John Calvin Commentary Joshua 5:9

"And Jehovah said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of that place was called Gilgal, unto this day." — Joshua 5:9 (ASV)

And the Lord said unto Joshua, and so on. The disgrace of Egypt is interpreted by some as meaning that the lack of circumcision made them similar to the Egyptians—in other words, profane and marked with a stigma. It was as if to say that they were again made God's special possession when they were newly stamped with this mark to distinguish them from the unclean nations.

Others interpret it in an active sense, meaning that they would no longer be scorned by the Egyptians, as if God had deceived them. I have no hesitation in rejecting this as too far-fetched. Still others understand that they would no longer be subject to the false accusation of worshipping the gods of that nation.

I prefer to understand the meaning as this: they were freed from an unfair and resentful charge by which they were otherwise burdened. It was considered shameful to have thrown off the yoke and rebelled against the king under whose rule they lived. Moreover, since they proclaimed that God was the avenger of unjust tyranny, it was easy to reproach them for using God's name merely as a pretext for their actions.

They might, therefore, have been seen as deserters if the disgrace had not been wiped away by the act of circumcision, by which the divine election was sealed in their flesh before they went down to Egypt. Consequently, it was made clear by the renewal of the ancient covenant that they were not rebels against legitimate authority, nor had they rashly departed on their own initiative. Instead, their freedom was restored by God, who had long before taken them under his special protection.

The place received its name from this removal of disgrace. For those who think that the foreskin cut off was called Gilgal because it was a type of circle abandon the literal meaning and resort to a completely unnecessary fabrication. It is perfectly obvious, however, that the place was called Rolling Off because God there rolled away from his people the disgrace that had unjustly clung to them. The interpretation of liberty, adopted by Josephus, is baseless and ridiculous, and it shows that he was as ignorant of the Hebrew language as he was of law.