(KJV) Joshua 51

<< Joshua 4 Joshua 6 >>

⥃The Circumcision and Passover at Gilgal

[1] And it came to pass, when all the kings2 of the Amorites, which [were] on the side of Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites3, which [were] by4 the sea, heard5 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 was6 there spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel.

[2] [¶]At that time the Lord said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives7, and circumcise8 again the children of Israel the second time. [3] And Joshua9 made him sharp knives, and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins10. [4] And this [is] the cause why Joshua did circumcise: All the11 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 not12 circumcised. [6] For the children of Israel walked13 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 that14 he would not shew them the land, which the Lord sware unto their fathers that he would give us, a land15 that floweth with milk and honey. [7] And their children16, [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 they17 had done circumcising all the people, that they abode in their places in the camp, till they were whole18. [9] And the Lord said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away19 the reproach of Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal20 unto this day.

[10] And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the passover21 on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho. [11] And they did eat of the old corn22 of the land on the morrow after the passover, unleavened cakes23, and parched [corn] in the selfsame day.

[12] [¶]And the manna24 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 eat25 of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.

⥃The Commander of the LORD’s Army

[13] And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted26 up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man27 over against him with his sword28 drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, [Art] thou for us29, or for our adversaries? [14] And he said, Nay; but [as] captain30 of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his31 face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith32 my lord33 unto his servant? [15] And the captain of the Lord’s host said unto Joshua, Loose34 thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest [is] holy. And Joshua35 did so.

<< Joshua 4 Joshua 6 >>

  1. Josh 5:1, The Canaanites are afraid; Josh 5:2, Joshua renews circumcision; Josh 5:10, The passover is kept at Gilgal Josh 5:12, They eat the corn of the land and the manna ceases; Josh 5:13, An angel appears to Joshua. ↩

  2. Josh 12:9-24, Josh 24:15; Gen 10:15-19, Gen 15:18-21, Gen 48:22; Judg 11:23; 2Sam 21:2; Ezek 16:3; Amos 2:9 ↩

  3. Josh 17:12, Josh 17:18; Gen 12:6; Exod 23:28; Judg 1:1, Judg 4:2; Ezra 9:1; Ps 135:11 ↩

  4. Num 13:29; Judg 3:3; Zeph 2:4-6 ↩

  5. Josh 2:9-11; Exod 15:14-15; Ps 48:4-6; Rev 18:10 ↩

  6. 1Sam 25:37; 1Kgs 10:5; Isa 13:6-8; Ezek 21:7; Dan 5:6 ↩

  7. or, knives of flints, Before the use of iron was common, all the nations of the earth had their edge tools made of stones, flints, etc. Our ancestors had their arrows and spearheads made of flint; which are frequently turned up by the plough. And even when iron became more common, stone knives seem to have been preferred for making incisions in the human body. The Egyptians used such to open the bodies for embalming; and the tribe of Alnajab in Ethiopia, who follow the Mosaic institution, perform the rite of circumcision, according to Ludolf, cultris lapidibus, with knives made of stone. ↩

  8. Gen 17:10-14; Deut 10:16, Deut 30:6; Rom 2:29, Rom 4:11; Col 2:11 ↩

  9. Gen 17:23-27; Matt 16:24 ↩

  10. or, Gibeah haaraloth ↩

  11. Num 14:22, Num 26:64-65; Deut 2:16; 1Cor 10:5; Heb 3:17-19 ↩

  12. Deut 12:8-9; Hos 6:6-7; Matt 12:7; Rom 2:26; 1Cor 7:19; Gal 5:6, Gal 6:15 ↩

  13. Num 14:32-34; Deut 1:3, Deut 2:7, Deut 2:14, Deut 8:4; Ps 95:10-11; Jer 2:2 ↩

  14. Num 14:23; Heb 3:11 ↩

  15. Exod 3:8, Exod 3:17; Ezek 20:6, Ezek 20:15; Joel 3:18 ↩

  16. Num 14:31; Deut 1:39 ↩

  17. etc. Heb. when the people had made an end to be circumcised ↩

  18. Gen 34:25 ↩

  19. Josh 24:14; Gen 34:14; Lev 24:14; 1Sam 14:6, 1Sam 17:26, 1Sam 17:36; Ps 119:39; Jer 9:25; Ezek 20:7-8, Ezek 23:3, Ezek 23:8; Eph 2:11-12 ↩

  20. That is, rolling. Josh 4:19 ↩

  21. Ezek 12:3, Ezek 12:6, Ezek 12:7-16; Num 9:1-5 ↩

  22. The people would find abundance of old corn in the deserted granaries of the affrighted inhabitants, and the barley harvest being ripe, after offering the sheaf of first-fruits, they ate also new parched corn; and thus the manna being no longer necessary, ceased, after having been sent them regularly for almost forty years. To Christians the manna for their souls shall never fail, till they arrive at the Canaan above, to feast on its rich and inexhaustible provisions. ↩

  23. Exod 12:18-20, Exod 13:6-7; Lev 23:6, Lev 23:14 ↩

  24. Exod 16:35; Neh 9:20-21; Rev 7:16-17 ↩

  25. Deut 6:10-11; Prov 13:22; Isa 65:13-14; John 4:38 ↩

  26. Gen 33:1, Gen 33:5; Dan 8:3, Dan 10:5 ↩

  27. Josh 6:2; Gen 18:2, Gen 32:24-30; Exod 23:23; Judg 13:8-9, Judg 13:11, Judg 13:22; Dan 10:5; Hos 12:3-5; Zech 1:8; Acts 1:10; Rev 1:13 ↩

  28. Num 22:23; 1Chr 21:16-17, 1Chr 21:27, 1Chr 21:30 ↩

  29. 1Chr 12:17-18 ↩

  30. or, Prince, Exod 23:20-22; Isa 55:4; Dan 10:13, Dan 10:21, Dan 12:1; Heb 2:10; Rev 12:7; Rev 19:11-14 ↩

  31. Gen 17:3, Gen 17:17; Lev 9:24; Num 16:22, Num 16:45; Matt 8:2; Luke 5:12; Acts 10:25-26; Rev 19:10, Rev 22:8-9 ↩

  32. 1Sam 3:9-10; Isa 6:8; Acts 9:6 ↩

  33. Exod 4:10, Exod 4:13; Ps 110:1; Matt 22:44; Luke 1:43, Luke 20:42; John 20:28; Phil 3:8 ↩

  34. Exod 3:5; Acts 7:32-33; 2Pet 1:18 ↩

  35. Many persons have been puzzled to know what was intended by this extraordinary appearance of the angel to Joshua, because they supposed that the whole business ends with the chapter; whereas it is continued in the succeeding one, the first verse of which is a mere parenthesis, simply relating to the state of Jericho at the time when Joshua was favoured with this encouraging vision; by which he was shewn that their help came from God alone, and that it was not by human might or power, but by the Lord of hosts they were to obtain the victory. ↩