Why did Joshua have to circumcise the Israelites (5:3)?
Probably because spiritual conditions were at a low ebb. God required each male to be circumcised as a sign of cutting off the old life and beginning anew with God (see Genesis 17:13). The 40-year desert march was punishment for their unbelief, so the people may have felt some degree of rejection by God. They may have neglected circumcision because they felt the spiritual bond it represented was broken. Also, they may not have felt compelled to identify with the Lord as strongly while isolated in the desert as when facing pagans. The Quest Study Bible What was special about the number seven (6:1315)? The number seven is the most significant symbolic number in the Bible, which probably relates to the Old Testament week of seven days with the final day representing the Sabbath (Genesis 2:2ff.). And so, the number seven is often used to symbolize completeness or perfection. In this passage the number seven is connected to God s total destruction of Jericho. It should be noted in this pass
