Joshua 5 is the fifth chapter of the Book of Joshua in the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
'' Old Testament of the Christian

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...

. According to Jewish tradition, the book was attributed to the

Joshua Joshua () or Yehoshua ( ''Yəhōšuaʿ'', Tiberian: ''Yŏhōšuaʿ,'' lit. 'Yahweh is salvation') ''Yēšūaʿ''; syr, ܝܫܘܥ ܒܪ ܢܘܢ ''Yəšūʿ bar Nōn''; el, Ἰησοῦς, ar , يُوشَعُ ٱبْنُ نُونٍ '' Yūšaʿ ...

, with additions by the high priests

Eleazar Eleazar (; ) or Elʽazar was a priest in the Hebrew Bible, the second High Priest, succeeding his father Aaron after he died. He was a nephew of Moses. Biblical narrative Eleazar played a number of roles during the course of the Exodus, from cr ...

and

Phinehas According to the Hebrew Bible, Phinehas or Phineas (; , ''Phinees'', ) was a priest during the Israelites’ Exodus journey. The grandson of Aaron and son of Eleazar, the High Priests (), he distinguished himself as a youth at Shittim with h ...

,Gilad, Elon
Who Really Wrote the Biblical Books of Kings and the Prophets?
''Haaretz'', June 25, 2015. Summary: The paean to King Josiah and exalted descriptions of the ancient Israelite empires beg the thought that he and his scribes lie behind the Deuteronomistic History. but modern scholars view it as part of the Deuteronomistic History, which spans the books of Deuteronomy to

2 Kings The Book of Kings (, '' Sēfer Məlāḵīm'') is a book in the Hebrew Bible, found as two books (1–2 Kings) in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. It concludes the Deuteronomistic history, a history of Israel also including the book ...

, attributed to nationalistic and devotedly Yahwistic writers during the time of the reformer Judean king Josiah in 7th century BCE. This chapter focuses on the circumcision and Passover of the Israelites after crossing the Jordan River under the leadership of

, a part of a section comprising Joshua 1:1–5:12 about the entry to the

land of Canaan Canaan (; Phoenician: 𐤊𐤍𐤏𐤍 – ; he, כְּנַעַן – , in pausa – ; grc-bib, Χανααν – ;The current scholarly edition of the Greek Old Testament spells the word without any accents, cf. Septuaginta : id est Vetus Te ...

, and the meeting of Joshua with the Commander of the Lord's army near

Text

This chapter was originally written in the

Hebrew language Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

. It is divided into 15 verses.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

are of the

Masoretic Text The Masoretic Text (MT or 𝕸; he, נֻסָּח הַמָּסוֹרָה, Nūssāḥ Hammāsōrā, lit. 'Text of the Tradition') is the authoritative Hebrew and Aramaic text of the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) in Rabbinic Judaism. ...

tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and

Codex Leningradensis The Leningrad Codex ( la, Codex Leningradensis [Leningrad Book]; he, כתב יד לנינגרד) is the oldest complete manuscript of the Hebrew Bible in Hebrew, using the Masoretic Text and Tiberian vocalization. According to its colopho ...

(1008). Fragments containing parts of this chapter in Hebrew were found among the

Dead Sea Scrolls The Dead Sea Scrolls (also the Qumran Caves Scrolls) are ancient Jewish and Hebrew religious manuscripts discovered between 1946 and 1956 at the Qumran Caves in what was then Mandatory Palestine, near Ein Feshkha in the West Bank, on the ...

including 4Q47 (4QJosh; 200–100 BCE) with extant verses 1?, 2–7.Dead sea scrolls - Joshua
/ref> Extant ancient manuscripts of a translation into

Koine Greek Koine Greek (; Koine el, ἡ κοινὴ διάλεκτος, hē koinè diálektos, the common dialect; ), also known as Hellenistic Greek, common Attic, the Alexandrian dialect, Biblical Greek or New Testament Greek, was the common supra-reg ...

known as the

Septuagint The Greek Old Testament, or Septuagint (, ; from the la, septuaginta, lit=seventy; often abbreviated ''70''; in Roman numerals, LXX), is the earliest extant Greek translation of books from the Hebrew Bible. It includes several books beyond ...

(originally was made in the last few centuries BCE) include

Codex Vaticanus The Codex Vaticanus ( The Vatican, Bibl. Vat., Vat. gr. 1209), designated by siglum B or 03 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), δ 1 ( von Soden), is a fourth-century Christian manuscript of a Greek Bible, containing the majority of the Greek Old ...

(B;

\mathfrak

^B; 4th century) and

Codex Alexandrinus The Codex Alexandrinus (London, British Library, Royal MS 1. D. V-VIII), designated by the siglum A or 02 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering of New Testament manuscripts), δ 4 (in the von Soden numbering of New Testament manuscripts), is a manu ...

(A;

\mathfrak

^A; 5th century). Fragments of the

Greek text containing this chapter is found in manuscripts such as Washington Manuscript I (5th century CE), and a reduced version of the Septuagint text is found in the illustrated

Joshua Roll The Joshua Roll is a Byzantine illuminated manuscript of highly unusual format, probably of the 10th century Macedonian Renaissance, believed to have been created by artists of the imperial workshops in Constantinople, and is now held in the V ...

.Facsimiles of Illuminated Manuscripts of the Medieval Period
Only contains Joshua chapter II to the end of chapter X

Analysis

The narrative of Israelites entering the land of Canaan comprises verses 1:1 to 5:12 of the Book of Joshua and has the following outline: :A. Preparations for Entering the Land (1:1–18) :B. Rahab and the Spies in Jericho (2:1–24) :C. Crossing the Jordan (3:1–4:24) :D. Circumcision and Passover (5:1–12) ::1. Canaanite Fear (5:1) ::2. Circumcision (5:2–9) ::3. Passover (5:10–12) The second section of the book contains the narratives of Israelites conquering the land of Canaan comprising verses 5:13 to 12:24 and has the following outline: :A. Jericho (5:13–6:27) ::1. Joshua and the Commander of the Lord's Army (5:13–15) ::2. Instructions for Capturing the City (6:1–5) ::3. Obeying the Instructions (6:6–21) ::4. The Deliverance of Rahab's Family and the City's Destruction (6:22–25) ::5. Curse and Renown (6:26–27) :B. Achan and Ai (7:1–8:29) :C. Renewal at Mount Ebal (8:30–35) :D. The Gibeonite Deception (9:1–27) :E. The Campaign in the South (10:1–43) :F. The Campaign in the North and Summary List of Kings (11:1–12:24)

Circumcision of the new generation (5:1–9)

The main subject of chapter 5 is "beginning in new land", as the people of Israel finally entered the promised land "flowing with milk and honey" (verse 6), the male population having

circumcision Circumcision is a procedure that removes the foreskin from the human penis. In the most common form of the operation, the foreskin is extended with forceps, then a circumcision device may be placed, after which the foreskin is excised. Top ...

, then the timely and correct celebration of the

Passover Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holiday that celebrates the Biblical story of the Israelites escape from slavery in Egypt, which occurs on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, the first month of Aviv, or spring. ...

(cf. Exodus 12:43–49), followed by the cessation of

Manna Manna ( he, מָן, mān, ; ar, اَلْمَنُّ; sometimes or archaically spelled mana) is, according to the Bible, an edible substance which God provided for the Israelites during their travels in the desert during the 40-year period follow ...

(cf. Exodus 16:35). Circumcision was widespread among ancient Semites, but for the people of Israel, it marked the covenantal relationship with God, traced back to Abraham, with a statement that 'no uncircumcised male can be regarded as an Israelite' (Genesis 17:9–14). it is also a condition to be ritually pure to celebrate Passover in the new land, in contrast to God's decree banning the previously circumcised generation from Egypt to step in the land of Canaan (verses 4, 6; cf. Numbers 14:22–23; Deuteronomy 1:34–40). The term 'a second time' shows, that Joshua did not initiate the practice in Israel. With the circumcision, the "disgrace of Egypt" has been 'rolled away' (the verb in Hebrew resembling the name "Gilgal").

Verse 1

:''And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, which were on the side of Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, which were by the sea, heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel, until we were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel.'' The mention of 'Amorites' and 'Canaanites' for the inhabitants of the land of Canaan follows Deuteronomy 1–3, in which the Amorites are understood as the inhabitants of mountainous parts (Deuteronomy 1:7, 19, 20; Joshua 10:6), whereas the Canaanites are more to the west, toward the Mediterranean Sea, so geographically viewed from the position of the Israelites at this time, the Amorites are mentioned before the Canaanties. Earlier it was recorded how the Israelites' hearts 'melted' because of the Amorites and the sons of Anakim (Deuteronomy 1:27–28), and then rashly took on the enemy unprepared (Deuteronomy 1:41–45), now it is the Amorites and the Canaanites who tremble before the approach of Israel and YHWH. Verse 5:1 shares the same language pattern as verses 9:1; 10:1 and 11:1, each of which introduces a new part of narrative. In the Hebrew Masoretic Text, this verse is marked as an 'unconnected unit', bracketed with a ''parashah setumah'' ("closed portion marking") before and after.

First Passover in the land of Canaan (5:10–12)

The first Passover in the land of Canaan was held in Gilgal at the correct date as commanded in the

Book of Exodus The Book of Exodus (from grc, Ἔξοδος, translit=Éxodos; he, שְׁמוֹת ''Šəmōṯ'', "Names") is the second book of the Bible. It narrates the story of the Exodus, in which the Israelites leave slavery in Biblical Egypt through ...

, although here the rituals are not recorded in detail (cf. the Feast of Unleavened Bread that followed Passover for seven days, Leviticus 23:5–6). Rather, this Passover is associated with the ceasing of the

(cf. Exodus 16) and the eating of the produce of land. The 'unleavened cakes' recalls the 'unleavened bread' which had been the food of hasty flight from Egypt (Exodus 12:15-20; Deuteronomy 16:3), and eating along with 'parched grain' is consistent with a people not yet settled, but already begun to enjoy the legitimate possession of the land (Deuteronomy 6:10-11).

Verse 10

:''And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho.'' *"The fourteenth day of the month": The Passover in the land of Canaan on this exact date on the 41st years of the Israelites' wandering completes the bridge with

the Exodus The Exodus (Hebrew: יציאת מצרים, ''Yeẓi’at Miẓrayim'': ) is the founding myth of the Israelites whose narrative is spread over four books of the Torah (or Pentateuch, corresponding to the first five books of the Bible), namely E ...

which started with the Passover in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

Commander of the Lord's Army (5:13–15)

The narrative of Joshua's encounter with the 'commander of the army of the LORD' close to Jericho marks the beginning of the war of conquest. Joshua saw and presumed that this man is not an Israelite (hence the question "Are you for us or for our enemies?"). This commander indeed appears to be an 'angel (or messenger) of the LORD', who represents the presence of YHWH himself (cf. Judges 6:14; 13:20–22), sometimes in military function (Numbers 22:23; 2 Samuel 24:16–17;

2 Kings 19 2 Kings 19 is the nineteenth chapter of the second part of the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the Second Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kin ...

:35) or at other times in commissioning, as with Gideon ( Judges 6:11–12); both are present here (cf. Moses' encounter with the angel of YHWH in the "

burning bush The burning bush (or the unburnt bush) refers to an event recorded in the Jewish Torah (as also in the biblical Old Testament). It is described in the third chapter of the Book of Exodus as having occurred on Mount Horeb. According to the ...

"; Exodus 3:2, 4–6). Joshua evidently realized the angel's military role (verse 13) and the representation of God when he bowed down to worship this figure, experiencing a direct commissioning from God, like that of Moses, at the beginning of the real test of his leadership.

Verse 14

:''And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come.”'' :''And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?”'' *"Worshipped": or "paid homage"Note on Joshua 5:14 in ESV The terse response "No" from the commander makes clear that Israel needs to join God's battle instead of God joins them, and indicates that it is possible for Israel in some way not to join God in the battles.

Notes

References

Sources

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External links

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

translations: *
Yehoshua - Joshua - Chapter 5 (Judaica Press)
Hebrew text and English translation ith_Rashi's_commentary.html"_;"title="Rashi.html"_;"title="ith_Rashi">ith_Rashi's_commentary">Rashi.html"_;"title="ith_Rashi">ith_Rashi's_commentaryat_Chabad.org *__Christian_translations: *
''Online_Bible''_at_GospelHall.org
(ESV,_KJV,_Darby,_American_Standard_Version,_Bible_in_Basic_English) *
Joshua_chapter_5._Bible_Gateway
{{DEFAULTSORT:Joshua_05 Book_of_Joshua_chapters.html" ;"title="Joshua_5.html" ;"title="Rashi">ith_Rashi's_commentary.html" ;"title="Rashi.html" ;"title="ith Rashi">ith Rashi's commentary">Rashi.html" ;"title="ith Rashi">ith Rashi's commentaryat Chabad.org * Christian translations: *
''Online Bible'' at GospelHall.org
(ESV, KJV, Darby, American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English) *
Joshua chapter 5. Bible Gateway
{{DEFAULTSORT:Joshua 05 Book of Joshua chapters">05