The Pulpit Commentary — Joshua — Section 143

ibis chapter, and eh. niv. 5, 6, 7; Judg. xi. .,tone (iii; cf. ,~ Exod. iv. 26). The LXX., 17; cf. 19. We must not, then, assume from Vulgate, Syriac, and Arabia versions, as this passage the.t the Book of Joshue. we.s well as the margins of our Bibles, render written bv one who himself had a share in thus. On the other hand, severe.I of the the events recorded, in the face of many Rabbis give the same translation as the t.ext indications we ha Ye of a later 01igin (see eh, of our version. The LXX. translator, i,. 9, &c.). A fuller discussion of this sub- following no doubt e.n ancient tradition, ject will be found in the introduction. Their adds ·after eh. xxiv. 30, that these knives heart melted. Continuing what Rahab bad were buried with Joshue. (see note there). said (eh. ii. 11). Similar terror has often The idea which has found great favour been struck into the hearts of peoples, es- lat.ely of a "stone age," as anterior to an pecially of peoples enervated by habits of " iron age," of the world, will hardly derive licentious indulgence, by the approach of support from this passage. That the use of enemies who have successfully and rapidly stone preceded the use of iron scarcely owrcome obstacles deemed insurmountable. admits of a doubt. But from Gen. iv. 22 Such an effect was produced in Persia by we learn that the use of iron had been Alexander's Yictories at the Granicus and known hundreds of years before Joshua, Issns. Such an effect, again, was produced and yet we find him using stone knives. in Ita\Y by the tidings of the approach of And we may go further. In spite of the Alaric and Attila. If we may trnst the advance of civilisation in our own day, monk of St. Gall, a similar terror fell on there are still millions of human beings the de~enerate Lombards at the approach who have not advanced beyond the " stone of Charles the Great, after his daring age." The idea, then, of an age in which passage of the Alps. In this case the the universal use of iron has supplanted the miraculous element was added, and the in- universal use of stone is an idea which facts habitants of Canaan, and of Jericho es- compel us to reject, while admitting that the pecialh·, remained for the time panic- use of stone must have preceded the use of stricken. not daring to combine to strike iron in the infancy of the human race. In a blo'I'.- against these daring invaders, who these "knives of flint," Origen, Theodoret, in addition to their bravery seemed under and others see an allusion to Christ, the the special protection of Heaven. When rock. The second time. For "circumcise the,· had recovered from the const.emation again the children of Israel the second into which the passage of the Jordan had time," the literal translation is, "return thrown them, the sense of an imminent (:mci) to circumcise," or, "return, circum- danger forced them at last to make an cise '.' them the second time. This has per- effort at resistance (see eh. x. ). plexed the commentators and translators. Yer. 2.-At that time. Ver. 1 is intro- It has been assnmed that the text involves duced in order to explain why Joshua ven- the idea of a former general circumcision tured upon the circumcision of the children of the people, and various are the expe- of Israel at so critical a period. Nothing dients which have been resorted to in order could more clearly evince the spirit of con- to avoid the difficulty. Some copies of the fidence in Jehovah which animated not LXX. would read JI? for :rnj (or :::i~: for only Joshan. but all the children of Israel. Vie· read of no murmurings, although it was :rn&, Roaenmiiller), and translate "sit well known that the performance of the rite dow~" (i.e., halt), "and circumcise." The ol circumcision would unfit the Israelites Vulgate leaves out the word altogether. The for acti Ye sen·ice for some days. \Ve may Syriac translates literally. The Arabic reads imagine, and even the silence of the sacred "to-morrow" for "again." The Rabbi historian ma_y be deemed eloquent on the Solomon Jarchi falls back on the expedient point, that the marvellous passage of the of a general circumcision ordered by Moses Jordan had inspired the Israelites with an on the departure of the children of Israel eager desire to renew their covenant with the from Egypt, on account of their neglect of God who "had done so great things for them that rite while they sojourned there, '' Nam already." And although, for religious rea- jam antee. magna multitudo simul erat cir- sons, thev remained inactive for four or five cumcisa ilia nocte qua egrediebantur ex da"•• a -;,ourse of action from a military }Egypto." But this is rendered highly im- point of view highly injudicious, yet such probable by the fact that circumcision was was the terror the passage of the Jordan an Egyptian as well as a Hebrew custom, had struck into the hearts of the Phami- and still more so by the improbability that cians that no attack on them was attempted, such an important circumstance should and the inhabitants of Jericho (eh. vi. 1) have been passed over in silence. Knobel remained under the protection of their regards Abraham's circumcision with the.t strong walls. BbuJ, kDives, or knive, of of his houaehold as the first time (Gen. cu. v. 1-9.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 79