncircumcised.

In plain English: The Israelites camped at Gilgal. They kept the Passover on the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, on the plains of Jericho.

In plain English: On the day after the Passover, that very day, they ate food grown in the land: bread made without yeast (this Bible: unleavened cakes) and roasted (this Bible: parched) grain.

In plain English: The manna stopped the day after they ate food grown in the land. The Israelites had no more manna, but that year they ate the produce of the land of Canaan.

Good to know: Exodus 16:35 says that Israel "ate the manna until they came to the borders of the land of Canaan". Here the text says when it stopped.

In plain English: When Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with his sword drawn in his hand. Joshua went to him and said, "Are you for us, or for our enemies?"

In plain English: He said, "No. I have come now as commander of Yahweh's army." Joshua fell face down on the ground and bowed down (or: worshiped), and said to him, "What does my lord have to say to his servant?"

The Hebrew word: "Worshiped" is shachah, which the dictionary gives as "to depress, i.e. prostrate", "in homage to royalty or God": to bow down low. The same word is used for bowing to a king and for worshiping God.

In plain English: The commander of Yahweh's army said to Joshua, "Take your sandals off your feet, because the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so.

Good to know: The text calls him a man, and he names himself "commander of Yahweh's army". Joshua bows down and calls him "my lord". He is told to take off his sandals because the ground is holy, as Moses was told at the burning bush in Exodus 3:5. The text does not say who he is, and readers differ: some take him to be an angel, some take him to be Yahweh himself appearing as a man. The next words spoken, in 6:2, are Yahweh's to Joshua.