Joshua 5:2–9

The Circumcision at Gilgal

²Then the Lord told Joshua, “Make some knives out of flint and circumcise the Israelites.” ³So Joshua did as the Lord had commanded, and he circumcised the Israelites at a place called Circumcision Hill. ^4–6When the people of Israel left Egypt, all the males were already circumcised. However, during the 40 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. ⁷The sons of these men had never been circumcised, and it was this new generation that Joshua circumcised.

⁸After the circumcision was completed, the whole nation stayed in the camp until the wounds had healed. ⁹The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have removed from you the disgrace of being slaves in Egypt.” That is why the place was named Gilgal,^b the name it still has.