Joshua 5:4

Green's Literal Translation

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.

Parallel Translations

English Standard Version
And this is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: all the males of the people who came out of Egypt, all the men of war, had died in the wilderness on the way after they had come out of Egypt.

Update Bible Version
And this is the cause why Joshua circumcised: all the people that came forth out of Egypt, that were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way, after they came forth out of Egypt.

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

New Century Version
This is why Joshua circumcised the men: After the Israelites left Egypt, all the men old enough to serve in the army died in the desert on the way out of Egypt.

New English Translation
This is why Joshua had to circumcise them: All the men old enough to fight when they left Egypt died on the journey through the desert after they left Egypt.

Webster's Bible Translation
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.

World English Bible
This is the cause why Joshua did circumcise: all the people who came forth out of Egypt, who were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way, after they came forth out of Egypt.

Amplified Bible
This is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: all the people who came out of Egypt who were males, all the men of war, had died in the wilderness along the way after they left Egypt.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Sotheli this is the cause of the secunde circumcisioun; al the puple of male kynde, that yede out of Egipt, alle men fiyteris, weren deed in deseert bi the lengeste cumpassis of weie,

Young's Literal Translation
And this [is] the thing [for] which Joshua circumciseth [them]: all the people who are coming out of Egypt, who are males, all the men of war have died in the wilderness, in the way, in their coming out of Egypt,

Berean Standard Bible
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.

Contemporary English Version
This had to be done, because none of Israel's baby boys had been circumcised during the forty years that Israel had wandered through the desert after leaving Egypt. And why had they wandered for forty years? It was because right after they left Egypt, the men in the army had disobeyed the Lord . And the Lord had said, "None of you men will ever live to see the land that I promised Israel. It is a land rich with milk and honey, and someday your children will live there, but not before you die here in the desert."

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

Bible in Basic English
And this is the reason why Joshua did so: all the males of the people who came out of Egypt, all the fighting-men, had been overtaken by death in the waste land on the way, after they came out of Egypt.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And this is the cause why Iosuah circumcised all the people, euen the males that came out of Egypt: because that al the men of warre died in the wildernes by ye way, after they came out of Egypt.

Complete Jewish Bible
The reason Y'hoshua circumcised was that all the people who had left Egypt who were males, all the fighting men, had died in the desert along the way after leaving Egypt.

Darby Translation
And this is the cause why Joshua circumcised [them]: all the people that had come out of Egypt, the males, all the men of war, had died in the wilderness on the way, after they came out of Egypt.

Easy-to-Read Version
This is why Joshua circumcised the men: After the Israelites left Egypt, all the men who were able to serve in the army were circumcised. While in the desert, many of the fighting men did not listen to the Lord . So the Lord promised that they would not see the "land where much food grows." He promised our ancestors to give us that land, but because of those men, he forced the people to wander in the desert for 40 years. That way all those fighting men would die. So all the fighting men died, and their sons took their place. But none of the boys who were born in the desert on the trip from Egypt had been circumcised. So Joshua circumcised them.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And this is the cause why Joshua did circumcise: all the people that came forth out of Egypt, that were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way, after they came forth out of Egypt.

King James Version (1611)
And this is the cause why Ioshua did circumcise: all the people that came out of Egypt, that were males, euen all the men of warre, died in the wildernes by the way after they came out of Egypt.

New Life Bible
This is the reason why Joshua had them go through this religious act. All the males who had come out of Egypt, all the soldiers, had died in the desert on the way from Egypt.

New Revised Standard
This is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: all the males of the people who came out of Egypt, all the warriors, had died during the journey through the wilderness after they had come out of Egypt.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Now, this, is the cause why Joshua did circumcise, - all the people who came forth out of Egypt, who were males, all the men of war, died in the desert, by the way, after they came forth out of Egypt.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And this is the cause why Ioshua circumcised all the people, euen the males that came out of Egypt, because all the men of warre were dead in the wildernesse by the way after they came out of Egypt.

George Lamsa Translation
And these are the men whom Joshua did circumcise: every male child who had been born after they had come out of Egypt, because all the men of war had died in the wilderness on the journey, after they came out of Egypt.

Good News Translation
When the people of Israel left Egypt, all the males were already circumcised. However, during the forty years the people spent crossing the desert, none of the baby boys had been circumcised. Also, by the end of that time all the men who were of fighting age when they left Egypt had died because they had disobeyed the Lord . Just as he had sworn, they were not allowed to see the rich and fertile land that he had promised their ancestors.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Now this is the cause of the second circumcision: All the people that came out of Egypt that were males, all the men fit for war, died in the desert, during the time of the long going about in the way:

Revised Standard Version
And this is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: all the males of the people who came out of Egypt, all the men of war, had died on the way in the wilderness after they had come out of Egypt.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And this is the way in which Joshua purified the children of Israel; as many as were born in the way, and as many as were uncircumcised of them that came out of Egypt,

Christian Standard Bible®
This is the reason Joshua circumcised them: All the people who came out of Egypt who were males—all the men of war—had died in the wilderness along the way after they had come out of Egypt.

Hebrew Names Version
This is the cause why Yehoshua did circumcise: all the people who came forth out of Mitzrayim, who were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way, after they came forth out of Mitzrayim.

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.

Lexham English Bible
This is the reason why Joshua circumcised all the people: all the males who went out from Egypt, all the warriors, died in the wilderness as they went out from Egypt on the journey.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And the cause why Iosua circumcysed all the males of the people yt were come out of Egipte, is this: for all the men of warre dyed in ye wildernesse by the waye, after they were departed out of Egipte:

THE MESSAGE
This is why Joshua conducted the circumcision. All the males who had left Egypt, the soldiers, had died in the wilderness on the journey out of Egypt. All the people who had come out of Egypt, of course, had been circumcised, but all those born in the wilderness along the way since leaving Egypt had not been. The fact is that the People of Israel had walked through that wilderness for forty years until the entire nation died out, all the men of military age who had come out of Egypt but had disobeyed the call of God . God vowed that these would never lay eyes on the land God had solemnly promised their ancestors to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. But their children had replaced them. These are the ones Joshua circumcised. They had never been circumcised; no one had circumcised them along the way.

New American Standard Bible
This is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: all the people who came out of Egypt who were males, all the men of war, died in the wilderness along the way after they came out of Egypt.

New King James Version
And this is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: All the people who came out of Egypt who were males, all the men of war, had died in the wilderness on the way, after they had come out of Egypt.

New Living Translation
Joshua had to circumcise them because all the men who were old enough to fight in battle when they left Egypt had died in the wilderness.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
This is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: all the people who came out of Egypt who were males, all the men of war, died in the wilderness along the way after they came out of Egypt.

Legacy Standard Bible
Now this is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: all the people who came out of Egypt who were males, all the men of war, died in the wilderness along the way when they came out of Egypt.

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

All the: Numbers 14:22, Numbers 26:64, Numbers 26:65, Deuteronomy 2:16, 1 Corinthians 10:5, Hebrews 3:17-19

Reciprocal: Genesis 17:10 - Every

Cross-References

Genesis 1:28
And God blessed them; and God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over the fish of the seas, and over birds of the heavens, and over all beasts creeping on the earth.

Genesis 5:1
This is the book of the generations of Adam: In the day that God created man. He made him in the likeness of God.

Genesis 5:3
And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years and fathered a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and called his name Seth.

Genesis 5:7
And after he fathered Enos, Seth lived eight hundred and seven years. And he fathered sons and daughters.

Genesis 5:10
After he fathered Cainan, Enosh lived eight hundred and fifteen years, and he fathered sons and daughters.

Genesis 5:13
And after he fathered Mahalaleel, Cainan lived eight hundred and forty years. And he fathered sons and daughters.

Genesis 5:19
And after he fathered Enoch, Jared lived eight hundred years. And he fathered sons and daughters.

Genesis 5:22
And Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he fathered Methuselah. And he fathered sons and daughters.

Genesis 5:26
And after he fathered Lamech, Methuselah lived seven hundred and eighty two years. And he fathered sons and daughters.

Genesis 5:30
And after he fathered Noah, Lamech lived five hundred and ninety five years. And he fathered sons and daughters.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And this [is] the cause why Joshua did circumcise,.... Or the reason of the command given him to circumcise the children of Israel at this time, namely, what follows:

all the people that came out of Egypt [that were] males, [even] all the men of war; meaning such that were twenty years old, and upwards:

died in the wilderness, by the way, after they came out of Egypt; not directly, but in a course of forty years, as they journeyed through the wilderness; this is to be understood with an exception of Joshua, Caleb, Eleazar, &c. but then there was a large number who were under twenty years of age, that came out of Egypt, and were now living.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Of the whole nation those only were already circumcised at the time of the passage of the Jordan who had been under twenty years of age at the time of the complaining and consequent rejection at Kadesh (compare the marginal reference). These would have been circumcised before they left Egypt, and there would still survive of them more than a quarter of a million of thirty-eight years old and upward.

The statements of these verses are of a general kind. The “forty years” of Joshua 5:6 is a round number, and the statement in the latter part of Joshua 5:5 cannot be strictly accurate. For there must have been male children born in the wilderness during the first year after the Exodus, and these must have been circumcised before the celebration of the Passover at Sinai in the first month of the second year (compare Numbers 9:1-5, and Exodus 12:48). The statements of the verses are, however, sufficiently close to the facts for the purpose in hand; namely, to render a reason for the general circumcising which is here recorded.

The reason why circumcision was omitted in the wilderness, was that the sentence of Numbers 14:28 ff placed the whole nation for the time under a ban; and that the discontinuance of circumcision, and the consequent omission of the Passover, was a consequence and a token of that ban. The rejection was not, indeed, total, for the children of the complainers were to enter into the rest; nor final, for when the children had borne the punishment of the fathers’ sins for the appointed years, and the complainers were dead, then it was to be removed, as now by Joshua. But for the time the covenant was abrogated, though God’s purpose to restore it was from the first made known, and confirmed by the visible marks of His favor which He still vouchsafed to bestow during the wandering. The years of rejection were indeed exhausted before the death of Moses (compare Deuteronomy 2:14): but God would not call upon the people to renew their engagement to Him until He had first given them glorious proof of His will and power to fulfill His engagements to them. So He gave them the first fruits of the promised inheritance - the kingdoms of Sihon and Og; and through a miracle planted their feet on the very soil that still remained to be conquered; and then recalled them to His covenant. It is to be noted, too, that they were just about to go to war against foes mightier than themselves. Their only hope of success lay in the help of God. At such a crisis the need of full communion with God would be felt indeed; and the blessing and strength of it are accordingly granted.

The revival of the two great ordinances - circumcision and the Passover - after so long an intermission could not but awaken the zeal and invigorate the faith and fortitude of the people. Both as seals and as means of grace and God’s good purpose toward them then, the general circumcision of the people, followed up by the solemn celebration of the Passover - the one formally restoring the covenant and reconciling them nationally to God, the other ratifying and confirming all that circumcision intended - were at this juncture most opportune.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Joshua 5:4. This is the cause why Joshua did circumcise — The text here explains itself. Before the Israelites left Egypt all the males were circumcised; and some learned men think that all those who were born during their encampment at Sinai were circumcised also, because there they celebrated the passover; but after that time, during the whole of their stay in the wilderness, there were none circumcised till they entered into the promised land. Owing to their unsettled state, God appears to have dispensed, for the time being, with this rite; but as they were about to celebrate another passover, it was necessary that all the males should be circumcised; for without this they could not be considered within the covenant, and could not keep the passover, which was the seal of that covenant. As baptism is generally understood to have succeeded to circumcision, and the holy eucharist to the passover, hence, in the Church of England, and probably in most others, no person is permitted to receive the sacrament of the Lord's Supper till he has been baptized.