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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 wilderness after they left Egypt.[a] Now[b] all the men[c] who left were circumcised, but all the sons[d] born on the journey through the wilderness after they left Egypt were uncircumcised. Indeed, for forty years the Israelites traveled through the wilderness until all the men old enough to fight when they left Egypt, the ones who had disobeyed the Lord, died off.[e] For the Lord had sworn a solemn oath to them that he would not let them see the land he had sworn by oath to their ancestors to give them,[f] a land rich in[g] milk and honey.

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Footnotes

  1. Joshua 5:4 tn Heb “All the people who went out from Egypt, the males, all the men of war, died in the wilderness in the way when they went out from Egypt.”
  2. Joshua 5:5 tn Or “indeed.”
  3. Joshua 5:5 tn Heb “people.”
  4. Joshua 5:5 tn Heb “all the people.”
  5. Joshua 5:6 tn Heb “all the nation, the men of war who went out from Egypt, who did not listen to the voice of the Lord, came to an end.”
  6. Joshua 5:6 tn Some Hebrew mss, as well as the Syriac version, support this reading. Most ancient witnesses read “us.”
  7. Joshua 5:6 tn Heb “flowing with.”sn The word picture a land rich in milk and honey depicts the land as containing many grazing areas (which would produce milk) and flowering plants (which would support the bees that produced honey).

Now this is why he did so: All those who came out of Egypt—all the men of military age(A)—died in the wilderness on the way after leaving Egypt.(B) All the people that came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness during the journey from Egypt had not. The Israelites had moved about in the wilderness(C) forty years(D) until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the Lord. For the Lord had sworn to them that they would not see the land he had solemnly promised their ancestors to give us,(E) a land flowing with milk and honey.(F)

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