Joshua 5:6 kjv
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 show them the land, which the LORD sware unto their fathers that he would give us, a land that floweth with milk and honey.
Joshua 5:6 nkjv
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 did not obey the voice of the LORD?to whom the LORD swore that He would not show them the land which the LORD had sworn to their fathers that He would give us, "a land flowing with milk and honey."
Joshua 5:6 niv
The Israelites had moved about in the wilderness forty years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the LORD. For the LORD had sworn to them that they would not see the land he had solemnly promised their ancestors to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.
Joshua 5:6 esv
For the people of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, until all the nation, the men of war who came out of Egypt, perished, because they did not obey the voice of the LORD; the LORD swore to them that he would not let them see the land that the LORD had sworn to their fathers to give to us, a land flowing with milk and honey.
Joshua 5:6 nlt
The Israelites had traveled in the wilderness for forty years until all the men who were old enough to fight in battle when they left Egypt had died. For they had disobeyed the LORD, and the LORD vowed he would not let them enter the land he had sworn to give us ? a land flowing with milk and honey.
Joshua 5 6 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Num 14:29-30 | 'your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness... you shall by no means enter the land...' | Divine judgment and exclusion from the promised land for unbelief. |
| Deut 1:34-35 | “The Lord heard your words... ‘Not one of these men... shall see the good land..." | God's oath concerning the rebellious generation. |
| Heb 3:17-19 | And with whom was he provoked forty years?... to those who disobeyed." | New Testament interpretation: Their failure to enter was due to disobedience/unbelief. |
| Ps 95:10-11 | For forty years I loathed that generation... 'they shall not enter my rest!'" | God's weariness with Israel's rebellion and the consequence. |
| 1 Cor 10:5-10 | Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown..." | Wilderness events as a warning against lust, idolatry, and rebellion. |
| Deut 2:14 | And the time from our leaving Kadesh-barnea until we crossed... was thirty-eight years... until the whole generation..." | Specific timeline highlighting the end of the old generation. |
| Num 32:13 | So the Lord's anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander..." | God's wrath directly causing the prolonged wilderness wanderings. |
| Deut 8:2-3 | "And you shall remember the whole way... these forty years, to humble you, testing you..." | The wilderness as a period of testing and purification. |
| Neh 9:21 | "Forty years you sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing..." | God's faithfulness and provision even during punishment. |
| Josh 5:5 | For all the people who came out... had been circumcised, but all the people who were born..." | Immediate preceding verse, explaining why a new generation needed circumcision. |
| Ex 32:9 | "I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people." | Their persistent stubbornness and rebellion from early on. |
| Deut 9:7 | "Remember and do not forget how you provoked the Lord your God in the wilderness..." | A call to remember past failures to promote future obedience. |
| Ps 106:24-27 | Then they despised the pleasant land... and would not listen to the voice of the Lord." | Elaborates on their unbelief and rejection of the land. |
| Heb 4:6 | "So then, since it remains for some to enter it... those who formerly received..." | God's rest still available, contrasted with the past generation's failure. |
| Ezek 20:15 | "Moreover, I swore to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the land..." | God's oath reinforced regarding their exclusion. |
| Deut 31:27 | "For I know how rebellious and stubborn you are..." | Moses' prophecy about Israel's ongoing tendency to rebel. |
| Jude 1:5 | "Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people..." | A New Testament reminder of God's judgment on unbelief from Egypt. |
| Jer 32:23 | 'they entered and took possession of it, but they did not obey your voice...'" | Later prophetic reflection on Israel's ongoing cycle of disobedience despite blessing. |
| Acts 7:36 | "He led them out... and performed wonders... in the wilderness for forty years." | Stephen's summary of Israel's journey and God's leadership. |
| Amos 5:25-27 | "Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings... for forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?" | Questioning their genuine worship during the wilderness period. |
| Num 13:30-33 | "We are well able to overcome it... but the men... said, 'We are not able to go up...'" | The initial act of unbelief at Kadesh-barnea, precipitating the judgment. |
| Zech 1:4 | "Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets cried out..." | A call to future generations not to repeat the past disobedience. |
Joshua 5 verses
Joshua 5 6 Meaning
Joshua 5:6 explains the reason for Israel's forty-year wilderness wandering: it was a divine judgment on the generation that departed Egypt. This generation, particularly the men fit for war, disobeyed the Lord's voice, refusing to trust in His promise to give them the land. As a result, the Lord swore that they would not see the fertile land promised by oath to their ancestors. The wandering period served to ensure the death of this faithless generation before the new, obedient generation entered the land.
Joshua 5 6 Context
Joshua 5 describes a pivotal moment after Israel crossed the Jordan River and entered the Promised Land. The first act they undertake is circumcising all males who had been born in the wilderness, followed by observing the Passover. Verse 6 directly answers why this generation had remained uncircumcised and why a circumcision was now necessary. It explains the "disgrace of Egypt" being rolled away (Josh 5:9) by linking it to the forty years of wandering. The core reason was the sin of the generation that came out of Egypt: their faithlessness and rebellion against the Lord after the spies' report from Kadesh-barnea (Num 13-14). This verse sets the stage for the new, circumcised, and spiritually renewed generation to begin the conquest, fulfilling God's ancient promises. It emphasizes God's faithfulness to His covenant, even as He deals justly with rebellion.
Joshua 5 6 Word analysis
- For (כִּי - kī): Introduces the reason or explanation, linking this verse directly to the preceding discussion about the uncircumcised generation.
- forty years (אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה - arba'im shana): This specific duration signifies a complete generation, a period of testing, purification, and divine judgment. It marks a clear end to the old and a beginning for the new. It’s a recurring number in biblical narratives symbolizing completion or preparation (e.g., Moses on Sinai, Elijah, Jesus' wilderness fast).
- wilderness (בַּמִּדְבָּר - bamidbar): A harsh, desolate environment. Symbolically, it was a place of divine judgment, but also where God provided sustenance (manna, water) and revealed Himself, demonstrating His unwavering presence even in disciplinary settings.
- all the nation of warriors (כָּל הַגּוֹי אַנְשֵׁי הַמִּלְחָמָה - kol haggoy anshey hammilchama): "All the nation, men of war." This refers to males aged twenty years and older who were able to fight, the demographic held accountable and excluded from the land (Num 14:29-30). This specifically excludes women and those under twenty.
- who came out of Egypt (הַיֹּצְאִים מִמִּצְרַיִם - hayyotze'im mimmitsrayim): The generation that witnessed the Ten Plagues and the miraculous Red Sea crossing. Their failure was despite, or perhaps because of, great divine revelation.
- had died (תָּמּוּ - tammu): From the verb
תָּמַם(tamam), meaning "to be complete, finished, come to an end, consumed." It implies a complete end, signaling the termination of that entire generation's presence. - because they did not obey (אֲשֶׁר לֹא שָׁמְעוּ - asher lo shām'u): Highlights the central sin of the generation:
שָׁמַע(shāma') implies not just hearing but also heeding, listening, and obeying. Their disobedience was active and persistent. - the voice of the Lord (בְּקוֹל יְהוָה - beqol YHWH): Emphasizes that their rebellion was directly against the Lord Himself and His explicit commands.
- to whom the Lord had sworn (אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע יְהוָה לָהֶם - asher nishba' YHWH lahem): Refers to God's oath. The parallel here is God's oath to them (that they would not see the land) contrasting with His prior oath to their fathers (that their descendants would inherit the land).
- that He would not let them see (לְבִלְתִּי הַרְאֹותָם - levilti har'otam): An emphatic negative construction, underscoring the certainty and solemnity of God's punitive oath.
- the land that the Lord had sworn to their fathers (אֶת הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע יְהוָה לַאֲבֹתָם - et ha'aretz asher nishba' YHWH la'avotam): This references the Abrahamic covenant and the subsequent reiterations to Isaac and Jacob (Gen 12, 15, 26, 28). God's faithfulness to His ultimate promise remained, even as His justice dealt with an unfaithful generation.
- flowing with milk and honey (זוֹבַת חָלָב וּדְבַשׁ - zovat ḥalav udevash): A conventional, idyllic description of Canaan, portraying its fertility and richness, the opposite of the desolate wilderness. This makes their exclusion from such a promised blessing even more poignant.
Joshua 5 6 Bonus section
- The death of the "nation of warriors" is deeply ironic: they were fit for physical battle but failed the battle of faith, unable to conquer their own hearts of unbelief. Their exclusion underscores that spiritual victory often precedes physical triumph.
- This verse contains a clear polemic against the idea that simply being part of God's chosen people or experiencing miraculous deliverance guarantees salvation or blessing without sustained obedience and faith. Their past experience of the Exodus and manna was insufficient without a response of belief.
- The forty-year period in the wilderness becomes a formative, crucible experience for the new generation, teaching them absolute reliance on God. It purified them from the lingering influences of Egypt and ingrained obedience to God's law.
Joshua 5 6 Commentary
Joshua 5:6 serves as a profound theological commentary on God's character: He is faithful to His covenant promises (to give the land) and just in His judgments against disobedience. The forty-year wilderness journey was not an arbitrary delay but a precise consequence, ensuring that the generation plagued by unbelief and rebellion did not enter the land promised for faith. This cleansing by death allowed a new generation, trained in the wilderness and taught reliance on God, to receive the inheritance. The verse highlights that God's covenant blessings are conditioned on obedience and faith, underscoring the grave consequences of spiritual rebellion. It establishes a divine pattern: while God is merciful and long-suffering, He will not permit flagrant and persistent unbelief to hinder the fulfillment of His grander redemptive purposes for a chosen people.