Was Joshua a Gentile?

Easy G (G²);59505455 said:

Do you feel there was any specific significance in the fact that the generation of parents not entering the land seemed to not circumcise their sons--Joshua included?

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The archaeological record seems to suggest that the practice of circumcision in Egypt was practiced by *gulp* Egyptians, not the Hebrews. Even then it was only practiced on a certain class of priests. There are many archaeological finds that depict circumcision. It appears that it was a rite of passage into manhood and it was practiced on pubescent males. Owee! :o

If this was indeed the case, then I can see how the rulers of Egypt might restrict the Hebrews among them from practicing it, even though they may have gotten the practice from them in the first place.

Easy G (G²);59505455 said:

Do you feel there was any specific significance in the fact that the generation of parents not entering the land seemed to not circumcise their sons--Joshua included?

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Some people find it very hard to live under the protection and limited blessings of a promise as they journey to the reality of living fully within the protection and blessing of said promise. We are all guilty of this in differing degrees; we want the fulfillment, the real whole thing right now, immediately.

yedida said:

Some people find it very hard to live under the protection and limited blessings of a promise as they journey to the reality of living fully within the protection and blessing of said promise. We are all guilty of this in differing degrees; we want the fulfillment, the real whole thing right now, immediately.

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On the theme of fulfillment, when seeing what occurred with Joshua's generation and Joshua 5, where God required Joshua to circumcise all male before entering the land, its interesting to see how those males were already citizens of Israel. However, the ones who entered the land were those who were children of the older Israelities who never entered in.

Illegal immigrants entering the U.S.A can give birth to children in the states, effectively making them "U.S Citizens".. even though they may not have all of the full benefits of the country at their disposal due to their background...and the things they must work through. Likewise, by "accident of birth" those males in Joshua 5 were already counted among the Hebrew Children, but in order to enter the Land as legitimate citizens of Israel, they HAD TO BE circumcized according to the LAW of Moses. Even though the children of the older generation of Israelities had fought in many battles during their time in the wilderness (Numbers 20-36, Deuteronomy 2-4, etc), its possible that many of the young men had never been circumcised. Joshua 5:5 makes clear that all of those men of military age died in the desert after leaving Egypt....and whereas all the people coming out of Egypt had been circumcised, those born in the desert during the journey from Egypt had not. Its also possible that the new/second generation also had children who were uncircumcisd at this time.

But their circumcision had nothing to do with their being noted as apart of God's people. With Joshua 5, all the uncircumcised people in the covenant community at the time (the children of Israel) were members of the people. Requiring circumcision in order to enter the Land had nothing to do with them already being members of the covenant community. The circumcision was to fulfill the requirement as a a sign of the covenant, not to become citizens of Israel....or demonstrate faith in the Lord. There were other groups, such as the Edomites, like Lot's descendants the Moabites and the Ammonites ( Daniel 11:41) who were related to the Israelites, and originally they also practiced circumcision. (Jer 9:25-26; Ezekiel 32:29). With circumcision itself, it was practiced by many nations for spiritual reasons over centuries...long before the Israelites came along.

yedida said:

Some people find it very hard to live under the protection and limited blessings of a promise as they journey to the reality of living fully within the protection and blessing of said promise. We are all guilty of this in differing degrees; we want the fulfillment, the real whole thing right now, immediately.

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Some things are best enjoyed as time goes on

visionary said:

As every good Jew has in scripture their genealogy.. where is Joshua's?

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Surely Vis, you are not implying he was not a good Jew?

Of the tribe of Ephraim, Oshea the son of Nun...

Joshua's Genealogy
Joseph1
Ephraim1
Beriah
Rephah
Resheph
Telah
Tahan
Ladan
Ammihud
Elishama
Nun
Joshua (Hoshea)

1 Chronicles 7:20 And the sons of Ephraim; Shuthelah, and Bered his son, and Tahath his son, and Eladah his son, and Tahath his son, 21 And Zabad his son, and Shuthelah his son, and Ezer, and Elead, whom the men of Gath that were born in that land slew , because they came down to take away their cattle. 22 And Ephraim their father mourned many days, and his brethren came to comfort him. 23 And when he went in to his wife, she conceived , and bare a son, and he called his name Beriah, because it went evil with his house. 24 (And his daughter was Sherah, who built Bethhoron the nether, and the upper, and Uzzensherah.) 25 And Rephah was his son, also Resheph, and Telah his son, and Tahan his son, 26 Laadan his son, Ammihud his son, Elishama his son, 27 Non his son, Jehoshua his son.