Joshua 5:1

_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 kings of the Amorites ... and ... Canaanites ... by the sea. Under the former designation were included the people who inhabited the mountainous region in the center and the south, a gigantic race (Deuteronomy 4:47; Deuteronomy 31:4; Joshua 9:10;...

1._And it came to pass when, _etc The recognition of the fearful power of God had such an effect upon them that they were astonished and fainted with terror, but it did not incline their minds to seek a remedy for the evil. Their heart was melted inasmuch as destitute of counsel and strength they did not bestir themselves, but in regard to contumacy they remained as hard-hearted as before. We have already seen elsewhere how unbelievers, when smitten with fear, cease not to wrestle with God, and even when they fall, continue fiercely to assail heaven. Hence the dread which ought to have urged them to caution had no other effect than to hurry them on headlong. They were, however, terrified from above for the sake of the people, that victory might be more easily obtained, and the Israelites might be emboldened when they saw they had to do with an enemy already broken and stricken with disma...

1-9 How dreadful is their case, who see the wrath of God advancing towards them, without being able to turn it aside, or escape it! Such will be the horrible situation of the wicked; nor can words express the anguish of their feelings, or the greatness of their terror. Oh that they would now take warning, and before it be too late, flee for refuge to lay hold upon that hope set before them in the gospel! God impressed these fears on the Canaanites, and dispirited them. This gave a short rest to the Israelites, and circumcision rolled away the reproach of Egypt. They were hereby owned to be the free-born children of God, having the seal of the covenant. When God glorifies himself in perfecting the salvation of his people, he not only silences all enemies, but rolls back their reproaches upon themselves....

CHAPTER V _The effect produced on the minds of the Canaanites by the late_ _miracle_, 1. _Joshua is commanded to circumcise the Israelites_, 2. _He obeys_, 3. _Who they were that were circumcised, and why it was now done_, 4-7. _They abide in the camp till they are whole_, 8. _The place is called_ Gilgal, _and why_, 9. _They keep the passover in the same place_, 10. _They eat unleavened cakes and parched corn, on the morrow after_ _the passover_, 11....

The Amorites were the principal of those nations which occupied the hill country of Judaea (Genesis 10:16 note); the Canaanites of those that dwelt on the coast and low lands. These words are therefore equivalent to “all the kings of the highlanders, and all the kings of the lowlanders:” i. e. the kings of all the tribes of the country. UNTIL WE WERE PASSED OVER - The use of the first person has been noted here, and in Joshua 5:6 (compare Acts 16:10), as suggesting the hand of one who himself shared in what he describes. But the text as read (though not written) by the Jewish authorities here, has the third person; as have some manuscripts, Septuagint, Vulgate, etc.:

EXPOSITION THE CIRCUMCISION.— JOSHUA 5:1 WHICH WERE ON THE SIDE OF JORDAN WESTWARD. A large portion of the territory of the Amorites had, as we have seen (Joshua 3:10), been already conquered. The remaining tribes on the other side Jordan were apprehensive of the same fate. For "on the side," the original has "across." Having hitherto written of Israel as on the eastern side of Jordan, he continues the same expression after he has narrated the crossing. But writing as he did on the west side of Jordan, and for readers the vast majority of whom were on the west side of Jordan, he adds the expression "westward" (literally, _seaward_)_ _to prevent any possibility of mistake. Until we were passed over.

AND IT CAME TO PASS, WHEN ALL THE KINGS OF THE AMORITES, WHICH [WERE] ON THE SIDE OF JORDAN WESTWARD,.... On the side the Israelites were now on; and this is observed, to distinguish them from the other kings of the Amorites beyond Jordan, on the eastern side, who were already conquered by the Israelites, Sihon and Og, who seem to be a colony that went over from the Amorites in Canaan, and possessed themselves of that part of the land of Moab. These seem to be put for several others of the nations of the land not mentioned, who doubtless were as much dispirited as they; and they are the rather mentioned, because they were a principal nation, and a very powerful and warlike one, see Amos 2:9. AND ALL THE KINGS OF THE CANAANITES WHICH [WERE] BY THE SEA; the Mediterranean sea; the Septuagint version calls them the kings of Phoenicia; and that which was strictly and property so lay on

5. AT GILGAL CHAPTER 5 _ 1. The terrified enemies (Joshua 5:1)_ 2. Circumcision commanded and executed (Joshua 5:2) 3. The Passover kept (Joshua 5:10) 4. The old corn of the land (Joshua 5:11) 5. The captain of Jehovah's host (Joshua 5:13) The events at Gilgal are of much interest. Jehovah had brought His people over Jordan. All His promises were kept. He had promised to deliver them out of Egypt and to bring them into the land of Canaan. All is now accomplished. The wilderness is behind them and they face the marvellous

Joshua Circumcises the Israelites. Here we have an interesting but quite unhistorical account of the institution of circumcision. Circumcision (pp. 83, 99f.) is a prehistoric rite practised by many nations in antiquity and by the South Sea Islanders, African, and Australian aborigines in the present day. Here we have an attempt to date its origin in Israel from the entry into Palestine, while in Genesis 17* (P) its origin is dated from the command given by God to Abraham. The endeavours of subsequent scribes to bring the two accounts into conformity with one another are seen in the insertion of Joshua 5:3. The original narrative is probably to be found in Joshua 5:2 and Joshua 5:9. Joshua is ordered to circumcise the nation by Yahweh, who says, Thi

THE LORD. HEBREW _Jehovah_. App-4. CHILDREN. sons. WE. So written, but read "they". Some codices have "they", both written and read, with three early printed editions, Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate. MELTED. See note on Joshua 2:9; Joshua 2:11. SPIRIT. Hebrew. _ruach._ App-9....