Upon entering the Promised Land, a mass circumcision takes place, marking the end of a long spiritual and historical burden. God declares that the disgrace of Egypt has been rolled away, sealing the purification process of the generation that wandered the desert. This act of removal gives the encampment its name, Gilgal, rooted in the concept of rolling or clearing away [רש״י, שטיינזלץ, מצודת ציון, רד״ק]. Alternatively, the name recalls the pile of stones previously established at that very spot [שטיינזלץ].
The primary approach among commentators identifies this disgrace as the state of being uncircumcised. Because the generation born in the desert had not undergone the rite, they remained physically similar to the Egyptians, a condition viewed as deeply shameful [מצודת דוד, רד״ק, מלבי״ם, שטיינזלץ]. Beyond the physical state, Egypt was notorious for its sexual immorality. Circumcision was intended to curb physical desires, effectively severing the Israelites' connection to Egyptian behavior and the related sin of the Golden Calf [רלב״ג, צאינה וראינה]. Furthermore, because the Egyptians had practiced a partial form of circumcision since the days of Joseph and claimed an equal status, the complete and distinct physical mark now adopted by the Israelites removed that claim entirely [אהבת יהונתן].
The disgrace also carries an astrological dimension. Egyptian astrologers had foreseen a dark omen of blood hovering over the Israelites in the desert, predicting their ultimate destruction. God transformed this decree, ensuring the blood they saw was not of death, but of the circumcision rite, thereby proving the Egyptian deities and stargazers powerless [רש״י, צאינה וראינה, חומת אנך, אברבנאל]. Without this mark, the Israelites remained subject to the forces of astrology like other nations. By undergoing the rite, they broke free from this control, and the name Gilgal also hints at the astrological spheres losing their power over the people [אלשיך, אהבת יהונתן]. Historically, this moment silenced decades of Egyptian mockery. For forty years, the Egyptians claimed God had led the Israelites into the desert only to kill them, lacking the power to bring them into the land. Crossing the Jordan and safely camping in their new home completely shattered this taunt [רלב״ג, אברבנאל].
Ultimately, the disgrace represents the lingering attachment to Egyptian idols and false beliefs. Delaying the mass circumcision until they entered the land allowed the Israelites to immediately follow it with the Passover sacrifice on a public altar. Uniting these two powerful acts in the Promised Land successfully uprooted the last traces of Egyptian influence, completing the spiritual purification of the people [רלב״ג, מלבי״ם, אלשיך].