Joshua 5:2 Made Simple

KJV ORIGINAL

At that time the LORD said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time.

Close to the original. Clear modern English.

✦ MADE SIMPLE

At that time the LORD said to Joshua, 'Make sharp knives and circumcise the Israelites again for the second time.'

⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE

God is telling Joshua to perform circumcision on the Israelites who hadn't been circumcised during their time in the wilderness.

📚 Historical Context

The Israelites had just crossed the Jordan River and were preparing to enter the Promised Land after 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. During those wilderness years, the practice of circumcision had been neglected, so an entire generation of men had not received this sign of God's covenant with Abraham. Before they could fully possess the land God had promised, they needed to renew this covenant relationship through circumcision.

Explore Similar Verses

Joshua 5:7

So Joshua circumcised their children, whom God had raised up to take their parents' place. These children had not been circumcised because their parents hadn't circumcised them during their journey through the wilderness.

Joshua 5:8

After they had finished circumcising all the people, they stayed in their places in the camp until they had healed.

Joshua 5:3

So Joshua made sharp stone knives and circumcised the Israelites at the hill called 'the hill of foreskins.'

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📚 Historical Context

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