“THE BOOK OF JOSHUA ~ a Type & Shadow” A-022 (10-20-21) Joshua 5:1-5
----------------------------------------------------------
Joshua 5:1 (New English Translation) says, “1 When all the Amorite kings on the west side of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the seacoast heard how the LORD had dried up the water of the Jordan before the Israelites while they crossed, they lost their courage and could not even breathe for fear of the Israelites.”
● Concerning this statement of “they lost their courage and could not even breath for the fear of the Israelites, the NET Bible footnotes has a translator’s note {tn} that says the Hebrew would read, “their heart[s] melted and there was no longer in them breath (or perhaps “spirit”) because of the sons of Israel.” Since the word spirit or breath are both used in various translations, this can literally means that the people of Jericho had the wind knocked out of them.
● Joshua 5:2 (NET) says, “At that time the LORD told Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites once again.”
● From a translator’s note {tn} the NET Bible footnotes show that the Hebrew would read, “return {comma}, circumcise the sons of Israel a second time.” Now, to return “again,” or to imply once “again,” this word “again” in the Hebrew comes from the word šûḇ {shŏŏv’} and is from a primitive root word, meaning, to turn back. In a sense, this word is to indicate the repetition of an action.
● The first thing we see here is a mindset that is known as a disheartened condition of the inhabitants of the land. In other words, they were, in essence, already defeated in their minds. They were fearful of the nation of Israel because of the mighty works of God they had heard about.
● Joshua 5:3 (NET) says, “So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at the Hill of the Foreskins.”
● From a translator’s note {tn} in the NET Bible footnotes, it says that the Hebrew word giḇʿâ {ghĭb–văw’} ʿārlâ {ŏrdd–lăw’} means, “Hill of the Foreskins.” And from a study note {sn} in the Net Bible footnotes says, “The name given to the place, Hill of the Foreskins was an obvious reminder of this important event.” Circumcision, as a sign of the covenant, was the means of being identified with the covenant promises of God to Abraham and to his descendants, who were knowns as the nation of Israel. Now, when it comes to Christ and the circumcision of the heart, or mind, sometimes people go through a heart-circumcision of separating themselves from previous lifestyles, or previous modes of thinking.
● Joshua 5:4 (NET) says, “This is why Joshua had to circumcise them: All the men old enough to fight when they left Egypt died on the journey through the wilderness after they left Egypt.”
● From a translator’s note {tn} in the NET Bible footnotes, it says that the Hebrew could read, “All the people who went out from Egypt, the males, all the men of war, died in the wilderness in the way when they went out from Egypt.” From the literalness of this historical event, it would look like that if a man had been circumcised once, he would now be circumcised again. However, this “re-circumcision” or this “renewal” was for those who had not yet been circumcised since they came through the wilderness. Everyone goes through a wilderness experience in their thinking or their mind.
● Joshua 5:5 (NET) says, “Now all the men {Heb. people} who left were circumcised, but all the sons born on the journey through the wilderness after they left Egypt were uncircumcised.”
● Notice that the Hebrew seems to render these words as “all the people who left were circumcised,” instead of all the men. Also, from a translator’s note {tn} the Hebrew reveals that “all the sons born on the journey,” actually once again refers to all the people. Why this is significant is that from time to time, I find that it is important for all people to be on the same page about the things we face.
● Joining together as One people, in union with the One perfect Father, who leads us all, works through us all, and lives in us all as the eternal creation of God, known as the children of the Creator. I hope you were enlightened and inspired to “dig deep into the well of Father’s mind within” as you watch this video lesson!