NOTES for Jos 5:1-15; Jos 6:1
The Book of Joshua preserves many events that are semi-legendary or outright legendary, and this fact does not trouble the author of the Hexateuch at all. And it is not surprising: heroic epochs like the one described in the book always give rise to legends, which become, if not part of history itself, then, at least, an integral element of its perception in the eyes of contemporaries, and often of descendants.
Sometimes a legend reflects only the particularities of the perception of ordinary events in earthly history, while sometimes behind it lies a spiritual experience so unusual that it cannot be preserved in the collective memory of the people otherwise than in the form of a legend; the sacred writer conveys such legends quite reservedly, understanding that the reflection of spiritual reality in a legendary form is rarely entirely adequate. Exactly such a kind of reserved mention is the description of the appearance of the angelic host to Joshua (in the text it is called the "host of Yahweh", the "host of the Lord"). Such an appearance evidently testified: God has not abandoned His people, He goes with His angelic host ahead, leading behind Him those who are preparing to enter the land promised long ago to Abraham. The sacred writer also mentions the tradition that the man ("manna") ceased falling from the sky immediately after entering the Promised Land — the Exodus is complete, the people are on their own land, given to them by God, and now it will feed them. All this, as it were, emphasizes: the Exodus as a certain stage of the historical and spiritual path of the people is completed, now the next stage is ahead — the stage of conquering the land, and the leader of the people at this new stage will be Joshua, to whom the presence of the host of Yahweh was revealed.
The prologue to the mentioned new stage was circumcision, which the sacred writer talks about. It is difficult to say why and to what extent this rite, which was completely traditional among the Jews by that time, turned out to be forgotten, whether such oblivion was connected with the new living conditions in which the people found themselves, or not. Only one thing is clear: the conquest of the land would have been impossible without a mass religious revival, and in times of such a revival, everything connected with religion begins to be treated especially seriously. Of course, circumcision is only a sign of the alliance-covenant concluded with God, it does not yet guarantee a fully-fledged spiritual life in itself, but the mass performance of this rite at the beginning of the conquest campaign, inspired by God and directed by Joshua, was entirely obviously connected with a desire for spiritual and religious renewal, without which there could be no talk of any conquest of the land.
Of course, no mass revival, no religious enthusiasm is lasting and stable, but that is another story.