Joshua 5:4

Now 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.

Majority Standard Bible

In The King James Version

And this is the cause why Joshua did circumcise: All the people that came out of Egypt, that were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way, after they came out of Egypt.

In Context

3So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the sons of Israel at Gibeath-haaraloth.

5Though all who had come out were circumcised, none of those born in the wilderness on the journey from Egypt had been circumcised.

Read all of Joshua 5

Cross References

Numbers 26:64Among all these, however, there was not one who had been numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest when they counted the Israelites in the Wilderness of Sinai.

Deuteronomy 2:14The time we spent traveling from Kadesh-barnea until we crossed over the Brook of Zered was thirty-eight years, until that entire generation of fighting men had perished from the camp, as the LORD had sworn to them.

1 Corinthians 10:5Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the wilderness.

Matthew Henry on Joshua 5:2-10

The Circumcision of the Israelites. ( b. c. 1451.) 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. 2 At that time the Lord said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again… Read the whole commentary →

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