When all the Amorite and Canaanite kings heard that the Lord had dried up the Jordan River before Israel until the people had crossed, their hearts melted, and they lost all courage to stand against them.
Then the Lord said to Joshua, "Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again." So Joshua obeyed and circumcised the sons of Israel at Gibeath Haaraloth. This was necessary because all the men who had left Egypt had died in the wilderness, and those born along the journey had not been circumcised. The generation that had disobeyed God perished in the desert, but their sons, who were to inherit the land flowing with milk and honey, now received the covenant sign.
After the circumcision, the people remained in camp until they were healed. Then the Lord said to Joshua, "Today I have rolled away from you the reproach of Egypt." Therefore, that place was called Gilgal, meaning "rolling away."
While camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month. The next day, they ate the produce of the land—unleavened bread and roasted grain. From that moment, the manna that had sustained them for forty years ceased; they now ate from the blessings of Canaan.
One day, as Joshua neared Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing before him with a drawn sword in hand. Joshua approached and asked, "Are you for us or for our enemies?" The man replied, "Neither, but as the commander of the Lord's army I have now come."
Immediately, Joshua fell to the ground in reverence and asked, "What message does my Lord have for His servant?" The commander of the Lord's army said, "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua obeyed.