According to Challoner, what does circumcising Israel “the second time” mean?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

It means renewing a practice omitted during the forty-year wilderness journey, not circumcising again those already circumcised. Challoner says uncertainty about when they would have to march was the reason for the omission.

Chapter breakdown

All the Amorrhite kings west of the Jordan and all Chanaan’s kings near the great sea hear that the Lord dried the Jordan before Israel until it crossed. Their hearts fail, and no spirit remains in them because they fear Israel’s coming. At that time the Lord commands Josue to make stone knives and circumcise Israel’s children a second time. Challoner’s separate note says those already circumcised are not to undergo it again. The practice is to be renewed after being omitted during forty years in the wilderness, because they were always uncertain when they would have to march.

Josue does as commanded and circumcises Israel’s children at the hill of the foreskins. The account explains the second circumcision: the males who came out of Egypt, the men fit for war, died in the desert during the long journey. They had been circumcised, but those born during the forty-year wide-wilderness journey had not. The generation that did not hear the Lord’s voice was consumed; he had sworn not to show it the land flowing with milk and honey. Their children succeed them and are circumcised by Josue, because they were born uncircumcised and no one circumcised them on the way. After all are circumcised, they remain at the same camp until healed.

The Lord tells Josue that this day he has removed Egypt’s reproach from them. The place is called Galgal until this present day. Israel stays there and keeps the phase, or Pasch, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening in Jericho’s plains. The next day it eats unleavened bread from the land’s corn and frumenty—prepared grain—from that same year. Manna ceases after they eat the land’s corn. They no longer use it as food, but eat the present year’s corn from Chanaan’s land.

In Jericho’s field, Josue looks up and sees a man standing opposite him holding a drawn sword. He goes to him and asks whether he belongs to them or their adversaries. The answer is no: he is prince of the Lord’s host and has now come. Challoner’s separate note identifies him as St. Michael, called prince of Israel’s people in Daniel 10:21.

Josue falls face down to the ground and, worshipping, asks what his lord says to his servant. Challoner explains that this is not divine honour but religious veneration of an inferior kind, suited to the person’s dignity. He is told to loosen his shoes from his feet because the place where he stands is holy. Josue does as commanded.

The story inside

The kings’ fear follows hearing about the Jordan crossing; the chapter then records a circumcision command and Josue’s obedience. The generation explanation distinguishes circumcised men who left Egypt and died from their uncircumcised successors. Challoner adds the reason the practice had been omitted, without saying already-circumcised people underwent it again. The people wait to heal, keep the Pasch and eat the land’s grain; manna then ceases. The source gives that sequence but no theory of dependence giving way to maturity. In the field Josue asks the sword-bearing figure which side he belongs to. The answer gives a different title, and Josue asks for direction and obeys the shoe command. Challoner identifies Michael and distinguishes this veneration from divine honour.

Lessons worth keeping

1
Second time refers to renewing the practice. Challoner explicitly excludes repeating circumcision on those already circumcised and names uncertain marching times as the reason for its forty-year omission.
2
The food account gives timing and foods. The Pasch is kept on the fourteenth evening; the next day brings unleavened bread and that year’s frumenty. Manna ceases after the land’s corn is eaten, and Israel uses it no more.
3
The figure’s identity and kind of veneration have separate notes. The verse calls him prince of the Lord’s host. Challoner identifies St. Michael with Daniel 10:21 and explains Josue’s worship as an inferior religious veneration, not divine honour.

Test your recall

Why, according to Challoner, had circumcision been omitted during the wilderness journey, and who is excluded from being circumcised again?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 22746–22765
Josue Chapter 5 The people are circumcised: they keep the pasch. The manna ceaseth. An angel appeareth to Josue. 5:1. Now when all the kings of the Amorrhites, who dwelt beyond the Jordan, westward, and all the kings of Chanaan, who possessed the places near the great sea, had heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the children of Israel, till they passed over, their heart failed them, and there remained no spirit in them, fearing the coming in of the children of Israel. 5:2. At that time the Lord said to Josue: Make thee knives of stone, and circumcise the second time the children of Israel. The second time.... Not that such as had been circumcised before were to be circumcised again; but that they were now to renew, and take up again the practice of circumcision; which had been omitted during their forty years’ sojourning in the wilderness; by reason of their being always uncertain when they should be obliged to march.
Lines 22767–22787
5:3. He did what the Lord had commanded, and he circumcised the children of Israel in the hill of the foreskins. 5:4. Now this is the cause of the second circumcision: All the people that came out of Egypt that were males, all the men fit for war, died in the desert, during the time of the long going about in the way: 5:5. Now these were all circumcised. But the people that were born in the desert, 5:6. During the forty years of the journey in the wide wilderness, were uncircumcised: till all they were consumed that had not heard the voice of the Lord, and to whom he had sworn before, that he would not shew them the land flowing with milk and honey. 5:7. The children of these succeeded in the place of their fathers, and were circumcised by Josue: for they were uncircumcised even as they were born, and no one had circumcised them in the way. 5:8. Now after they were all circumcised, they remained in the same place of the camp, until they were healed.
Lines 22789–22802
5:9. And the Lord said to Josue: This day have I taken away from you the reproach of Egypt. And the name of that place was called Galgal, until this present day. 5:10. And the children of Israel abode in Galgal, and they kept the phase, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, in the plains of Jericho: 5:11. And they ate on the next day unleavened bread of the corn of the land, and frumenty of the same year. 5:12. And the manna ceased after they ate of the corn of the land, neither did the children of Israel use that food any more, but they ate of the corn of the present year of the land of Chanaan.
Lines 22804–22813
5:13. And when Josue was in the field of the city of Jericho, he lifted up his eyes, and saw a man standing over against him, holding a drawn sword, and he went to him, and said: Art thou one of ours, or of our adversaries? 5:14. And he answered: No: but I am prince of the host of the Lord, and now I am come. Prince of the host of the Lord, etc.... St. Michael, who is called prince of the people of Israel, Dan. 10.21.
Lines 22815–22824
5:15. Josue fell on his face to the ground. And worshipping, said: What saith my lord to his servant? Worshipping.... Not with divine honour, but with a religious veneration of an inferior kind, suitable to the dignity of his person. 5:16. Loose, saith he, thy shoes from off thy feet: for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Josue did as was commanded him.