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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 any more because of the children of Israel.

— their heart melted; they lost all their strength, neither was there spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel; they lost all their courage, and never recovered it any more.

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

— again the second time; this does not mean that those who had before been circumcised should be circumcised again, but literally, “return to circumcise,” that the rite of circumcising, which had been disused in the wilderness, should again be practised.

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

— to be circumcised, namely, such of those as any that were still uncircumcised.

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

— this is the cause why Joshua did circumcise; the omission to circumcise the children born in the wilderness might have been owing to the incessant movements of the people; or their neglect; and they all died in the wilderness.

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

— the people born in the wilderness, they were not circumcised; what caused this omission is not mentioned, nor is it easy to determine whether it arose from negligence, or their frequent movements while they were in the wilderness.

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

— all the six hundred thousand fighting men that came out of Egypt, except Joshua and Caleb, because they obeyed not the voice of the Lord; but murmured against him, and against his servants, were consumed.

⁷ And their children, whom He raised up in their stead, them Joshua circumcised; for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them on the way.

— their children, these Joshua circumcised; this God now required to be done as the forthcoming passover is just a few days away.

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.

— till they were whole; free from that pain and soreness which circumcision caused, and be able to attend the passover.

⁹ And the Lord said unto Joshua, “This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you.” Therefore the name of the place is called Gilgal [that is, Rolling] unto this day.

— “the reproach of Egypt” Genesis 34:14, 1 Samuel 14:6, 17:26 because their neighbours, being the children of Abraham by concubines, were circumcised, and these birthright holder, the Israelites, were not. The same today, the children of Ismael, the Arabs, are circumcised, whereas the Anglo-Saxons and others, are not; and thus again a reproach.

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

— “and kept the Passover on the fourteenth day” means they killed the lamb on the even of the fourteenth and eat the sacrifice that night on the fifteenth.

For more, see Passover Controversies

¹¹ And they ate of the new produce of the land on the morrow after the Passover, unleavened cakes and parched corn on the selfsame day. — not old corn, but “they ate of the new produce of the land,” would be an accurate translation;

— on the morrow after the passover; these words indicate in Numbers 33:3 the 15th Nisan, and the morrow is meant to be the 16th. The eating of the new produce of the land is closely tied with the observance of Passover; for only afer offering the omer from the ‘wave sheaf’ would they be allowed to eat anything of the new harvest.

For more, see Wave Sheaf & Pentecost

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 ate of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.

— notice the connection between the Passover and circumcision: the law in Exodus 12:48 says, “no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof;” and the connection between the Passover and the eating of the new corn or produce. They are all closely related.

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 unto him and said unto him, “Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?”

— there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand; this should be compared with the vision which Moses saw at Horeb (Exodus 3), when an angel appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush.

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

— his purpose is to take part in this conflict, not as an ally or an adversary, but as commander-in-chief. It is not Israel’s trouble, in which they are to ask for Divine assistance. It is the Lord’s own war, and Israel and Joshua are but a division in his host.

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.

— it seems safe to conclude that this captain of the host of the Lord is the Son of God (יְהוָה֙ in Joshua 6:2); here God the Son fights for his own right and that of the Father, and Israel is but a fragment of his army.

Joshua 6

¹ Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in.

— for fear of the children of Israel, the inhabitants shut it up within; the Targum says

“Jericho was locked up and fortified before the children of Israel; none went out and none came in.”

² And the Lord said unto Joshua, “See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof and the mighty men of valor.

— the Lord (יְהוָה֙ in Joshua 6:2); this same Person called in the preceding chapter, the “Captain of the Lord’s host,” that is, the Son of God, or God the Son.

³ And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days.

— six days was to encompass the walls of Jericho, passing round in silence, save for the long-drawn blasts of the horns. But on the seventh day, the city was to be encompassed seven times, and at the seventh the people were to shout, and it was promised that the city should “fall down flat;”

— thus shall thou do six days; one after another; that is, go round it, once every day; this order was given, according to some Jewish sources (Seder Olam Rabba; the primary Tannaitic rabbinic chronology attributed to Rabbi Jose ben Halafta; 2nd century CE), the twenty second of Nisan, after the feast of unleavened bread was over.

English Translation (Rabbi Jose ben Halafta)

“And the people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the [first] month” (Joshua 4:19). And they took for themselves twelve stones from outside and placed them under the stand of the priests’ feet; and they took for themselves another twelve stones from the Jordan and set them up in Gilgal at the eastern border of Jericho.

As soon as they came up from the Jordan, they went to Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal in Samaria, which is beside Shechem, near the oaks of Moreh, as it is said: “Are they not beyond the Jordan, behind the way where the sun goes down…” (Deuteronomy 11:30). The Israelites recited the blessings and curses and ordered them in sequence, just as He commanded them, saying: “Take for yourselves from here out of the midst of the Jordan…”

And those twelve stones that they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal (Joshua 4). They plastered them with plaster and wrote upon them the entire Torah in seventy languages, as it is said: “And you shall write upon them all the words of this Torah…” “clearly explained” (Deuteronomy 27:8). And they sacrificed peace offerings and ate there, as it is said: “And you shall sacrifice peace offerings and eat there…” (Deuteronomy 27:7).

At that very hour, Israel became obligated in Challah [the dough offering], Orlah [the prohibition of fruit during the first three years], and Chadash [the prohibition of new grain before the Omer].

“At that time the Lord said to Joshua…” (Joshua 5:2)—on the eleventh of Nisan. “So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath-ha-Araloth” (Joshua 5:3). On the fourteenth of Nisan, Israel slaughtered their Passover offerings, as it is said: “And the Israelites encamped in Gilgal and made the Passover offering…” (Joshua 5:10). On the sixteenth of Nisan, the Israelites offered the Omer, as it is said: “And they ate of the produce of the land…” (Joshua 5:11)—after the Passover.

On the twenty-second of Nisan: “And you shall encircle the city…” and “it was on the seventh day…” (Joshua 6). Rabbi Jose says: The battle of Jericho took place on the Sabbath day.

The battles of Ai and Gibeon occurred within three months. On the third of Tammuz, he said in the sight of [all] Israel: “Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon! And the sun stood still…” (Joshua 10). Rabbi Jose says: It was the day of the solstice (tekufah). Thus we learn that the 1st of Nisan of that year was the spring equinox.

Caleb said to Joshua: “I was forty years old when Moses sent me…” “And now, behold, I am eighty-five years old today” (Joshua 14:7–10). Thus we learn that they spent seven years conquering [the land]. And how do we know that they spent seven years dividing [the land]? Before they began to count for Tithes, Sabbatical years (Shemittah), and Jubilees (Yovel).

For Israel spent eight hundred and fifty years in the land from the time they entered it until they left it—which equals seventeen complete Jubilees. And so it says: “In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year…” (Ezekiel 40:1). When was this said to him? At the beginning of a Jubilee. But if there were seventeen complete Jubilees, how are there 14 extra years? Say from now: those fourteen years that Israel spent in Gilgal were seven years of conquest and seven years of division, and afterwards “the whole congregation of Israel assembled at Shiloh…” (Joshua 18:1).

At that hour, they began to count Tithes, Sabbatical years, and Jubilees. Then Joshua called the Reubenites, the Gadites, etc., and said to them… and when Joshua sent them to their tents, he blessed them (Joshua 22). Upon their return, they built a great altar to look upon.

Joshua observed with them the first Sabbatical year; he did not live to complete the second before he died. The Sanctuary at Shiloh was constructed with stone walls below and curtain draperies above, and Israel served in it for three hundred and sixty-nine years, until it was destroyed. Seder Olam Rabba, c. 11

Chronology of Nisan (Joshua 5–6)

• 11 Nisan: Mass circumcision of Israelite males born during the 40 years in the desert.
• 14 Nisan: Slaughtering the Passover offering at Gilgal.
• 16 Nisan: Offering the Omer barley crop, ending the Manna period and permitting the Chadash harvest.
• 22–28 Nisan: The 7-day march around Jericho. Rabbi Jose highlights that the final day of encirclement—the day Jericho fell—was the Sabbath.

Start of Shemittah: Counting for Sabbatical and Jubilee years only began in Year 15, once the Mishkan was erected at Shiloh and each tribe received its designated territory.

⁴ And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns; and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.

— they were to march round the town seven times, and only the seven priests to blow the trumpets; the ark of God also, the seat of gis special presence, was carried round the city by the seven priests.

⁵ And it shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.”

— the processions round Jericho were to be made on seven days, and seven times on the seventh day, no other warlike preparations were to be made; but the Lord honoured the ark as the symbol of his presence and showed that all the victories were from him.

⁶ And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said unto them, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord.”

— the ark was to form the centre of the procession, and one portion of the fighting men was to go in front, and the rest to follow after; that the priests were to blow the trumpets every time they marched round during the seven days.

⁷ And he said unto the people, “Pass on, and compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the Lord.”

⁸ And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken unto the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns passed on before the Lord and blew with the trumpets; and the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed them.

— the order of marching, namely, that the ark, with the priests and no mention of any Levites at the centre, and one portion of the fighting men in front, the rest after; that the priests were to blow the trumpets every time they marched round during the seven days.

⁹ And the armed men went before the priests who blew with the trumpets, and the rearward came after the ark, the priests going on and blowing with the trumpets.

— the armed men; of Reuben and Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh; that is, as many of them as Joshua took with him over Jordan; along with all the other armed men in the camp, especially those from the standards of Judah and Ephraim.

¹⁰ And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, “Ye shall not shout nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth until the day I bid you shout. Then shall ye shout.”

— the procession was made in deep and solemn silence, that they were to refrain from all acclamation and noise of any kind until he should give them a signal.

¹¹ So the ark of the Lord compassed the city, going about it once; and they came into the camp and lodged in the camp.

— going about it once; on that day, and no more; keeping at such a distance, as to be out of the reach of stones or arrows cast from the walls of the city.

¹² And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord.

— the second day’s procession seems to have taken place in the morning; so active and diligent was he to do the will and work of God, exactly and punctually.

¹³ And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord went on continually and blew with the trumpets; and the armed men went before them, but the rearward came after the ark of the Lord, the priests going on and blowing with the trumpets.

— the rearguard came after the ark of the Lord, identified as those from the tribe of Dan, because they marched last and gathered up whatever was left from others.

¹⁴ And the second day they compassed the city once and returned into the camp. So they did six days.

— so they did six days: five more after the first, and proceeded in the same order and manner as the first.

¹⁵ And it came to pass on the seventh day that they rose early, about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city in the same manner seven times. Only on that day they compassed the city seven times.

— and compassed the city after the same manner seven times; after the same manner as they had done the six preceding days.

¹⁶ And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, “Shout! For the Lord hath given you the city.

— Joshua said unto the people, shout; both those that were armed, and those that were not; they were to make one grand and general shout at once, as when victory is obtained, or is sure, and so it follows.

¹⁷ And the city shall be accursed, even it and all who are therein, to the Lord. Only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.

— accursed, all the inhabitants of the towns were slain; even all their cattle and property won’t be the booty of the victors;

— only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house; the Targum calls her, Rahab the innkeeper. That is Rahab started her life as a harlot but ended as a innkeeper.

¹⁸ And ye, in all ways keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse and trouble it.

— a reminder that even all their cattle were to be slain and their property won’t be the booty of the victors, especially being done secretly;

— any violation of these stringent orders would not only render the guilty persons obnoxious to the curse, but entail distress and adversity upon all Israel, by provoking the divine displeasure.

¹⁹ But all the silver and gold and vessels of brass and iron are consecrated unto the Lord. They shall come into the treasury of the Lord.”

— each of these previous metals were set apart for the Lord, and dedicated to sacred uses, and might not be converted to any other, unless what were from their idols, which were to be burnt with fire, Deuteronomy 7:25.

²⁰ So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets. And it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him; and they took the city.

— and the wall fell down flat; all the wall of the city of Jericho, as the Lord said it should. The falling of the walls of Jericho may be considered as a foreshadowing of the fall of Babylon. Everything was ordered in such a way as to mark the judgement of God.

²¹ And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox and sheep and ass, with the edge of the sword.

— every living thing, both men and women, young and old; ox, sheep and ass, were put to death; Rahab and her household the exception. Many have said that Jericho was a sacrifice to God, but such thinking is misguided, as Jericho was filled with numerous sins. God doesn’t accept sin on the altar.

²² But Joshua had said unto the two men who had spied out the country, “Go into the harlot’s house, and bring out from thence the woman and all that she hath, as ye swore unto her.”

— the harlot’s house, together with the wall upon which it leaned, was left standing, by a special favour of God.

²³ And the young men who were spies went in and brought Rahab and her father and her mother and her brethren, and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred and left them outside the camp of Israel.

— the persons belonging to her household, were brought out and secured outside the camp of Israel; this was only for a time; as later, they desired, and eventually obtained, became proselytes, and be admitted to the covenant of the chosen people of God.

²⁴ And they burned the city with fire and all that was therein. Only the silver and the gold and the vessels of brass and of iron they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord.

— and they burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein, as Babylon the great, of which this city was a foreshadow.

²⁵ And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father’s household and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

— there are many roads to God, and sometimes it matters little which road we take, so long as we get to the end goal.

²⁶ And Joshua adjured them at that time, saying, “Cursed be the man before the Lord who riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho. He shall lay the foundation thereof in his firstborn, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it.”

— Joshua pronounced a curse against those who should build up Jericho; for as we read, (1 Kings 16:34) Hiel the Bethelite built Jericho: he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn, who died in the beginning of the work, and his youngest son Segub, died when it was finished.

²⁷ So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame was noised throughout all the country.

— and his fame was noised throughout all the country; for his wisdom and courage, for the wonderful things done for him and by him, and the great success that attended him; which struck terror into the inhabitants of the land, and made his conquest of it the more easy, all through the power and presence of God.

~ by Joel on October 25, 2026.

Posted in Joshua, Judges and Kings