Joshua 5:2

Green's Literal Translation

At that time Jehovah said to Joshua, Make for yourself flint knives, and again circumcise the sons of Israel, the second time.

Parallel Translations

English Standard Version
At that time the Lord said to Joshua, "Make flint knives and circumcise the sons of Israel a second time."

Update Bible Version
At that time Yahweh said to Joshua, Make for yourself knives of flint, and circumcise again the sons of Israel the second time.

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

New Century Version
At that time the Lord said to Joshua, "Make knives from flint stones and circumcise the Israelites."

New English Translation
At that time the Lord told Joshua, "Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites once again."

Webster's Bible Translation
At that time the LORD said to Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time.

World English Bible
At that time Yahweh said to Joshua, Make you flint knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time.

Amplified Bible
At that time the LORD said to Joshua, "Make for yourself flint knives and circumcise the [new generation of the] sons of Israel as [was done] before."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
In that tyme the Lord seide to Josue, Make to thee knyues of stoon, and circumside thou the sones of Israel, in the secunde tyme.

Young's Literal Translation
At that time said Jehovah unto Joshua, `Make for thee knives of flint, and turn back, circumcise the sons of Israel a second time;'

Berean Standard Bible
At that time the LORD said to Joshua, "Make flint knives and circumcise the sons of Israel once again."

Contemporary English Version
While Israel was camped at Gilgal, the Lord said, "Joshua, make some flint knives and circumcise the rest of the Israelite men and boys."

American Standard Version
At that time Jehovah said unto Joshua, Make thee knives of flint, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time.

Bible in Basic English
At that time the Lord said to Joshua, Make yourself stone knives and give the children of Israel circumcision a second time.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
That same time the Lorde saide vnto Iosuah: Make thee sharp kniues, and go to agayne and circumcise the children of Israel the seconde time.

Complete Jewish Bible
It was at that time that Adonai said to Y'hoshua, "Make yourself knives of flint, and circumcise the people of Isra'el again, a second time.

Darby Translation
At that time Jehovah said to Joshua, Make thee stone-knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time.

Easy-to-Read Version
At that time the Lord said to Joshua, "Make knives from flint rocks and circumcise the men of Israel."

JPS Old Testament (1917)
At that time the LORD said unto Joshua: 'Make thee knives of flint, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time.'

King James Version (1611)
At that time the Lord said vnto Ioshua, Make thee sharpe kniues, and circumcise againe the children of Israel the second time.

New Life Bible
Then the Lord said to Joshua, "Make knives for yourselves out of hard stone. And cut the piece of skin from the sex part of the sons of Israel as before."

New Revised Standard
At that time the Lord said to Joshua, "Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites a second time."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
At that time, said Yahweh unto Joshua, Make thee knives of flint, - and again circumcise the sons of Israel, a second time.

Geneva Bible (1587)
That same time the Lord said vnto Ioshua, Make thee sharpe kniues, and returne, and circumcise the sonnes of Israel the second time.

George Lamsa Translation
At that time the LORD said to Joshua, Make for yourself a flint knife, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time.

Good News Translation
Then the Lord told Joshua, "Make some knives out of flint and circumcise the Israelites."

Douay-Rheims Bible
At that time the Lord said to Josue: Make thee knives of stone, and circumcise the second time the children of Israel.

Revised Standard Version
At that time the LORD said to Joshua, "Make flint knives and circumcise the people of Israel again the second time."

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And about this time the Lord said to Joshua, Make thee stone knives of sharp stone, and sit down and circumcise the children of Israel the second time.

Christian Standard Bible®
At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelite men again.”

Hebrew Names Version
At that time the LORD said to Yehoshua, Make you flint knives, and circumcise again the children of Yisra'el the second time.

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

Lexham English Bible
At that time Yahweh said to Joshua, "Make for yourself knives of flint, and circumcise the Israelites a second time."

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
At the same tyme sayde ye LORDE vnto Iosua: Make the knyues of stone, & circumcyse the children of Israel agayne the seconde tyme.

THE MESSAGE
At that time God said to Joshua, "Make stone knives and circumcise the People of Israel a second time." So Joshua made stone knives and circumcised the People of Israel at Foreskins Hill.

New American Standard Bible
At that time the LORD said to Joshua, "Make for yourself flint knives and circumcise again the sons of Israel the second time."

New King James Version
At that time the LORD said to Joshua, "Make flint knives for yourself, and circumcise the sons of Israel again the second time."

New Living Translation
At that time the Lord told Joshua, "Make flint knives and circumcise this second generation of Israelites."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
At that time the LORD said to Joshua, "Make for yourself flint knives and circumcise again the sons of Israel the second time."

Legacy Standard Bible
At that time Yahweh said to Joshua, "Make for yourself flint knives and circumcise again the sons of Israel the second time."

Contextual Overview

¹ And it happened, when all the kings of the Amorites beyond the Jordan, toward the sea, and all the kings of the Canaanites which were by the sea, heard how Jehovah dried up the waters of theJordan before the sons of Israel, until theycrossed over, their heart was melted. And there was not any more spirit in them before the sons of Israel. ² At that time Jehovah said to Joshua, Make for yourself flint knives, and again circumcise the sons of Israel, the second time. ³ And Joshua made flint knives for himself, and circumcised the sons of Israel at the hill of the foreskins. ⁴ And this is the reason Joshua circumcised: All the people who had come out of Egypt, who were males, all the men of war, had died in the wilderness, in the way, as they came out of Egypt. ⁵ For all the people who had come out were circumcised. And all the people who were born in the wilderness, in the way, as they came out from Egypt, had not been circumcised. ⁶ For the sons of Israel had walked forty years in the wilderness, until all the nation, the men of war who had come out of Egypt were consumed, those who did not listen to the voice of Jehovah, to whom Jehovah had sworn to them not toshow them the land which Jehovah swore to their fathers, to give to us, a land flowing with milk and honey; these were consumed. ⁷ And He raised their sons up in their place. Joshua circumcised them, for they had been uncircumcised; for they had not been circumcised in the way. ⁸ And it happened, when all the nation had finished being circumcised, they remained in their places in the camp until they revived. ⁹ And Jehovah said to Joshua, Today I have rolled the reproach of Egypt off of you. And he called the name of that place Gilgal to this day.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

sharp knives: or, knives of flints, Before the use of iron was common, all the nations of the earth had their edge tools made of stones, flints, etc. Our ancestors had their arrows and spearheads made of flint; which are frequently turned up by the plough. And even when iron became more common, stone knives seem to have been preferred for making incisions in the human body. The Egyptians used such to open the bodies for embalming; and the tribe of Alnajab in Ethiopia, who follow the Mosaic institution, perform the rite of circumcision, according to Ludolf, cultris lapidibus, with knives made of stone.

circumcise: Genesis 17:10-14, Deuteronomy 10:16, Deuteronomy 30:6, Romans 2:29, Romans 4:11, Colossians 2:11

Reciprocal: Genesis 17:14 - cut Genesis 17:23 - circumcised Genesis 34:14 - uncircumcised Exodus 4:25 - a sharp stone Hosea 9:15 - is in

Cross-References

Genesis 1:27
And God created the man in His own image; in the image of God He created him. He created them male and female.

Genesis 2:15
And Jehovah God took the man and put him into the Garden of Eden, to work it and to keep it.

Genesis 2:23
And the man said, This now at last is bone from my bones, and flesh from my flesh. For this shall be called Woman, because this has been taken out of man.

Malachi 2:15
And has He not made you one? Yet the vestige of the Spirit is in him. And what of the one? He was seeking a seed of God. Then guard your spirit, and do not deal treacherously with the wife of your youth.

Matthew 19:4
But answering, He said to them, Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning "created them male and female"? Gen. 1:27

Mark 10:6
But from the beginning of creation "God made them male and female." Gen. 1:27

Acts 17:26
And He made every nation of men of one blood, to live on all the face of the earth, ordaining fore-appointed seasons and boundaries of their dwelling,

Gill's Notes on the Bible

At that time the Lord said unto Joshua,.... When the people had passed over Jordan, and had pitched in Gilgal, and Joshua had set up the stones there; and particularly when the dread of them had seized the inhabitants of Canaan, and deprived them of all their courage; and so was a fit time for the execution of what is next ordered, and seems designed in the providence of God among other things particularly for that:

make them sharp knives; not that Joshua was to make them himself, but to order them to be made; for a considerable number would be wanted for the use to be made of them: the Targum calls them sharp razors; and Ben Gersom says they were made of brass, more likely of iron or steel, which perhaps he means; but the Hebrew text is, "knives of rocks", "flints" or "stones"; and so Maimonides p interprets the words, and as they are rendered in various versions q; with such an instrument Zipporah circumcised her son; and like them were the "samia testa" r, with which the priests of the mother of the gods were castrated; and the "saxum acutum" of Ovid s; and such the Americans used in slaying beasts, and the Egyptians t in the dissecting of their dead bodies; and which the Talmudists allow of as lawful; and in the east the Jews to this day use knives of stone in circumcision u;

:-.

and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time; not that circumcision was to be repeated on them that had been circumcised already, who had found out ways and means to draw over the foreskin again, as some in later times did; or who had been imperfectly circumcised according to the rite enjoined by Abraham, which some Jewish writers say was not perfect; neither of which was the case. Kimchi, and so Ben Melech, interpret the word, "oftentimes", frequently, one time after another; as if the sense was, Joshua was to circumcise them, or take care they were circumcised, some at one time, and some at another, until the whole was finished; but this is not what is meant, it refers to a former general circumcision; not to the circumcision, as first administered in Abraham's time, for there had been a multitude of instances of it since that time; but to the circumcision of the Israelites at, about, or quickly after their coming out of Egypt; either before their eating of their first passover, the night they went out of Egypt, as Jarchi w; or rather some time in the three days' darkness of the Egyptians, as Dr. Lightfoot x thinks; or else when they were about Sinai, just before the celebration of the passover there, Numbers 9:1; from which time it had been neglected; not cause unnecessary, while they were in the wilderness, to distinguish them from others, which was not the principal, at least not the only use of it; nor because forbidden the Israelites for their disobedience, murmurings, and rebellion, it not being probable that God should prohibit the observance of a command of his on that account; nor so much through criminal neglect, at least contempt of it, as because of their frequent journeying, and the inconvenience of performing it, being always uncertain, when they had pitched their tents, how long they should stay, and when they should remove, since this depended upon the taking up of the cloud; wherefore, unless they could have been sure of a continuance for a proper time, it was not safe to administer it; and now it was enjoined, partly because they were about to celebrate the passover, which required circumcision in all that partook of it,

Exodus 12:43; and partly because they had now entered into the land of Canaan, which was given them in the covenant of circumcision,

Genesis 17:8; wherefore it became them now to observe it, and as typical of spiritual circumcision, necessary to the heavenly Canaan, as well as to distinguish them from the uncircumcised Canaanites they were coming among; and they did not think themselves under obligation to observe it till they came to settle in that land, as some think, who hereby account for their long neglect of it.

p Moreh Nevochim, par. 1. c. 16. q הרבות צרים μαχαιρας πετρινας, Sept. "cultros lapideos", V. L. "cultros petrarum", Munster, Montanus, Piscator. r Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 35. c. 12. Arnob. adv. Gentes, l. 5. p. 189. s Fast. l. 4. ver. 237. t Herod. Euterpe, sive, l. 2. c. 86. u Vid. Pfeiffer. Dubia Vexata, cent. 2. loc. 46. w So in Pirke Eliezer, c. 29. x Works, vol. 1. p. 40.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Make thee sharp knives - Render rather as marg., and compare marginal reference and note. Knives of flint or stone were in fact used for circumcision, and retained for that and other sacred purposes, even after iron had become in common use. The rendering of the margin is adopted by almost all ancient versions, by most commentators, and by the fathers generally, who naturally regarded circumcision performed by Joshua and by means of knives of stone or rock, as symbolic of the true circumcision performed by Christ, who is more than once spoken of as the Rock (compare 1 Corinthians 10:4; Romans 2:29; Colossians 2:11). See Joshua 21:42.

Circumcise again ... - i. e. make that which once was a circumcised people but is not so now, once more a circumcised people. (See Joshua 4:4-7.)

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Joshua 5:2. Make thee sharp knives — חרבות צרים charboth tsurim, knives of rock, stone, or flint. Before the use of iron was common, all the nations of the earth had their edge-tools made of stones, flints, c. In the lately discovered islands this is found to be a common case. Our ancestors in these countries made their arrow and spear-heads of flint: these I have often seen turned up by the plough. But we cannot suppose that at the time here referred to the Israelites were destitute of iron, and were therefore obliged to use knives made of stone or flint, their different manufactures in the wilderness prove that they must have had both iron and steel. Why then use knives made of stone? Probably it was unlawful to use metal of any kind in this religious rite and indeed this seems likely from the circumstance of Zipporah (Exodus 4:25) taking a sharp stone and circumcising her son; and we find, from the most ancient and authentic accounts, that the Egyptians considered it unlawful or profane to use any kind of metal to make incisions in the human body, when preparing it for embalming; see the note on Genesis 50:2, and on Exodus 4:25. That it was deemed improper to use any other kind of instrument in circumcision we have a proof in the tribe Alnajab, in Ethiopia, who follow the Mosaic institution, and perform the rite of circumcision, according to Ludolf, cultris lapidibus, with knives made of stone. - Hist. AEthiop., lib. iii., c. 1. And as God commanded the people to make him an altar of unhewn stones, on which no tool of iron had been lifted up, because this would pollute it, (see Exodus 20:25, and Deuteronomy 27:5), he might require that no instrument of iron should be used in a rite by which the body and soul of the person were in the most solemn and sacred manner dedicated to him to be his house and temple, the heart itself being the altar on which continual sacrifices to God must be offered. A physical reason has been given for preferring knives of stone in this operation, "the wound suffers less through inflammation, and is sooner healed." For this a reason may be given. It is almost impossible to get an edge made so even and firm as not to leave particles of the metal in the incisions made even in the most delicate flesh; these particles would soon become oxidized by the action of the air, and extra inflammation in the part would be the consequence. The great aptitude of iron to be oxidized, i.e., to be converted to rust, is well known; but how far this reasoning, thus applied, may be supported by fact, I cannot pretend to determine: it is sufficiently evident that it was a common custom to use knives of stone in circumcision, and in all operations on those parts of the human body. I shall give a few examples. Pliny says, when they amputate certain parts they do it with a sharp stone, because nothing else could be employed without danger. Samia testa virilitatem amputabant: nec aliter citra perniciem.

Ovid, Fast. lib. iv., ver. 237, relates a circumstance where the saxum acutum, or sharp stone, was used about those parts: -

Ille etiam SAXO corpus laniavit ACUTO,

Longaque in immundo pulvere tracta coma est.

Voxque fuit, Merui; meritas dem sanguine poenas;

Ah! pereant partes quae nocuere mihi;

Ah! pereant; dicebat adhuc, onus inguinis aufert;

Nullaque sunt subito signa relicta viri.

This quotation is produced in order to prove that a knife made of a sharp stone was used in making incisions and amputations of certain parts of the body, even when the use of iron was well known; but a translation of the verse is not necessary, and would be improper. The

Mollia qui RAPTA secuit GENITALIA TESTA

of Juvenal (Sat. vi., ver. 513) is a farther proof of this. Many other proofs might be produced but those who wish for more may consult Calmet and Scheuchzer.

Circumcise again the children of Israel the second time. — This certainly does not mean that they should repeat circumcision on those who had already received it. This would have been as absurd as impracticable. But the command implies that they were to renew the observance of a rite which had been neglected in their travels in the desert: this is sufficiently evident from the following verses.