An Unlikely Ally

At an incredibly risk to herself, Rahab defied the king, led him on a wild goose chase, and concealed the Israelite spies. This must have taken an extraordinary amount of courage at considerable risk to her life if she was found out. Her willingness to harbor the spies of her people’s enemies was driven by a genuine fear of the Lord and a desire to save her family from Jericho’s sure defeat. Let’s learn more about Rahab, the unlikely ally of the Israelite spies, and worshiper of the true and living God. We took these notes from the NKJV Study Bible Full Color.

Rahab Hides the Spies

“Now Joshua the son of Nun sent out two men from Acacia Grove to spy secretly, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” So they went, and came to the house of a harlot named Rahab, and lodged there. And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, “Behold, men have come here tonight from the children of Israel to search out the country.” So the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who have entered your house, for they have come to search out all the country.”

“Then the woman took the two men and hid them. So she said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. And it happened as the gate was being shut, when it was dark, that the men went out. Where the men went I do not know; pursue them quickly, for you may overtake them.” (But she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order on the roof.) Then the men pursued them by the road to the Jordan, to the fords. And as soon as those who pursued them had gone out, they shut the gate.”

Joshua 2:1–7

2:1–7 Joshua sent out two spies to explore the land, especially Jericho. They went to a place where news would be easily available, a prostitute’s house (v. 1). News reached the local king, and he sent men to apprehend the spies (vv. 2, 3). Yet Rahab protected the spies by sending the king’s men on a futile chase (vv. 4–7).

2:1 The Acacia Grove was the place east of the Jordan River where the Israelites had been encamped for some time (Num. 25:1). In some translations of the Bible this place is called by its transliterated Hebrew name Shittim, which means “The Acacia Trees.” Acacia Grove was probably some distance from the Jordan because it took a few days to get there. Rahab was a Canaanite prostitute, and yet her story is one of the most inspiring stories in the Bible. Her actions in caring for the Israelite spies in enemy territory demonstrated a faith in Israel’s God that is praised in the NT (Heb. 11:31; James 2:25). The term translated harlot is the word for a common prostitute, not a cultic prostitute. It is possible that Rahab had been reduced to prostitution by the death of her husband and by the needs of her impoverished family (6:23 does not mention her husband). In any case, out of all the populace of Jericho, only she reached out to the living God, and He in turn saved her (6:25).

2:2 it was told: Despite the secrecy of the spies (v. 1), news of their arrival in Jericho traveled fast. The king of Jericho ruled over a small kingdom that included his city and the territory around it. As is often the case in the ancient world, his “kingdom” was actually a city-state. Compare the reference to “Jabin king of Hazor” in 11:1.

2:4–6 Rahab lied to the men searching for the Israelite spies, but this does not constitute an endorsement for lying as such. The Scriptures clearly condemn lying (Lev. 19:11; Prov. 12:22). Rahab did the best she could to save the men sent by Joshua.

2:5 All major cities in Canaan were walled and had a large gate for protection. Excavations at Jericho have uncovered strong walls from different periods of the city’s existence.

2:6 Like most houses, Rahab’s had a flat roof. She hid the men there where she had laid out stalks of flax for drying. Flax is the oldest textile fiber known. It was used to make linen fabric for clothes.

2:7 The Jordan River was nearly a hundred feet wide near Jericho, and from five to 12 feet deep. There were no bridges, and shallow fords were used for crossing.

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Bible Times & Culture Notes

Jericho

Jericho is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world. Situated in the wide plain of the Jordan valley at the foot of the ascent to the Judean mountains, Jericho lies about eight miles northwest of the site where the Jordan River flows into the Dead Sea, some five miles west of the Jordan. Since it is approximately 800 feet below sea level, Jericho has a tropical climate. Only a few inches of rainfall are recorded at Jericho each year, but the city is a wonderful oasis, known as “the city of palm trees” (Deut. 34:3) flourishing with date palms, banana trees, balsams, sycamores, and henna (Song 1:14; Luke 19:4).

There have been three different Jerichos throughout its long history, but by far the most imposing site of the three was OT Jericho, a pear-shaped mound about 400 yards long, north to south, 200 yards wide at the north end, and some 70 yards high.

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Rahab’s Profession of Belief

“Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof, and said to the men: “I know that the LORD has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. Now therefore, I beg you, swear to me by the LORD, since I have shown you kindness, that you also will show kindness to my father’s house, and give me a true token, and spare my father, my mother, my brothers, my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.” So the men answered her, “Our lives for yours, if none of you tell this business of ours. And it shall be, when the LORD has given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with you.”

Joshua 2:8–14

2:9 Rahab’s use of God’s personal name Yahweh, translated here as LORD, indicates that she had come to faith in the living God (v. 11). God had graciously opened the heart and mind of a foreign prostitute to accept Him as Lord. the terror of you has fallen on us: Israel’s reputation went before them. God already had dramatically delivered the Israelites in many ways, and the report had been spread throughout the nations. Rahab mentioned two miraculous deliverances: the crossing of the Red Sea and the victories over two kings east of the Jordan, Sihon and Og (v. 10; see Ex. 14; Num. 21:21–35).

2:11 Here Rahab made a dramatic statement of her faith in the LORD. He is God in heaven: She affirmed God’s sovereignty over heaven and earth in language reminiscent of the Psalms (compare Ps. 113:5, 6) and not unlike the confession of Melchizedek to Abram (Gen. 14:19, 20). The fact that non-Israelites came to true faith indicates that God’s great mercy reached other nations. neither did there remain any more courage: The phrase suggests their breath was taken away; the people of Jericho were left breathless, and their hearts melted from fear of the Israelites.

2:12 Rahab asked the spies to swear to her. Even though to swear in God’s name was a serious matter, the spies agreed to Rahab’s request (vv. 14, 17, 20).

Rahab’s Act of Belief

“Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on the city wall; she dwelt on the wall. 16 And she said to them, “Get to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you. Hide there three days, until the pursuers have returned. Afterward you may go your way.”

“So the men said to her: “We will be blameless of this oath of yours which you have made us swear, unless, when we come into the land, you bind this line of scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you bring your father, your mother, your brothers, and all your father’s household to your own home. So it shall be that whoever goes outside the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we will be guiltless. And whoever is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head if a hand is laid on him. And if you tell this business of ours, then we will be free from your oath which you made us swear.”

“Then she said, “According to your words, so be it.” And she sent them away, and they departed. And she bound the scarlet cord in the window.”

Joshua 2:15–21

2:15 The Hebrew phrase translated her house was on the city wall suggests that Rahab’s house was in the city wall rather than on top of it. The phrase might be rendered “in the double walls.” This refers to a kind of defensive wall found around many cities in biblical times. The walls were built double and connected by cross-walls between them. The resulting spaces could be used for storage or as living quarters. Rahab’s family may have lived in one of these residences. A dwelling in the wall would be a humble dwelling, just the spot for a poor prostitute . . . and for God’s grace.

2:16 Get to the mountain: The only hills near Jericho are to the west. This is the opposite direction from the route the pursuers had taken; they had gone east, down to the Jordan (v. 7).

2:18, 21 The spies gave Rahab a line of scarlet cord to hang out the window as a sign of the agreement they had made. This is probably not the same rope she used to let the spies down, since the words are different. The cord’s color is undoubtedly significant; it represents the color of the blood of atonement (Ex. 12:7, 13). It also alludes to the story of Tamar, since a scarlet thread was tied to the wrist of her first son (Gen. 38:28, 30). Both of these women were non-Israelite ancestors of Jesus (Matt. 1:3, 5).

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