Joshua 5:1-12
The Passover at Gilgal
1Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast heard how the LORD had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the Israelites until they had crossed over, their hearts melted and their spirits failed for fear of the Israelites.
2At that time the LORD said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the sons of Israel once again.”
3So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the sons of Israel at Gibeath-haaraloth.
4Now this is why Joshua circumcised them: All those who came out of Egypt—all the men of war—had died on the journey in the wilderness after they had left Egypt.
5Though all who had come out were circumcised, none of those born in the wilderness on the journey from Egypt had been circumcised.
6For the Israelites had wandered in the wilderness forty years, until all the nation’s men of war who had come out of Egypt had died, since they did not obey the LORD. So the LORD vowed never to let them see the land He had sworn to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.
7And He raised up their sons in their place, and these were the ones Joshua circumcised. Until this time they were still uncircumcised, since they had not been circumcised along the way.
8And after all the nation had been circumcised, they stayed there in the camp until they were healed.
9Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So that place has been called Gilgal to this day.
10On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while the Israelites were camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, they kept the Passover.
11The day after the Passover, on that very day, they ate unleavened bread and roasted grain from the produce of the land.
12And the day after they had eaten from the produce of the land, the manna ceased. There was no more manna for the Israelites, so that year they began to eat the crops of the land of Canaan.
Berean Standard Bible
The kings west of the Jordan hear how the LORD dried up the river, and their courage disappears. Israel has crossed, but the nation is not immediately sent into battle. The LORD tells Joshua to circumcise the sons of Israel because the wilderness generation had not received the covenant sign on the journey.
The text is frank about the reason for the delay. The men who came out of Egypt had died in the wilderness because they had not obeyed the LORD's voice. Their children now receive the covenant sign, and the LORD says He has rolled away the shame of Egypt from them. The place is named Gilgal, remembering that removal.
Israel remains camped at Gilgal until the men recover. Then the people keep the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month in the plains of Jericho. The meal connects this new stage of the journey to the first deliverance from Egypt.
On the day after Passover, they eat produce from the land. The manna stops, and Israel begins to eat from Canaan's harvest. Provision changes form, but the LORD has not stopped caring for His people.
How We Know
The passage belongs to a sustained historical and covenant record. Joshua records Israel's entry, settlement, and covenant life in continuity with Deuteronomy and the Pentateuch. Later books such as Judges and 1 Chronicles assume the people, land allotments, and places named here. Those internal cross-checks do not settle every archaeological question, but they show that Joshua 5:1-12 is part of a sustained historical and covenant record.
Questions
1 Why does the LORD tell Joshua to circumcise the people?
AnswerHe tells him to restore the covenant sign among the children born during the wilderness journey.
2 What does the name Gilgal remember?
AnswerIt remembers that the LORD had rolled away the shame of Egypt from Israel at that place.
3 When does Israel keep the Passover?
AnswerIsrael keeps the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month in the plains of Jericho.
4 What changes after Israel eats the land's produce?
AnswerThe manna stops, and Israel begins eating the produce of Canaan because the people have entered the land.
What This Means for Us
Entering a new season does not mean rushing past repair, worship, or the stories that formed us. Israel pauses for covenant renewal and Passover before the battles begin.
Our household may need to receive provision in a new form without assuming God has become less faithful. Give thanks for yesterday's manna, then notice the nourishment He is providing today.
Prayer
Faithful God, keep us from rushing ahead of obedience and remembrance. Help us receive Your provision in each season, renew our commitment to You, and give thanks for the ways You sustain us. Amen.