Joshua 5: Circumcision, Passover, and the Commander

Short answer: Joshua 5 records Israel's first acts in the land: circumcising the new generation, keeping Passover at Gilgal, and eating the land's produce as manna ceased. It closes with Joshua meeting the commander of Yahweh's army and being told the ground is holy.

What Joshua 5 says

The chapter opens with the effect of the Jordan crossing on the kings west of the river. Their hearts melted and there was no spirit left in them because of Israel. That fear sets the stage for what follows, but the next command does not come from military strategy. Yahweh tells Joshua to make flint knives and circumcise the sons of Israel a second time. The reason given is that the generation that came out of Egypt had been circumcised, but those born in the wilderness had not been. The forty years had consumed the men of war because they did not listen to Yahweh's voice, and he had sworn they would not see the land. Their children now stood in their place, and Joshua circumcised them at the hill of the foreskins.

After the circumcision, the whole nation stayed in the camp until they were healed. Then Yahweh spoke to Joshua and said that on that day he had rolled away the reproach of Egypt. That is why the place was called Gilgal. The naming is tied directly to what God did, not to what Israel achieved. The reproach is not explained in detail, but the text connects it to this act of obedience and to the new generation entering their inheritance. The camp remains at Gilgal, and the next movement is worship. They keep the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at evening in the plains of Jericho. This is the first Passover in the land, and it is kept exactly where the text places it.

The day after the Passover they ate unleavened cakes and parched grain from the produce of the land. On that same day the manna ceased. The text is careful to say that the children of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate the fruit of the land of Canaan that year. The wilderness provision ends when the land's provision begins. There is no gap and no overlap. The chapter does not celebrate the end of manna as a loss, but simply records the transition. The people who had been fed by miracle now eat what the ground yields. This is a quiet but important shift in the story, and it happens right after the Passover, in the plains of Jericho.

The final scene moves to Joshua by Jericho. He lifts his eyes and sees a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword. Joshua asks whether he is for them or for their enemies. The answer is no, and the man identifies himself as commander of Yahweh's army. Joshua falls on his face, worships, and asks what his lord says to his servant. The commander tells him to take off his sandals, for the place where he stands is holy. Joshua does so. The chapter ends there, with no battle fought and no city taken. The ground is holy, and Joshua is on his face before the commander of Yahweh's army.

Verses that carry the chapter

• “When all the kings of the Amorites, who were beyond the Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, who were by the sea, heard how Yahweh had dried up the waters of the Jordan from before the children of Israel until we had crossed over, their heart melted, and there was no more spirit in them, because of the children of Israel.” (Joshua 5:1) — The fear of the kings shows that the crossing of the Jordan had already done something to the land before Israel lifted a sword. It frames the whole chapter as a work of God, not merely a military advance.
• “Yahweh said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” (Joshua 5:9) Therefore the name of that place was called Gilgal to this day.” (Joshua 5:9) — This verse gives the theological heart of the Gilgal naming. The reproach of Egypt is rolled away by Yahweh himself, and the place is named for that act.
• “The manna ceased on the next day, after they had eaten of the produce of the land. The children of Israel didn’t have manna any more, but they ate of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.” (Joshua 5:12) — The ceasing of manna marks a real transition in how God provides. The people now eat from the land, and the text notes it without sentimentality or explanation.
• “He said, “No; but I have come now as commander of Yahweh’s army.” (Joshua 5:14) Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and worshiped, and asked him, “What does my lord say to his servant?” (Joshua 5:14)” (Joshua 5:14) — The commander's answer and Joshua's response reveal that the coming conflict is not simply Israel versus Canaan. Joshua falls and worships, and the ground becomes holy.

Gospel connection

Joshua 5 sits in the larger story of God bringing a people into promise. The circumcision of the new generation recalls the covenant sign given to Abraham, and the Passover recalls the deliverance from Egypt. Both are means by which God marks and feeds his people. The manna ceasing and the produce of the land beginning shows that God's provision changes with the season, but it does not fail. Most strikingly, the commander of Yahweh's army appears before Jericho, and Joshua worships him. This prepares the reader for the truth that the Lord himself is present with his people, not as a spectator but as the one who commands. The New Testament later speaks of Jesus as the one who leads his people and who is worthy of worship, and this scene echoes that theme without naming it. The chapter does not preach the gospel explicitly, but it shows God keeping covenant, providing for his people, and standing on holy ground with them.

Application

This chapter asks the reader to consider where God is calling for obedience before victory. Israel is circumcised and keeps Passover before Jericho falls. The text does not rush to the battle. It lingers on worship, covenant, and healing. A reader may be tempted to skip the quiet obedience and go straight to the walls, but the chapter will not let that happen. It also asks whether we recognize God's provision when it changes. Manna was miraculous, but the produce of the land was also from God. The manna ceasing was not abandonment. Finally, the scene with Joshua asks whether we will fall on our faces before the commander of Yahweh's army or treat him as a mere ally. The question Joshua asks, whether the man is for us or for our enemies, is answered with a no. God is not enlisted into our cause. We are enlisted into his. The application is unhurried: take off your sandals, because the place where you stand is holy.

Biblical fidelity check

The chapter does not explain what the reproach of Egypt was, and it does not say why circumcision had been neglected in the wilderness. It does not describe the reaction of the people to the circumcision beyond noting that they stayed until healed. It does not say how long they stayed at Gilgal before moving on. It does not name the commander of Yahweh's army, nor does it call him an angel or Yahweh himself. It does not describe the man's appearance beyond the drawn sword. It does not say that Joshua recognized him before the introduction. It does not report any conversation after the command to remove sandals. The text is silent on how the kings west of the Jordan learned of the crossing, and it does not say whether the fear led to any immediate action. It does not claim that the circumcision or Passover caused the later victory. It simply records what happened in the order given.

Questions for study

1. Why do you think the chapter begins with the fear of the kings rather than with Israel's obedience?
2. What does it mean that Yahweh rolled away the reproach of Egypt, and why is that tied to Gilgal?
3. How does the ceasing of manna and the eating of the land's produce change the way Israel experiences God's provision?
4. Why does Joshua ask whether the commander is for us or for our enemies, and how does the answer challenge that question?
5. What does it mean for Joshua to remove his sandals, and how does that shape the way we approach God's presence?

Keep reading

Related studies: Joshua 10 Bible Study, Joshua 11 Bible Study, Joshua 12 Bible Study, Joshua 13 Bible Study.

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FAQ

Why did Joshua circumcise the Israelites a second time?

The generation that came out of Egypt had been circumcised, but those born in the wilderness had not. Joshua circumcised the new generation so they would bear the covenant sign as they entered the land.

What was the reproach of Egypt that was rolled away?

The text does not define it precisely. It connects the rolling away to the circumcision at Gilgal and to Yahweh's act, and the place is named Gilgal because of it.

Who was the commander of Yahweh's army?

The chapter does not give him a name. He appears with a drawn sword, receives Joshua's worship, and declares the ground holy, and Joshua obeys him.