And it came to pass, when they had done circumcising all the people, that they abode in their places in the camp, till they were whole.
The Canaanite kings had held their nerve until now, trusting their fortified cities and populated lands to hold the invaders at bay. But when word came that Israel had crossed Jordan by miracle, not by force, their hearts melted like wax; the God of nature Himself fought for this people, and all their courage evaporated.
AI summary
Commenting on Joshua 5:1-9
The wound from circumcision rendered them sore on the third day, as Genesis 34:25 shows, but by the fourth day they were able to move. Three full days lay between crossing Jordan on the tenth of Nisan and the Passover on the fourteenth, which gave them time to heal while sheltered in camp. God's providence kept their enemies paralyzed with dread; their willingness to submit to this rite in enemy country, unable to fight or flee, displayed remarkable faith.
AI summary
Stone knives, not metal ones, though iron was known to the Hebrews by Joshua's time; flint was probably chosen because they lacked sufficient metal implements for so vast a people. The 'second time' does not require repeating the rite on those already circumcised, but resuming what had long been discontinued.
AI summary
Commenting on Joshua 5:2-12