The Book of Joshua
Joshua 2
Chapter II · Vol. I, pp. 540–541
1 Rahab receiveth and concealeth the two spies sent from Shittim. 8 The covenant between her and them. 23 Their return and report.
1 And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of aShittim two men to bspy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and ccame into a harlot's1 house, named Rahab, and lodged there.
1 As this woman is honourably mentioned in Scripture, He. 11.31. Ja. 2. 25, and as it appears from Mat. 1.5 that she was married to Salmon, and so was ingrafted into the genealogical tree of our Lord, every effort has been made to rescue her character from the reproach of the word harlot. Accordingly the Hebrew word has been derived not from a root implying sin, but signifying to nourish, and has been translated hostess, and female tavern-keeper. But the word in the Hebrew does not elsewhere occur in a context that will allow it to be translated hostess. See Le. 21. 7, 14. De. 21. 18. And besides, there were not of old, nor are there now, any tavern hostesses in the East; the caravansera furnishing nothing but bare walls, where the traveller must provide for himself. Rahab was therefore what she is represented, and equally what is implied, a believer, a reformed penitent—such an example of the triumph of grace as Paul recounts, saying, 'And such were some of you but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God,' 1 Co 6.11.—C.
2 And it was dtold the king of Jericho, saying, Behold there came men in hither to-night of the children of Israel to search out the country.
3 And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house: for they be come to search out all the country.
4 And the ewoman took the two men, and hid them, and said thus, There came men unto me, but fI wist not whence they were:
5 And it came to pass, about the time of shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out: whither the men went, I wot not: pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them.
6 But she had brought them up to gthe roof of the house, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof.
g De.22.8. 2 Sa.17.19. Mat.5.7. Ex.1.17.
7 And the men pursued after them the way to Jordan, unto the fords:2 and as soon as they which pursued after them were gone out, they hshut the gate.
2 The 'fords' here referred to were probably those near the mouth of the river, opposite Wady Hesbân. The stream is there broader, shallower, and less rapid than higher up.—P.
h Pr.21.30. Ps.127.1,2.
8 And, before they were laid down,3 she came up unto them upon the roof;
3 That is, before the spies were laid down to sleep. This is the full meaning of the Hebrew word.—P.
9 And she said unto the men, I know that thei LORD hath given you the land, and that your kterror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint4 because of you.
10 For we have heard lhow the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed.
l Ex.14.21. ch.4.23; 24.5-9. Nu.21.24-35. De.ii.iii. Ne.9.9-22.
11 And as soon as we had heard these things, ourm hearts did melt, neither did there remain5 any more courage in any man because of you; for the LORD your God, nhe is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.6
m ver.9; ch.5.1; 7.5. Ex.15.14. Is.13.7. De.1.28; 20.8.
5 Heb. rose up.
n De.4.39. Da.4.34,35. Is.66.1. Ps.89.11. Ex.18.11. 1 Ch.29.11.
6 This is Rahab's confession of faith. It is very clear and emphatic. She was trained an idolater. The creed of her people was that each country and city has its deities. All this she now renounces; and affirms that Jehovah, the God of Israel, is the one, only, supreme God.—P.
12 Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the LORD, since oI have showed you kindness, that ye will also show kindness punto my father's house, and give me a true token:
o 1 Sa.20.13-16; 30.15. Pr.18.24. 2 Ti.1.16-18.
p ch.6.23. 1 Ti.5.8.
13 And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.
14 And the men answered her, Our life for yours,7 if ye utter not this our business. And it shall be, qwhen the LORD hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee.
7 Heb. instead of you to die.
15 Then she rlet them down by a cord through the window: for her house was upon the town-wall, and she dwelt upon the wall.8
r Ac.9.25. 2 Co.11.33. 1 Sa.19.12.
8 This is a very common thing in the East. Many rooms may this day be seen upon, and overhanging, the old wall of Damascus. And nothing could be easier than to let any one down by a rope from one of the projecting windows.—P.
16 And she said unto them, sGet you to the mountain,9 lest the pursuers meet you; and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers be returned: and afterward may ye go your way.
s ver.22. Ec.9.18. 1 Sa.23.14,29.
9 Jericho is described as lying close to an overhanging and barren mountain.—C.
17 And the men said unto her, We will be blamelesst of this thine oath which thou hast made us swear:
18 Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread1 in the window which thou didst2 let us down by: and thou shalt ubring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household, home unto thee.
1 Or rather, scarlet-coloured cord or rope. The original determines nothing concerning the substance but the colour of that which was used to enable the men to escape. Whether cloth, or rope, or cord, it was a conspicuous object, easy to be seen, for otherwise it could not have answered the purpose to which it was appropriated by the advice of the spies.—Davidson.
2 Rather, thou dost. This conversation undoubtedly passed before the men were let down from the roof.—Davidson.
19 And it shall be, that whosoever xshall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, yhis blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless; and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, zhis blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him.
20 And if thou utter this our business, then we will be quit of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear.3
3 The scrupulosity of the spies in defining the condition of their oath, under all the terrors of a vigilant police, and, if discovered, impending execution, indicates a high tone of moral feeling and principle, produced under the Mosaic government. Amidst the wilderness of Jewish sin it is pleasing to discover this moral oasis. To their national honour be it recorded that, amidst all their sins, they have still retained a high sense of honour in remembering promises, observing treaties, and requiting kindness.—C.
21 And she said, According4 unto your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window.
4 The case of this woman is very remarkable. Some of her expressions, especially those in ver. 11, indicate a distinct acknowledgment of Jehovah. Whatever may have been the means by which her knowledge had been acquired, surely she had been made the subject of the influence of God's own Spirit. Her meagre opportunities must have been well improved, and she had been blessed of him who declares that 'to him that hath shall be given.' When we contrast her faith with that exhibited, on many occasions, even by the chosen people who had witnessed the wonders of Jehovah's outstretched arm, we are reminded of our Saviour's expressions with reference to the centurion, 'Verily, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.'—J.
22 And they went, and came unto the mountain, and abode there three days, until the pursuers were returned. And the pursuers sought them throughout all the way, abut found them not.
23 So the two men returned, and descended from the mountain, and passed over, and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and told him all things that befell them:
Notes
[Ver. 1. Jericho was the most important city in the Jordan valley at the time of the exodus. It appears, however, that its site was changed, though at what time, or for what reason, is unknown. The city destroyed by Joshua and rebuilt by Hiel stood beside Elisha's fountain, about a mile and a half north-west of the village of Rîha. But the Jericho which our Lord visited stood two miles farther south, at the base of the mountains where the road from Jerusalem descends into the plain. The ruins of both cities I have surveyed with care. They are most distinctly marked. The plain around them is rich and beautiful, and though the palm-trees that once gave the city a distinguishing name are now nearly gone, there is still abundance of foliage. P.]
Ver. 5. [Whither the men went I wot not. The first part of the statement, ver. 4, may have been true, the second was certainly false. How can this untruth be justified? How had this woman faith? We answer to the first question—it cannot be justified at all, it is utterly condemned. To the second—does the infidel objector mean to affirm, what his question implies, that he who commits any single immoral act can have no moral principle? What havoc amongst infidels would this decision effect! Rahab did possess faith as a principle, for she believed the threatened judgments of God against her wicked countrymen, ver. 9, 10; but as fear overcame Peter, and betrayed him to deny his Lord, so fear overcame Rahab, and betrayed her to utter an untruth. 'Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief;' and 'let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.' C.]
Ver. 6. [The climate of the plain of Jericho greatly resembles that of Egypt, consequently the new flax would just be ripe at the time of the year (before the passover) when the Israelites crossed Jordan, comp. ch. 4. 19; Ex. 9. 31. Flax in Egypt grows to a height of nearly four feet. P.]
Reflections.—Proper means and prudent caution must never be neglected when we trust God with the success of our enterprises. Even the best and greatest rulers must see with other people's eyes: and it is a great mercy to a nation when those to whom interesting affairs are committed are persons of fidelity and diligence. The grace of God can easily change the most vile sinner into a choice saint: and true believers will risk their all for God. Nor must we reject them as reprobates who are guilty of some very condemnable actions; there may be true and justifying faith where much sinfulness still works. But it is hard to get rid of a bad character when once fixed, even by repentance and amendment: and that remaining badge of our shame ought to excite us to frequent and bitter sorrow for the sin which occasioned it. God can easily send his terrors to the hearts of his enemies, so that the boldest shall tremble: and often sinners' frights are presages of their fall. But the faith of God's promises will powerfully influence a person to a regard for the people of God, even at the expense of natural affections. And when we cannot prevent the ruin of our city or nation, we ought cautiously to provide for the safety of ourselves and kindred. And all agreements, especially such as concern life and death, ought to be made with the greatest exactness. We must never mingle with the world which lieth in wickedness, if we would not be condemned with it. Faith, which foresees the ruin of the ungodly, will urge us to save ourselves from among them: and the lives that are jeoparded for Christ's service shall be secured by his mercy. But the most prudent means ought to be used for our safety, even while we trust our all to God and his redeeming grace. And God can easily make such as are weak encouragers of his strongest saints.