In his commentary on Joshua 5:2, Radak (R. If you wish, I could say because no northern breeze blew for them. If you wish, I could say because of (weakness) developed during travel. The Babylonian Talmud notes the problem and offers two possible solutions (b. Circumcising in the Wilderness is Dangerous Josh 5:7 But He had raised up their sons in their stead and it was these that Joshua circumcised, for they were uncircumcised, not having been circumcised on the way.ĭespite the wordiness of this long comment, it does not clearly explain why the Israelite males born on the way were not circumcised. Josh 5:6 For the Israelites had traveled in the wilderness forty years, until the entire nation - the men of military age who had left Egypt - had perished because they had not obeyed YHWH, and YHWH had sworn never to let them see the land that YHWH had sworn to their fathers to assign to us, a land flowing with milk and honey. 5:5 Now, whereas all the people who came out of Egypt had been circumcised, none of the people born after the exodus, during the desert wanderings, had been circumcised. Josh 5:4 This is the matter of Joshua performing the circumcision: All the people who had come out of Egypt, all the males of military age, had died during the desert wanderings after leaving Egypt.

4–7) offer a parenthetical comment that answers this concern. Why weren’t the Israelites already circumcised? Weren’t they required to circumcise their sons on the eighth day of birth from the time of Abraham (Gen 17)? Josh 5:2 At that time, YHWH said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and proceed with a second circumcision of the Israelites.” 5:3 So Joshua had flint knives made, and the Israelites were circumcised at Gibeat-haʿaralot (“Hill of Foreskins”).

40 year walk in desert