Joshua 5:3

Joshua 5:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And Joshua made him sharp knives, and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins.
• New International Version (NIV)So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth.
• English Standard Version (ESV)So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the sons of Israel at Gibeath-haaraloth.
• New King James Version (NKJV)So Joshua made flint knives for himself, and circumcised the sons of Israel at the hill of the foreskins.

Context of Joshua 5:3

1Many people heard how the Lord had caused the Jordan River to become dry. This included all the Amorite kings on the west side of the Jordan River, and all the Canaanite kings who lived near the sea. They heard how the Lord had made the river become dry until all the Israelites had crossed to the other side. So the kings became very afraid of the Israelite people. They felt too weak to fight against them. 2The Lord said to Joshua at that time, ‘Make knives of stone and circumcise the Israelite men.’ So Joshua made the knives and he circumcised the men at Gibeath Haaraloth. 4This is why Joshua had to circumcise them: All the men who were old enough to fight when they came out of Egypt had now died. They died in the desert as they travelled to Canaan. 5All those men who came out of Egypt had already been circumcised. But all the sons who were born on the journey through the desert had not been circumcised.

Joshua 5:3 word by word

וַיַּעַשׂ־ל֥וֹ יְהוֹשֻׁ֖עַ חַֽרְב֣וֹת צֻרִ֑ים וַיָּ֙מָל֙ אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֶל־גִּבְעַ֖ת הָעֲרָלֽוֹת׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And Joshuaיְהוֹשׁוּעַyehôshûa‛ yehôshûa‛ · JoshuaH3091
• madeעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213
• him sharpצוּרtsûr tsûr · rockH6697
• knivesחֶ֫רֶבchereb · swordH2719
• and circumcisedמוּלmûl · to circumciseH4135
• the childrenבֵּןbên · son: descendant/peopleH1121
• of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• at the hillגִּבְעָהgib‛âh · Gibeath-(haaraloth)H1389
• of the foreskinsעׇרְלָה‛orlâh · (Gilgal)-haaralothH6190

Cross-references for Joshua 5:3

• Genesis 17:23On that same day, Abraham circumcised Ishmael and every male person in his house. He circumcised every male servant that was born in his house, as well as those that he had bought with money. He did this in the way that God had told him.
• Matthew 16:24Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘A person who wants to come with me must not think about himself. He must decide that his own life is not important. He must be like someone who carries his own cross to go and die. Then he may come with me as my disciple.

Commentaries on Joshua 5:3

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3The hill of the foreskins - i. e. the hill where the foreskins, the emblem of all worldly and carnal affections, were buried. (Compare Colossians 2:11-13; Colossians 3:1-6.)Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3The name Gibeath-haaraloth means "hill of foreskins." This suggests the circumcision ceremony happened on a hill near Israel's camp at Gilgal.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. at the hill--probably one of the argillaceous hills that form the highest terrace of the Jordan, on a rising ground at the palm forest.Read the comment

Topics related to Joshua 5:3

• Circumcision
• Gilgal
• Revivals

In the dictionaries

• Israel
• Joshua
• Israel, Israelites
• Jacob, Israel
• Children of Israel
• Circumcision
• Gibeahhaaraloth
• Knife
• Loose
• Foreskin

Commentaries on Joshua 5

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings