Joshua 5:4 kjv
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.
Joshua 5:4 nkjv
And this is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: All the people who came out of Egypt who were males, all the men of war, had died in the wilderness on the way, after they had come out of Egypt.
Joshua 5:4 niv
Now this is why he did so: All those who came out of Egypt?all the men of military age?died in the wilderness on the way after leaving Egypt.
Joshua 5:4 esv
And this is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: all the males of the people who came out of Egypt, all the men of war, had died in the wilderness on the way after they had come out of Egypt.
Joshua 5:4 nlt
Joshua had to circumcise them because all the men who were old enough to fight in battle when they left Egypt had died in the wilderness.
Joshua 5 4 Cross References
Verse | Text | Reference |
---|---|---|
Gen 17:9-14 | "And God said to Abraham: 'As for you, you shall keep My covenant… Every male among you shall be circumcised…'" | Covenant established with Abraham. |
Exod 4:24-26 | "At the lodging place on the way, the LORD met him and sought to put him to death. But Zipporah… circumcised..." | Circumcision prevents death. |
Num 14:26-35 | "The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: 'How long shall this wicked congregation grumble against Me?... Surely not one of you… shall come into the land… except Caleb… and Joshua…'" | God's decree against the rebellious generation. |
Deut 1:34-39 | "And the LORD heard the sound of your words… Not one of these men of this evil generation shall see that good land… except Caleb… and Joshua… But your little ones… they shall go in there..." | Exclusion of the rebellious. |
Deut 2:14-16 | "And the time from our departure from Kadesh-barnea until we crossed the brook Zered was thirty-eight years, until all the generation of the men of war had perished..." | Fulfillment of God's judgment. |
Deut 10:16 | "Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn." | Spiritual circumcision commanded. |
Deut 30:6 | "And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD..." | God's future spiritual circumcision. |
Josh 5:2-3 | "At that time the LORD said to Joshua, 'Make for yourself flint knives, and circumcise the sons of Israel again the second time.' So Joshua made for himself flint knives and circumcised..." | Command for the circumcision. |
Josh 5:5 | "For all the people who came out were circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness along the way were not circumcised." | Confirms lack of wilderness circumcision. |
Josh 5:9 | "And the LORD said to Joshua, 'This day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.' And so the name of that place is called Gilgal to this day." | Covenant renewal removes shame. |
Josh 5:10-12 | "While the sons of Israel were encamped at Gilgal, they kept the Passover on the fourteenth day… And on the day after the Passover, on that very day, they ate of the produce of the land…" | Purification before Passover and new sustenance. |
Jos 8:30-35 | "Then Joshua built an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel, on Mount Ebal… and afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse..." | Covenant renewal at Mount Ebal. |
Jos 24:14-28 | "Now therefore fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and in faithfulness... And the people said to Joshua, 'The LORD our God we will serve, and His voice we will obey.'" | Reaffirmation of covenant vows. |
Ps 78:36-37 | "But they flattered Him with their mouths; they lied to Him with their tongues. Their heart was not steadfast toward Him; they were not faithful to His covenant." | Recalling Israel's wilderness unfaithfulness. |
Ps 95:8-11 | "Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness… Therefore I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest.'" | God's oath against wilderness generation. |
Jer 4:4 | "Circumcise yourselves to the LORD; remove the foreskins of your hearts, O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; lest My wrath go forth like fire..." | Emphasizes internal heart change. |
Rom 2:28-29 | "For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly… But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter." | True circumcision is spiritual. |
1 Cor 10:1-5 | "For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea… Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness." | Wilderness events as a warning for Christians. |
Col 2:11-12 | "In Him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with Him in baptism..." | Christ's spiritual circumcision. |
Heb 3:16-19 | "For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was He provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?" | Direct parallel to Israel's rebellion. |
Heb 4:1-11 | "Therefore, while the promise of entering His rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it… For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later of another day." | Israel's failure to enter God's rest. |
Joshua 5 verses
Joshua 5 4 Meaning
Joshua chapter 5, verse 4, clarifies the divine rationale behind the large-scale circumcision of the Israelite males at Gilgal. It states that all the men of fighting age who had left Egypt as the older generation had perished in the wilderness during the forty years of wandering. This implied a new generation had grown up uncircumcised, thus necessitating this crucial covenant renewal before they could fully possess the promised land.
Joshua 5 4 Context
Joshua 5:4 serves as the explanation for the pivotal act of mass circumcision undertaken by Joshua (vv. 2-3). This event occurs shortly after the miraculous crossing of the Jordan River (Josh 3-4), marking Israel's triumphant entry into the promised land. Before commencing the conquest of Canaan, God commanded this ritual to establish a renewed covenant relationship with the nation. The historical context includes the divine judgment on the disobedient generation who refused to enter the land (Num 14), leading to their demise in the wilderness over 40 years. This verse explains that all males who were old enough to fight at the time of the Exodus, and who subsequently rebelled, had died, meaning a new generation had been born in the wilderness who were not circumcised, yet were now poised to inherit God's promise. The circumcision thus symbolizes purification, covenant fidelity, and preparation for holy war and the reception of God's blessings in the land. It takes place at Gilgal, which subsequently becomes the primary base camp.
Word Analysis
- And this is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: This opening phrase highlights the purpose of the action.
reason
translates Hebrewhaddavar
(the word, matter, thing), implying a definite cause or explanation revealed by God. Joshua's act was not arbitrary but divinely commanded (v. 2) due to a specific historical and covenantal deficiency. - All the males who came out of Egypt,: Hebrew
kol hazzakh hayyoẓ'im mimmiẓrayim
("all the males going out from Egypt").All
signifies universality, emphasizing that every male of that specific Exodus generation, who had reached fighting age, was part of the group under divine judgment. This distinct group contrasts with the uncircumcised generation born in the wilderness. - all the men of war,: Hebrew
kol ʾanšê hammilḥamah
("all the men of battle/war"). This specifies the segment of the Exodus generation relevant to God's decree. The phrase refers to those capable of fighting (Num 1:3) and implies those who refused to trust God to fight for the land after the spies' report (Num 14). It connects their failure to fight the battles of the Lord with their exclusion from entering and inheriting the land. This group represents the collective spiritual failure of disobedience and lack of faith. - had died in the wilderness: Hebrew
metû bammidbar
("they died in the wilderness"). The termdied
states the factual outcome of God's judgment pronounced in Numbers 14.wilderness
identifies the place of their judgment, a period of testing where their faith failed. This emphasizes that God's word of judgment had been perfectly fulfilled. - along the way after they came out of Egypt.: Hebrew
badderek ʾaḥarê ṣēʾtām mimmiẓrayim
("in the way after their going out from Egypt"). This specifies the forty-year period of wandering.Along the way
conveys the entire duration of the journey, emphasizing the long and arduous process of divine discipline and removal of the unfaithful generation, clearing the path for the new generation of faith to enter.
Joshua 5 4 Commentary
Joshua 5:4 provides the theological backdrop for Israel's mass circumcision, a pivotal act signifying covenant renewal before the conquest of Canaan. It succinctly explains that God's judgment against the rebellious generation who doubted His promise and refused to enter the land (specifically the "men of war") had been completely executed; they had all perished in the wilderness. Consequently, the new generation, born during the wandering, was uncircumcised and therefore technically outside the active covenant blessing required for inheriting the land. This circumcision, commanded by God (Josh 5:2), served as a vital act of national purification and recommitment to the covenant, demonstrating their readiness to be God's holy people and undertake His battles to possess His promise. It underscored that entering God's inheritance requires obedient covenant relationship, not merely physical descent.
Bonus SectionThe Gilgal circumcision serves as a crucial theological bridge, severing the nation's past of wilderness disobedience and initiating their future in the land under renewed covenant obedience. The choice of Gilgal itself is significant, as recorded in Joshua 5:9, where God declares, "This day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you." The "reproach" can be understood as the shame of slavery, the lack of fulfillment of God's promises, or even the stigma of having a generation die in the wilderness without fulfilling God's covenant sign. By renewing the covenant through circumcision at Gilgal, Israel symbolically shed this disgrace and was ready to act as a consecrated people under God's blessing for the conquest and inheritance. This spiritual preparation was essential before physical battles, showing that divine favor, secured by obedience, was the true key to victory.