Joshua made himself flint knives, and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins.
These verses do not teach that any person was circumcised a second time.  The mention of the whole nation as being circumcised "a second time" applies only to those for whom the rite had been omitted during the wanderings.[9]  Keil pointed out that the punishment of the sons of the murmurers (those under twenty years of age) was very similar to that pronounced upon their fathers, except in this one thing, that, "The sons were not to die in the wilderness, but enter Canaan after their fathers were dead."[10]  Keil also pointed out that the total number circumcised by Joshua still left a great many Israelites who did not need to be circumcised and that these were fully capable of protecting the nation in case of any heathen attack during their recovery period from the circumcision.[11]  Besides, there was that panic which had immobilized all of Canaan.  Jamieson estimated that at least 50,000 able-bodied soldiers remained who did not need to be circumcised on the occasion here.[12]