Israel’s forty-year journey in the wilderness formed a new generation that would enter and experience God’s promised blessings.
For the sons of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, until all the nation, that is, the men of war who came out of Egypt, perished because they did not listen to the voice of the LORD, to whom the LORD had sworn that He would not let them see the land which the LORD had sworn to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. (v.6)
This verse describes the consequence of Israel’s disbelief and disobedience that occurred after they departed Egypt. The text states that the sons of Israel walked in the wilderness for forty years, a period during which an entire generation of fighting men died before ever seeing the Promised Land. This wandering was God’s response to their unfaithfulness, as they did not trust His promise to bring them victoriously into Canaan. Instead, they feared the inhabitants of the land and grumbled against the LORD’s plan, a choice which ultimately led to further hardship. During these four decades, the nation relied on God’s miraculous provision of manna, which famously ceased once they entered the land at Gilgal (Joshua 5:12).
The passage also emphasizes that those who perished were the men of war who came out of Egypt. Because they “did not listen to the voice of the LORD,” God swore that they would not see the inheritance promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. That inheritance was repeatedly described as “a land flowing with milk and honey,” signifying God’s abundant blessings and provision. The story of Israel’s wandering reminds readers of God’s holiness and faithfulness in carrying out His word—both in judgment against disobedience and in fulfilling His covenant to their descendants.
In a broader sense, this verse points ahead to the themes of entering God’s rest, as explored in the New Testament (Hebrews 4:8-10). Israel’s failure to trust foreshadows humanity’s deeper need for spiritual rest, ultimately fulfilled in Christ. Just as Joshua led a new generation into the land in victory, Jesus, whose name in Hebrew is the same as Joshua, leads believers into the fuller rest of salvation and future inheritance in God’s kingdom. God thus remains faithful, ready to guide into the promise of a life overflowing with His grace, even when human hearts falter.
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Joshua 5:6 meaning
For the sons of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, until all the nation, that is, the men of war who came out of Egypt, perished because they did not listen to the voice of the LORD, to whom the LORD had sworn that He would not let them see the land which the LORD had sworn to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. (v.6)
This verse describes the consequence of Israel’s disbelief and disobedience that occurred after they departed Egypt. The text states that the sons of Israel walked in the wilderness for forty years, a period during which an entire generation of fighting men died before ever seeing the Promised Land. This wandering was God’s response to their unfaithfulness, as they did not trust His promise to bring them victoriously into Canaan. Instead, they feared the inhabitants of the land and grumbled against the LORD’s plan, a choice which ultimately led to further hardship. During these four decades, the nation relied on God’s miraculous provision of manna, which famously ceased once they entered the land at Gilgal (Joshua 5:12).
The passage also emphasizes that those who perished were the men of war who came out of Egypt. Because they “did not listen to the voice of the LORD,” God swore that they would not see the inheritance promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. That inheritance was repeatedly described as “a land flowing with milk and honey,” signifying God’s abundant blessings and provision. The story of Israel’s wandering reminds readers of God’s holiness and faithfulness in carrying out His word—both in judgment against disobedience and in fulfilling His covenant to their descendants.
In a broader sense, this verse points ahead to the themes of entering God’s rest, as explored in the New Testament (Hebrews 4:8-10). Israel’s failure to trust foreshadows humanity’s deeper need for spiritual rest, ultimately fulfilled in Christ. Just as Joshua led a new generation into the land in victory, Jesus, whose name in Hebrew is the same as Joshua, leads believers into the fuller rest of salvation and future inheritance in God’s kingdom. God thus remains faithful, ready to guide into the promise of a life overflowing with His grace, even when human hearts falter.