Joshua 2 Study Notes: Rahab Hides the Spies
Joshua sends two spies to Jericho, where Rahab hides them from the king and confesses that Israel's God rules over all. In return for her help, the spies swear to spare her family if a scarlet cord hangs in her window, and they return to report that the land is terrified.
General
What did Rahab tell the spies she knew (2:8-9)?
Answer: That the LORD had given Israel the land and terror had gripped her people
Before the spies went to sleep, Rahab climbed up to speak with them on the roof. She said she knew the LORD had given Israel the land, and that dread of Israel had come over her people so that everyone living there was overcome with fear (2:8-9). God had promised exactly this. After the crossing of the Red Sea, Moses sang that the people of Canaan would melt away in terror (Exodus 15:14-16), and God had said He would put the dread of Israel on all the nations (Deuteronomy 2:25), and Moses had promised that the LORD would put it on the whole land wherever Israel went (Deuteronomy 11:25). Rahab, a Canaanite, was confessing that God’s word was coming true.
- Joshua 2:8-9 (BSB)“Before the spies lay down for the night, Rahab went up on the roof and said to them, “I know that the LORD has given you this land and that the fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who dwell in the land are melting in fear of you.”Rahab tells the spies she knows the LORD has given Israel the land and that her people are terrified.
- Exodus 15:14-16 (BSB)“The nations will hear and tremble; anguish will grip the dwellers of Philistia. Then the chiefs of Edom will be dismayed; trembling will seize the leaders of Moab; those who dwell in Canaan will melt away, and terror and dread will fall on them. By the power of Your arm they will be as still as a stone until Your people pass by, O LORD, until the people You have bought pass by.”After the Red Sea, Moses sang that the dwellers in Canaan would melt away in terror.
- Deuteronomy 2:25 (BSB)“This very day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon all the nations under heaven. They will hear the reports of you and tremble in anguish because of you.””God had promised to put the dread of Israel on all the nations who heard of them.
- Deuteronomy 11:25 (BSB)“No man will be able to stand against you; the LORD your God will put the fear and dread of you upon all the land, wherever you set foot, as He has promised you.”God promised to put the fear of Israel on the whole land wherever they went.
Theological
What does Rahab confess to know in 2:8-9?
Answer: That the LORD had given Israel the land and terror had gripped her people
Rahab tells the spies she is sure the LORD has handed the land to Israel, and that terror of Israel has fallen on Jericho so that all the inhabitants are melting with fear (2:8-9). Her report confirms God’s promises: the Song of the Sea foretold that Canaan’s inhabitants would melt away in dread (Exodus 15:14-16), and God had pledged to put the fear of Israel on the nations (Deuteronomy 2:25) and on the whole land (Deuteronomy 11:25). A Canaanite outsider becomes a witness that God’s word does not fail.
- Joshua 2:8-9 (BSB)“Before the spies lay down for the night, Rahab went up on the roof and said to them, “I know that the LORD has given you this land and that the fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who dwell in the land are melting in fear of you.”Rahab tells the spies she knows the LORD has given Israel the land and that her people are terrified.
- Exodus 15:14-16 (BSB)“The nations will hear and tremble; anguish will grip the dwellers of Philistia. Then the chiefs of Edom will be dismayed; trembling will seize the leaders of Moab; those who dwell in Canaan will melt away, and terror and dread will fall on them. By the power of Your arm they will be as still as a stone until Your people pass by, O LORD, until the people You have bought pass by.”After the Red Sea, Moses sang that the dwellers in Canaan would melt away in terror.
- Deuteronomy 2:25 (BSB)“This very day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon all the nations under heaven. They will hear the reports of you and tremble in anguish because of you.””God had promised to put the dread of Israel on all the nations who heard of them.
- Deuteronomy 11:25 (BSB)“No man will be able to stand against you; the LORD your God will put the fear and dread of you upon all the land, wherever you set foot, as He has promised you.”God promised to put the fear of Israel on the whole land wherever they went.
General
In 2:11, what does Rahab confess about the LORD, Israel’s God?
Answer: That Israel’s God rules over both the heavens and the earth
Rahab explains that when Jericho heard these reports, their hearts melted and no one had courage left. Then she confesses that Israel’s God rules as God over the sky above and the world beneath (2:11). This is a remarkable statement from a Canaanite. She uses almost the same words Moses had used when he called Israel to know that their God rules over both realms and that no other god exists (Deuteronomy 4:39). A psalm praises the LORD for doing whatever He pleases in heaven and on earth (Psalm 135:6). Hebrews counts Rahab’s response as true faith (Hebrews 11:31). God in His grace brought an outsider to confess Him as God over all.
- Joshua 2:11 (BSB)“When we heard this, our hearts melted and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in the heavens above and on the earth below.”Rahab confesses that Israel’s God rules over heaven and earth.
- Deuteronomy 4:39 (BSB)“Know therefore this day and take to heart that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other.”Moses had called Israel to know that the LORD is God in heaven and on earth, with no other.
- Psalm 135:6 (BSB)“The LORD does all that pleases Him in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and in all their depths.”The LORD does as He pleases in heaven and on earth.
- Hebrews 11:31 (BSB)“By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies in peace, did not perish with those who were disobedient.”Hebrews identifies Rahab’s response as faith.
Theological
What confession about the LORD does Rahab make in 2:11?
Answer: That Israel’s God rules over both the heavens and the earth
After describing Jericho’s collapse of courage, Rahab confesses that Israel’s God is the God of the heavens and of the earth alike (2:11). Her words nearly reproduce Moses’ summons to Israel in Deuteronomy 4:39, which adds that no other god exists; Psalm 135:6 likewise affirms His sovereign rule in heaven and on earth. Hebrews 11:31 classes her response as faith. Her confession is the fruit of God’s grace reaching a Canaanite prostitute, drawing her to acknowledge the LORD as the universal sovereign while her people only melted in fear.
- Joshua 2:11 (BSB)“When we heard this, our hearts melted and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in the heavens above and on the earth below.”Rahab confesses that Israel’s God rules over heaven and earth.
- Deuteronomy 4:39 (BSB)“Know therefore this day and take to heart that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other.”Moses had called Israel to know that the LORD is God in heaven and on earth, with no other.
- Psalm 135:6 (BSB)“The LORD does all that pleases Him in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and in all their depths.”The LORD does as He pleases in heaven and on earth.
- Hebrews 11:31 (BSB)“By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies in peace, did not perish with those who were disobedient.”Hebrews identifies Rahab’s response as faith.
General
Why was Rahab able to lower the spies from her window on a rope (2:15)?
Answer: Because her house was part of the city wall
Rahab lowered the spies on a rope through her window because her house was part of the city wall (2:15). She then told them to head for the hills and hide for three days, until the men chasing them had returned, before going on their way (2:16). The spies did what she said and escaped (2:22). James later refers to how she welcomed the messengers and sent them away by a different route (James 2:25). Her quick help saved their lives.
- Joshua 2:15-16 (BSB)“Then Rahab let them down by a rope through the window, since the house where she lived was built into the wall of the city. “Go to the hill country,” she said, “so that your pursuers will not find you. Hide yourselves there for three days until they have returned; then go on your way.””Rahab lowers the spies from her window in the wall and tells them to hide in the hills three days.
- Joshua 2:22 (BSB)“So the spies went out into the hill country and stayed there three days, until their pursuers had returned without finding them, having searched all along the road.”The spies follow her advice and stay in the hills until their pursuers return.
- James 2:25 (BSB)“In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute justified by her actions when she welcomed the spies and sent them off on another route?”James notes that she sent the messengers off on another route.
Theological
According to 2:15, why could Rahab lower the spies from her window by a rope?
Answer: Because her house was part of the city wall
Rahab’s house formed part of the city wall, so she lowered the men from her window on a rope (2:15) and directed them to the hill country to hide three days until the pursuers returned (2:16). They followed her counsel and escaped (2:22). James 2:25 points to her conduct here: she received the messengers and sent them out by another way. Her actions displayed the reality of the faith she had just confessed.
- Joshua 2:15-16 (BSB)“Then Rahab let them down by a rope through the window, since the house where she lived was built into the wall of the city. “Go to the hill country,” she said, “so that your pursuers will not find you. Hide yourselves there for three days until they have returned; then go on your way.””Rahab lowers the spies from her window in the wall and tells them to hide in the hills three days.
- Joshua 2:22 (BSB)“So the spies went out into the hill country and stayed there three days, until their pursuers had returned without finding them, having searched all along the road.”The spies follow her advice and stay in the hills until their pursuers return.
- James 2:25 (BSB)“In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute justified by her actions when she welcomed the spies and sent them off on another route?”James notes that she sent the messengers off on another route.
General
What did Rahab ask the spies to swear to her (2:12-14)?
Answer: Kindness to her family and a sure sign they would live
Rahab asks the spies to take an oath in the LORD’s name that they will treat her family kindly because she treated them kindly. She asks for a reliable token that they will spare her parents, her brothers and sisters, and their households (2:12-13). The men pledge their own lives for hers, as long as she does not report their mission, and promise to treat her with loyal kindness once God hands Israel the land (2:14). The oath was kept: at Jericho’s fall Joshua sent the same two men to bring out Rahab and her whole family as they had promised (6:22-23), and she went on living among the Israelites (6:25).
- Joshua 2:12-14 (BSB)“Now therefore, please swear to me by the LORD that you will indeed show kindness to my family, because I showed kindness to you. Give me a sure sign that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and that you will deliver us from death.” “Our lives for your lives!” the men agreed. “If you do not report our mission, we will show you kindness and faithfulness when the LORD gives us the land.””Rahab asks the spies to swear by the LORD to spare her family; they pledge their lives on it.
- Joshua 6:22-23 (BSB)“Meanwhile, Joshua told the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the house of the prostitute and bring out the woman and all who are with her, just as you promised her.” So the young spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother and brothers, and all who belonged to her. They brought out her whole family and settled them outside the camp of Israel.”Joshua sends the two spies to bring out Rahab and all her family, just as they had promised her.
- Joshua 6:25 (BSB)“And Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her father’s household and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent to spy out Jericho. So she has lived among the Israelites to this day.”Joshua spared Rahab and her household, and she lived among Israel.
Theological
What does Rahab request of the spies in 2:12-14?
Answer: Kindness to her family and a sure sign they would live
Rahab asks the spies to swear by the LORD to deal kindly with her family as she has dealt kindly with them, and to give a dependable token that her parents, siblings, and all theirs will be delivered from death (2:12-13). The men stake their own lives on it, conditional on her silence, and promise loyal kindness once God grants Israel the land (2:14). Joshua 6:22-23 records the spies bringing out her entire household as promised, and 6:25 notes she dwelt in Israel thereafter. An oath sworn in the LORD’s name binds His people.
- Joshua 2:12-14 (BSB)“Now therefore, please swear to me by the LORD that you will indeed show kindness to my family, because I showed kindness to you. Give me a sure sign that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and that you will deliver us from death.” “Our lives for your lives!” the men agreed. “If you do not report our mission, we will show you kindness and faithfulness when the LORD gives us the land.””Rahab asks the spies to swear by the LORD to spare her family; they pledge their lives on it.
- Joshua 6:22-23 (BSB)“Meanwhile, Joshua told the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the house of the prostitute and bring out the woman and all who are with her, just as you promised her.” So the young spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother and brothers, and all who belonged to her. They brought out her whole family and settled them outside the camp of Israel.”Joshua sends the two spies to bring out Rahab and all her family, just as they had promised her.
- Joshua 6:25 (BSB)“And Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her father’s household and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent to spy out Jericho. So she has lived among the Israelites to this day.”Joshua spared Rahab and her household, and she lived among Israel.
General
How does the New Testament connect Rahab’s faith and her actions in Joshua 2?
Answer: Her faith was shown in welcoming and protecting the spies
Rahab confessed that Israel’s God is God over the heavens and the earth (2:11) and acted on that belief by hiding the spies and sending their pursuers away (2:4-6), a kindness she appealed to when she asked for mercy (2:12). The New Testament points to both. Hebrews says it was by faith that she was not destroyed together with the disobedient, since she received the spies peacefully (Hebrews 11:31). James says she was justified (shown to be right with God) by what she did in receiving the messengers and sending them out another way, because faith that has no deeds is lifeless (James 2:25-26). These two writers agree. Salvation is by grace through faith, not by works, and yet God’s people are made for good works (Ephesians 2:8-10). Rahab’s actions did not earn her rescue; they showed that her faith was real.
- Joshua 2:11-12 (BSB)“When we heard this, our hearts melted and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in the heavens above and on the earth below. Now therefore, please swear to me by the LORD that you will indeed show kindness to my family, because I showed kindness to you. Give me a sure sign”Rahab confesses the LORD as God and asks for mercy on the basis of the kindness she showed.
- Hebrews 11:31 (BSB)“By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies in peace, did not perish with those who were disobedient.”By faith Rahab, having welcomed the spies, was not destroyed together with the disobedient.
- James 2:25-26 (BSB)“In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute justified by her actions when she welcomed the spies and sent them off on another route? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.”James presents Rahab as justified by her actions, since faith without deeds is dead.
- Ephesians 2:8-10 (BSB)“For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.”Salvation is by grace through faith, not by works, yet believers are created for good works.
Theological
How do Hebrews 11:31 and James 2:25 together interpret Rahab’s conduct in Joshua 2?
Answer: Her faith was shown in welcoming and protecting the spies
Rahab’s protection of the spies (2:4-6) and her confession (2:11) belong together, and she appeals to that kindness when asking for mercy (2:12). Hebrews 11:31 locates her deliverance in faith, expressed in her peaceful reception of the spies; James 2:25-26 says she was justified by what she did, since faith lacking deeds is lifeless. The two are complementary: justification is by grace through faith, not of works, while that same faith necessarily bears the good works God prepared (Ephesians 2:8-10). James speaks of justification as the demonstration of genuine faith before others; her works were the evidence of her faith, not a second ground of her acceptance.
- Joshua 2:11-12 (BSB)“When we heard this, our hearts melted and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in the heavens above and on the earth below. Now therefore, please swear to me by the LORD that you will indeed show kindness to my family, because I showed kindness to you. Give me a sure sign”Rahab confesses the LORD as God and asks for mercy on the basis of the kindness she showed.
- Hebrews 11:31 (BSB)“By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies in peace, did not perish with those who were disobedient.”By faith Rahab, having welcomed the spies, was not destroyed together with the disobedient.
- James 2:25-26 (BSB)“In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute justified by her actions when she welcomed the spies and sent them off on another route? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.”James presents Rahab as justified by her actions, since faith without deeds is dead.
- Ephesians 2:8-10 (BSB)“For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.”Salvation is by grace through faith, not by works, yet believers are created for good works.
General
When the king of Jericho demanded the spies, where had Rahab hidden them (2:2-6)?
Answer: Under stalks of flax spread out on her roof
The king of Jericho heard that Israelite scouts had arrived and sent orders to Rahab to hand them over (2:2-3). But she had already hidden them on her roof under stalks of flax she had spread out there. She told the king’s men that the visitors had come but left at dusk before the gate closed, and that they should hurry after them (2:4-6). Later, when Jericho was destroyed, Rahab’s family was spared because she had hidden the spies (6:17). The New Testament praises her for welcoming the spies by faith (Hebrews 11:31) and for sending them off another way (James 2:25). Scripture commends her faith and her protection of the spies; it does not single out her false words for praise, and Christians have differed over how to judge that lie.
- Joshua 2:4-6 (BSB)“But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. So she said, “Yes, the men did come to me, but I did not know where they had come from. At dusk, when the gate was about to close, the men went out, and I do not know which way they went. Pursue them quickly, and you may catch them!” (But Rahab had taken them up to the roof and hidden them among the stalks of flax that she had laid out there.)”Rahab hides the two men and tells the king’s messengers they have already left the city.
- Joshua 6:17 (BSB)“Now the city and everything in it must be devoted to the LORD for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all those with her in her house will live, because she hid the spies we sent.”At Jericho’s fall Rahab’s household is spared because she hid the spies.
- Hebrews 11:31 (BSB)“By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies in peace, did not perish with those who were disobedient.”Hebrews says she received the spies in peace by faith.
- James 2:25 (BSB)“In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute justified by her actions when she welcomed the spies and sent them off on another route?”James points to her welcome of the messengers and sending them off another way.
Theological
Where does 2:6 say Rahab concealed the spies from the king’s men?
Answer: Under stalks of flax spread out on her roof
When the king demands the men (2:2-3), Rahab has already concealed them under stalks of flax laid out on her roof. She admits they came but claims they left at dusk before the gate closed for the night and urges pursuit (2:4-6). Her protection of the spies is the act Scripture repeatedly cites: when Jericho is devoted to destruction she is spared for hiding them (6:17), Hebrews 11:31 attributes her peaceful reception of the spies to faith, and James 2:25 points to her receiving the messengers and sending them out another way. The commendation rests on her faith and its fruit, not explicitly on the deception, about which Christians have differed.
- Joshua 2:4-6 (BSB)“But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. So she said, “Yes, the men did come to me, but I did not know where they had come from. At dusk, when the gate was about to close, the men went out, and I do not know which way they went. Pursue them quickly, and you may catch them!” (But Rahab had taken them up to the roof and hidden them among the stalks of flax that she had laid out there.)”Rahab hides the two men and tells the king’s messengers they have already left the city.
- Joshua 6:17 (BSB)“Now the city and everything in it must be devoted to the LORD for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all those with her in her house will live, because she hid the spies we sent.”At Jericho’s fall Rahab’s household is spared because she hid the spies.
- Hebrews 11:31 (BSB)“By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies in peace, did not perish with those who were disobedient.”Hebrews says she received the spies in peace by faith.
- James 2:25 (BSB)“In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute justified by her actions when she welcomed the spies and sent them off on another route?”James points to her welcome of the messengers and sending them off another way.
General
True or False: Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus names Rahab, the woman of Jericho from Joshua 2, as the mother of Boaz.
Answer: True
This is true. Rahab is introduced in Joshua as a prostitute living in the Canaanite city of Jericho (2:1). Yet Matthew lists her in the family line of Jesus: Boaz was the son of Salmon and Rahab (Matthew 1:5). This woman from outside Israel, with a sinful past, was spared when Jericho fell and went on living among the Israelites (Joshua 6:25), and Hebrews says it was by faith that she was not destroyed along with the disobedient (Hebrews 11:31). Her place in the ancestry of the Messiah shows the reach of God’s grace to an outsider who trusted Him.
- Joshua 2:1 (BSB)“Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim, saying, “Go, inspect the land, especially Jericho.” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.”Rahab is introduced as a prostitute living in Jericho.
- Matthew 1:5 (BSB)“Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse,”Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus names Rahab as the mother of Boaz.
- Joshua 6:25 (BSB)“And Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her father’s household and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent to spy out Jericho. So she has lived among the Israelites to this day.”Rahab and her household were spared, and she lived among Israel from then on.
- Hebrews 11:31 (BSB)“By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies in peace, did not perish with those who were disobedient.”Hebrews says Rahab was spared by faith when the disobedient were destroyed.
Theological
True or False: Matthew 1:5 includes Rahab in the genealogy of Jesus as the mother of Boaz.
Answer: True
This is true. The Canaanite prostitute of Jericho (2:1) appears in Matthew’s genealogy: Salmon fathered Boaz by Rahab (Matthew 1:5). She was spared at Jericho’s fall and settled among Israel (Joshua 6:25), and Hebrews 11:31 attributes her deliverance to faith. Her inclusion displays sovereign grace toward a Gentile outsider who turned to the LORD and was grafted into His people; Matthew records her place in the line without further comment.
- Joshua 2:1 (BSB)“Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim, saying, “Go, inspect the land, especially Jericho.” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.”Rahab is introduced as a prostitute living in Jericho.
- Matthew 1:5 (BSB)“Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse,”Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus names Rahab as the mother of Boaz.
- Joshua 6:25 (BSB)“And Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her father’s household and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent to spy out Jericho. So she has lived among the Israelites to this day.”Rahab and her household were spared, and she lived among Israel from then on.
- Hebrews 11:31 (BSB)“By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies in peace, did not perish with those who were disobedient.”Hebrews says Rahab was spared by faith when the disobedient were destroyed.
General
What conditions did the spies give Rahab for keeping their oath (2:17-20)?
Answer: Hang the scarlet cord at her window and gather her kin
The spies said they would be free of their oath unless Rahab did two things: fasten the scarlet cord at the window from which she had lowered them, and bring her father, mother, brothers, and whole family into her house (2:17-18). Anyone who went out into the street would be responsible for his own death, but if anyone inside was harmed, the guilt would be on the spies. If she reported their mission, the oath would end (2:19-20). Rahab agreed and fastened the cord at once (2:21). The cord was the agreed sign that marked her house. When Jericho fell, all who were with her in the house were spared and brought out (6:17, 22-23).
- Joshua 2:17-21 (BSB)“The men said to her, “We will not be bound by this oath you made us swear unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you have brought your father and mother and brothers and all your family into your house. If anyone goes out the door of your house into the street, his blood will be on his own head, and we will be innocent. But if a hand is laid on anyone with you in the house, his blood will be on our heads. And if you report our mission, we will be released from the oath you made us swear.” “Let it be as you say,” she replied, and she sent them away. And when they had gone, she tied the scarlet cord in the window.”The spies set the terms: the scarlet cord in the window, the family inside the house, and her silence.
- Joshua 6:22-23 (BSB)“Meanwhile, Joshua told the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the house of the prostitute and bring out the woman and all who are with her, just as you promised her.” So the young spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother and brothers, and all who belonged to her. They brought out her whole family and settled them outside the camp of Israel.”Rahab’s family, gathered with her, is brought out safely when Jericho falls.
- Joshua 6:17 (BSB)“Now the city and everything in it must be devoted to the LORD for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all those with her in her house will live, because she hid the spies we sent.”Rahab and all those with her in her house are the ones who will live.
Theological
What terms do the spies attach to their oath in 2:17-20?
Answer: Hang the scarlet cord at her window and gather her kin
The spies bind their oath to conditions: the scarlet cord must be tied in the window from which she lowered them, and her whole family must be gathered into her house (2:17-18). Whoever goes out bears his own blood-guilt; harm to anyone within falls on the spies; disclosure of the mission releases them (2:19-20). Rahab consents and ties the cord at once (2:21). The cord functions as the agreed sign marking the house for deliverance, and 6:17 and 6:22-23 record the household inside being spared when the city is devoted to destruction.
- Joshua 2:17-21 (BSB)“The men said to her, “We will not be bound by this oath you made us swear unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you have brought your father and mother and brothers and all your family into your house. If anyone goes out the door of your house into the street, his blood will be on his own head, and we will be innocent. But if a hand is laid on anyone with you in the house, his blood will be on our heads. And if you report our mission, we will be released from the oath you made us swear.” “Let it be as you say,” she replied, and she sent them away. And when they had gone, she tied the scarlet cord in the window.”The spies set the terms: the scarlet cord in the window, the family inside the house, and her silence.
- Joshua 6:22-23 (BSB)“Meanwhile, Joshua told the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the house of the prostitute and bring out the woman and all who are with her, just as you promised her.” So the young spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother and brothers, and all who belonged to her. They brought out her whole family and settled them outside the camp of Israel.”Rahab’s family, gathered with her, is brought out safely when Jericho falls.
- Joshua 6:17 (BSB)“Now the city and everything in it must be devoted to the LORD for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all those with her in her house will live, because she hid the spies we sent.”Rahab and all those with her in her house are the ones who will live.
General
True or False: Like most of the spies in Moses’ day, the two spies came back warning that Canaan’s inhabitants were too strong for Israel (2:23-24).
Answer: False
This is false. After hiding three days, the two spies came back across the river and told Joshua everything. Their report was full of confidence: the LORD had surely handed the whole land over to Israel, and all its people were melting in fear (2:23-24). This was the opposite of the report given nearly forty years earlier, when most of the spies said Israel could not attack such strong people (Numbers 13:31-32). Only Joshua and Caleb had trusted that the LORD would give them the land (Numbers 14:6-9). Now the new generation’s spies echo Joshua’s own faith.
- Joshua 2:23-24 (BSB)“Then the two men started back, came down from the hill country, and crossed the river. So they came to Joshua son of Nun and reported all that had happened to them. “The LORD has surely delivered the entire land into our hands,” they said to Joshua. “Indeed, all who dwell in the land are melting in fear of us.””The spies report that the LORD has handed over the whole land and its people are melting in fear.
- Numbers 13:31-32 (BSB)“But the men who had gone up with him replied, “We cannot go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are!” So they gave the Israelites a bad report about the land that they had spied out: “The land we explored devours its inhabitants, and all the people we saw there are great in stature.”The earlier spies gave a bad report and said Israel could not go up against the people.
- Numbers 14:6-9 (BSB)“Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes and said to the whole congregation of Israel, “The land we passed through and explored is an exceedingly good land. If the LORD delights in us, He will bring us into this land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and He will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the LORD, and do not be afraid of the people of the land, for they will be like bread for us. Their protection has been removed, and the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them!””Joshua and Caleb had insisted that the LORD would bring Israel in and the people need not fear.
Theological
True or False: The two spies’ report in 2:23-24 matches the fearful majority report of Numbers 13.
Answer: False
This is false. The spies return and report that the LORD has certainly handed the whole country to Israel and that its inhabitants are melting with fear (2:23-24). That reverses the majority report of Numbers 13:31-32, which declared the people too strong, and aligns with the confession of Joshua and Caleb that the LORD would bring Israel in (Numbers 14:6-9). The report echoes Rahab’s own words (2:9), and the faith of the earlier minority has become the conviction of the new generation.
- Joshua 2:23-24 (BSB)“Then the two men started back, came down from the hill country, and crossed the river. So they came to Joshua son of Nun and reported all that had happened to them. “The LORD has surely delivered the entire land into our hands,” they said to Joshua. “Indeed, all who dwell in the land are melting in fear of us.””The spies report that the LORD has handed over the whole land and its people are melting in fear.
- Numbers 13:31-32 (BSB)“But the men who had gone up with him replied, “We cannot go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are!” So they gave the Israelites a bad report about the land that they had spied out: “The land we explored devours its inhabitants, and all the people we saw there are great in stature.”The earlier spies gave a bad report and said Israel could not go up against the people.
- Numbers 14:6-9 (BSB)“Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes and said to the whole congregation of Israel, “The land we passed through and explored is an exceedingly good land. If the LORD delights in us, He will bring us into this land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and He will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the LORD, and do not be afraid of the people of the land, for they will be like bread for us. Their protection has been removed, and the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them!””Joshua and Caleb had insisted that the LORD would bring Israel in and the people need not fear.
General
Whom did Joshua send to scout the land in 2:1?
Answer: Two men sent secretly, especially to look at Jericho
From the camp at Shittim, Joshua quietly sent out two men to look over the land, with special attention to Jericho. They went to lodge with Rahab, a prostitute (2:1). This mission was small and secret. Nearly forty years earlier Moses had sent twelve leaders, one from each tribe (Numbers 13:1-2), and Joshua himself had been one of them. Along with Caleb he had urged the people to trust that the LORD would give them the land (Numbers 14:6-9). Now Joshua, the faithful spy of that earlier mission, sends spies of his own.
- Joshua 2:1 (BSB)“Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim, saying, “Go, inspect the land, especially Jericho.” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.”Joshua quietly sends two spies from Shittim to scout the land and Jericho; they lodge with Rahab.
- Numbers 13:1-2 (BSB)“And the LORD said to Moses, “Send out for yourself men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each of their fathers’ tribes send one man who is a leader among them.””Nearly forty years earlier Moses had sent out one leader from each tribe to spy out Canaan.
- Numbers 14:6-9 (BSB)“Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes and said to the whole congregation of Israel, “The land we passed through and explored is an exceedingly good land. If the LORD delights in us, He will bring us into this land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and He will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the LORD, and do not be afraid of the people of the land, for they will be like bread for us. Their protection has been removed, and the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them!””Joshua had been one of the earlier spies who trusted that the LORD would give Israel the land.
Theological
What reconnaissance does Joshua order in 2:1?
Answer: Two men sent secretly, especially to look at Jericho
Joshua secretly sends two men from Shittim to survey the land, Jericho above all, and they lodge with Rahab, a prostitute (2:1). The contrast with Numbers 13 is plain: there Moses sent twelve tribal leaders (Numbers 13:1-2), and the majority report led to unbelief. Joshua, who with Caleb had confessed that the LORD would give Israel the land (Numbers 14:6-9), now sends a small covert party. In God’s providence the spies come to a household in Jericho that will turn to Him.
- Joshua 2:1 (BSB)“Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim, saying, “Go, inspect the land, especially Jericho.” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.”Joshua quietly sends two spies from Shittim to scout the land and Jericho; they lodge with Rahab.
- Numbers 13:1-2 (BSB)“And the LORD said to Moses, “Send out for yourself men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each of their fathers’ tribes send one man who is a leader among them.””Nearly forty years earlier Moses had sent out one leader from each tribe to spy out Canaan.
- Numbers 14:6-9 (BSB)“Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes and said to the whole congregation of Israel, “The land we passed through and explored is an exceedingly good land. If the LORD delights in us, He will bring us into this land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and He will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the LORD, and do not be afraid of the people of the land, for they will be like bread for us. Their protection has been removed, and the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them!””Joshua had been one of the earlier spies who trusted that the LORD would give Israel the land.
General
Which events had the people of Jericho heard about, according to 2:10?
Answer: How the LORD made the Red Sea dry and Israel beat Sihon and Og
Rahab says Jericho had heard how the LORD made the Red Sea dry at the exodus, and how Israel destroyed Sihon and Og, two Amorite kings east of the Jordan (2:10). Both events had really happened. At the Red Sea the LORD drove the water back and Israel walked through on dry ground (Exodus 14:21-22). Sihon refused to let Israel pass, attacked them, and lost his land (Numbers 21:23-24). Reports of God’s acts spread far: the Gibeonites later spoke of the LORD’s deeds in Egypt and the defeat of Sihon and Og when they approached Joshua (9:9-10). Forty years after the exodus, God’s mighty acts were still known in Canaan.
- Joshua 2:10 (BSB)“For we have heard how the LORD dried up the waters of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites across the Jordan, whom you devoted to destruction.”Rahab names the reports that terrified Jericho: the Red Sea and the defeat of Sihon and Og.
- Exodus 14:21-22 (BSB)“Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove back the sea with a strong east wind that turned it into dry land. So the waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on their right and on their left.”The LORD turned the sea into dry land, and Israel crossed on dry ground.
- Numbers 21:23-24 (BSB)“But Sihon would not let Israel pass through his territory. Instead, he gathered his whole army and went out to confront Israel in the wilderness. When he came to Jahaz, he fought against Israel. And Israel put him to the sword and took possession of his land, from the Arnon to the Jabbok—but only up to the border of the Ammonites, because it was fortified.”Israel defeated Sihon when he came out to fight them and took his land.
- Joshua 9:9-10 (BSB)““Your servants have come from a very distant land,” they replied, “because of the fame of the LORD your God. For we have heard the reports about Him: all that He did in Egypt, and all that He did to the two kings of the Amorites beyond the Jordan—Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth.”The Gibeonites later cite reports of the LORD’s deeds in Egypt and against Sihon and Og.
Theological
Which reports does Rahab say struck Jericho with fear (2:10)?
Answer: How the LORD made the Red Sea dry and Israel beat Sihon and Og
Rahab cites two reports: the LORD’s drying of the sea at the exodus and Israel’s destruction of Sihon and Og, a pair of Amorite kings east of the river (2:10). The first recalls Exodus 14:21-22, where the sea became dry ground; the second recalls Numbers 21:23-24, where Sihon attacked Israel and lost his land. The Gibeonites later rehearse similar reports: the LORD’s deeds in Egypt and the fall of Sihon and Og (9:9-10). God’s redemptive acts function as testimony to the nations, decades after they occurred.
- Joshua 2:10 (BSB)“For we have heard how the LORD dried up the waters of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites across the Jordan, whom you devoted to destruction.”Rahab names the reports that terrified Jericho: the Red Sea and the defeat of Sihon and Og.
- Exodus 14:21-22 (BSB)“Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove back the sea with a strong east wind that turned it into dry land. So the waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on their right and on their left.”The LORD turned the sea into dry land, and Israel crossed on dry ground.
- Numbers 21:23-24 (BSB)“But Sihon would not let Israel pass through his territory. Instead, he gathered his whole army and went out to confront Israel in the wilderness. When he came to Jahaz, he fought against Israel. And Israel put him to the sword and took possession of his land, from the Arnon to the Jabbok—but only up to the border of the Ammonites, because it was fortified.”Israel defeated Sihon when he came out to fight them and took his land.
- Joshua 9:9-10 (BSB)““Your servants have come from a very distant land,” they replied, “because of the fame of the LORD your God. For we have heard the reports about Him: all that He did in Egypt, and all that He did to the two kings of the Amorites beyond the Jordan—Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth.”The Gibeonites later cite reports of the LORD’s deeds in Egypt and against Sihon and Og.