Tyndale Open Study NotesJoshua 5

• After hearing that Israel crossed the Jordan River, all of southern Canaan was in a state of alert, expecting an invasion.

• The Canaanites became completely terrified by Israel's amazing crossing of the Jordan River. They realized they were going to encounter a people whose God was more powerful than any false gods they worshiped.

• Before the Israelites turned their attention to Jericho, God directed Joshua to perform the covenant renewal ceremony of circumcising all the males born in the forty years since the exodus from Egypt. Because the land was part of the covenant promise, Israel’s men needed to demonstrate their personal participation in the covenant through circumcision in order to enter into the land.

• Flint occurs in nature without human shaping. For this reason, people used flint knives for circumcision as a symbol of purity and holiness.

The name Gibeath-haaraloth means "hill of foreskins." This suggests the circumcision ceremony happened on a hill near Israel's camp at Gilgal.

This unexpected change in the story reminds us of Israel's earlier refusal to believe that God would safely bring them into Canaan (Numbers 14). This summary of God's judgment against their ancestors was a reminder to the current generation. They still needed to trust God in order to occupy the land their ancestors lost. Additionally, it marked the end of God's judgment on the previous generation.

until they were healed: Recovery from circumcision, which was a minor surgery, usually takes about three days if there are no complications.

Gilgal sounds like the Hebrew word galal, which means "to roll." At this place, God removed the shame of Egypt from his people.

• The Israelites killed the Passover lamb on the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month. Just as the Passover in Egypt marked the exodus from slavery, the celebration of this Passover in Canaan marked the attainment of the goal God had been leading the Israelites toward. This Passover also anticipated God's promised rest for his people in their new land.

• This was apparently the first Passover feast Israel celebrated since camping at Mount Sinai (Numbers 9:1–5). For the younger Israelites, it was their first Passover feast ever. For the older ones, it was their first since childhood.

  Celebrating Passover after such a long break increased both the joy and the serious nature of the occasion. This was especially true because it was before the campaign to capture the land God promised to give the Israelites.

God stopped providing manna each day because food from the land was now available (Exodus 16:31; Numbers 11:9).

Israel again celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which lasts seven days after Passover (Leviticus 23:6). During this time, the people ate unleavened bread and roasted grain, a common food at harvest time (see Ruth 2:14).

Israel harvested the crops that the people of Jericho did not have time to harvest before Israel crossed the Jordan.

The commander of the LORD’s army gave Joshua instructions for the attack of Jericho (6:2–5). Like God's earlier message to Joshua, this meeting intended to encourage Joshua before confronting the enemy (1:1–9).

Joshua was scouting the land and the city’s defenses near the town of Jericho to follow up on the report of the two spies (2:23–24). Joshua showed personal courage when he went toward the unknown man, who was holding a sword in his hand.

• When Joshua realized who was standing before him, he fell facedown in reverence. This action showed that Joshua was ready to serve God fully and without reservation.

• Scholars disagree about who this commander was. Some think he was an appearance of God, others think he was Christ before becoming human, and others think he was an angel. The commander called himself the leader of the Lord’s army, which may suggest that he was an angel. However, he did not stop Joshua from worshiping him, as angels usually do (for example, Revelation 22:8–9; compare Acts 10:25–26).

Take off your sandals, for the place … is holy: This was what God told Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:5). Joshua clearly recognized the connection. This encounter assured him of God’s blessing on Israel’s first action against Canaan.