Single lesson
Passover at Gilgal
Joshua 5:1–12
After crossing the Jordan, Israel stopped at Gilgal before moving on. In this passage, the people obey God, keep the Passover, and begin eating food from the land, so we can trace the order of events and their outcomes.
Before you teach
Joshua 5:1–12 begins after nearby kings heard that Yahweh had dried up the Jordan for Israel to cross. At Gilgal, Yahweh told Joshua to circumcise the sons of Israel, explained why this was needed, and then Israel kept the Passover and ate produce from the land.
Students will be able to put Joshua 5:1–12 in order and explain that the passage shows Israel obeying Yahweh at Gilgal, keeping the Passover, and beginning to eat from the land.
Welcome: What happened first at Gilgal?
5 minShow three words on paper or a board: heard, obeyed, ate. Ask children to listen for how these fit the passage. Explain that the chapter opens with the kings hearing what Yahweh had done at the Jordan, and their courage failed because Israel had crossed over. This sets the scene for what happens next at Gilgal.
Joshua 5:1
Read and explain: Why was circumcision needed here?
8 minRead verses 2–8 slowly. Explain that Yahweh told Joshua to make flint knives and circumcise the sons of Israel. The passage itself gives the reason: the men who came out of Egypt had died in the wilderness, and the people born on the way had not been circumcised. After this, the nation stayed in camp until healed.
Joshua 5:2, Joshua 5:3, Joshua 5:4, Joshua 5:5, Joshua 5:6, Joshua 5:7, Joshua 5:8
Discuss: Gilgal and the reproach of Egypt
5 minRead verse 9 and ask children to notice Yahweh’s words. Explain that Yahweh said, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you,” and that the place was called Gilgal. Keep discussion close to the verse by asking what God said and what name was given, rather than guessing beyond the text.
Joshua 5:9
Make and respond: Sequence cards for the passage
8 minChildren make simple sequence cards for the main events: kings heard, Joshua circumcised the people, they stayed until healed, they kept the Passover, they ate produce from the land, the manna ceased. Then they place the cards in order and retell the account using the Bible wording where possible.
Joshua 5:1, Joshua 5:3, Joshua 5:8, Joshua 5:10, Joshua 5:11, Joshua 5:12
Closing: Passover, produce, and manna stopping
4 minFinish by reading verses 10–12. Point out the order: Israel camped at Gilgal, kept the Passover, ate unleavened cakes and parched grain from the land, and then the manna ceased. Ask children to name one thing God had provided before and one thing the people ate now. Close by summarising the sequence together.
Joshua 5:10, Joshua 5:11, Joshua 5:12
Questions to explore
What did the kings hear, and what happened to them when they heard it?
Look carefully at the first verse and answer with both parts: what Yahweh had done at the Jordan and how the kings responded.
Joshua 5:1
According to this passage, why did Joshua circumcise the sons of Israel at that time?
Use the explanation in verses 4–7, which tells who had died in the wilderness and which people had not been circumcised on the way.
Joshua 5:4, Joshua 5:5, Joshua 5:6, Joshua 5:7
What changed after the people kept the Passover and ate produce from the land?
Read verses 11–12 in order and notice what they ate and what stopped the next day.
Joshua 5:11, Joshua 5:12
Make, think or respond
Gilgal Sequence Cards
What you’ll need
- plain paper or card
- pencils or textas
- Bible
- scissors
- optional crayons
Try it together
- Write or draw six events from Joshua 5:1–12 on separate cards: kings heard, circumcision, healing in camp, Passover, produce of the land, manna ceased.
- Mix the cards and have children work alone or in pairs to place them in the order the passage gives.
- Read the verses again and let children check and correct the order from the Bible.
- Invite each child or pair to retell the passage by pointing to the cards in sequence.
This activity helps children follow the order of Joshua 5:1–12 and notice the choices, actions, and outcomes described in the passage.
Adapt for your group
- For younger children, prepare picture-based cards in advance and let them choose between two events at a time instead of ordering all six at once.
- For stronger readers, ask them to add a short phrase from the verses to each card, such as “stayed in their places until healed” or “the manna ceased.”
An optional closing prayer
You may pray: “God, thank you for this passage. Please help us listen carefully to your word, remember what you have done, and respond with obedience.”
Read the Bible passage World English Bible Classic
Joshua 5
1 When all the kings of the Amorites, who were beyond the Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, who were by the sea, heard how Yahweh had dried up the waters of the Jordan from before the children of Israel until we had crossed over, their heart melted, and there was no more spirit in them, because of the children of Israel.
2 At that time, Yahweh said to Joshua, “Make flint knives, and circumcise again the sons of Israel the second time.”
3 Joshua made himself flint knives, and circumcised the sons of Israel at the hill of the foreskins.
4 This is the reason Joshua circumcised them: all the people who came out of Egypt, who were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness along the way, after they came out of Egypt.
5 For all the people who came out were circumcised; but all the people who were born in the wilderness along the way as they came out of Egypt had not been circumcised.
6 For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness until all the nation, even the men of war who came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they didn’t listen to Yahweh’s voice. Yahweh swore to them that he wouldn’t let them see the land which Yahweh swore to their fathers that he would give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.
7 Their children, whom he raised up in their place, were circumcised by Joshua, for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them on the way.
8 When they were done circumcising the whole nation, they stayed in their places in the camp until they were healed.
9 Yahweh said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” Therefore the name of that place was called Gilgal to this day.
10 The children of Israel encamped in Gilgal. They kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at evening in the plains of Jericho.
11 They ate unleavened cakes and parched grain of the produce of the land on the next day after the Passover, in the same day.
12 The manna ceased on the next day, after they had eaten of the produce of the land. The children of Israel didn’t have manna any more, but they ate of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.
World English Bible Classic. Public domain.