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Joshua 2

Rahab’s confession of YHWH’s supremacy turns a spy mission into an oath of protection amid Jericho’s fear of conquest.

Joshua sends two spies from Shittim to inspect the land, including Jericho. They lodge with Rahab, a prostitute, who hides them under flax on her roof when the king sends men to seize them. Rahab tells the spies that Jericho fears Israel because of YHWH’s deeds, and she seeks protection for her household. After agreeing on conditions for her rescue, the spies escape and return to Joshua with a report of the city’s fear.

fear for the futurea big decisionsermon or Bible study notes
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1Joshua the son of Nun secretly sent two men out of Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, including Jericho.” They went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab, and slept there.
2The king of Jericho was told, “Behold, men of the children of Israel came in here tonight to spy out the land.”
3Jericho’s king sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who have entered into your house; for they have come to spy out all the land.”
4The woman took the two men and hid them. Then she said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I didn’t know where they came from.
5About the time of the shutting of the gate, when it was dark, the men went out. Where the men went, I don’t know. Pursue them quickly. You may catch up with them.”
6But she had brought them up to the roof, and hidden them under the stalks of flax which she had laid in order on the roof.
7The men pursued them along the way to the fords of the Jordan River. As soon as those who pursued them had gone out, they shut the gate.
9She said to the men, “I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you.
10For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you, when you came out of Egypt; and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites, who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and to Og, whom you utterly destroyed.
11As soon as we had heard it, our hearts melted, and there wasn’t any more spirit in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and on earth beneath.
12Now therefore, please swear to me by the LORD, since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father’s house, and give me a true sign;
15Then she let them down by a cord through the window; for her house was on the side of the wall, and she lived on the wall.
16She said to them, “Go to the mountain, lest the pursuers find you. Hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers have returned. Afterward, you may go your way.”
17The men said to her, “We will be guiltless of this your oath which you’ve made us to swear.
18Behold, when we come into the land, tie this line of scarlet thread in the window which you used to let us down. Gather to yourself into the house your father, your mother, your brothers, and all your father’s household.
19It shall be that whoever goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood will be on his head, and we will be guiltless. Whoever is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand is on him.
21She said, “Let it be as you have said.” She sent them away, and they departed. Then she tied the scarlet line in the window.
22They went and came to the mountain, and stayed there three days, until the pursuers had returned. The pursuers sought them all along the way, but didn’t find them.
24They said to Joshua, “Truly the LORD has delivered all the land into our hands. Moreover, all the inhabitants of the land melt away before us.”
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Key verses
Joshua 2:1Joshua’s covert mission brings the spies into Rahab’s house, where their survival will depend on a woman from Jericho.
Joshua 2:9Rahab declares that YHWH has given Israel the land before the spies return with that same conviction.
Joshua 2:11Rahab moves from reporting Jericho’s fear to confessing YHWH’s rule over heaven and earth.
Where this chapter reaches

Rahab recalls the Red Sea deliverance recorded in Exodus and the defeat of Sihon and Og recorded in Numbers; her confession shares Deuteronomy’s language about God’s rule in heaven and on earth. James names her reception and protection of the messengers as evidence of faith expressed through action.

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Notice

After reading the whole chapter

What connection do you notice between what Rahab has heard, what she believes, and what she risks?

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What stands out to you about Rahab’s request for her household and the conditions of the spies’ oath?

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Questions people ask about Joshua 2

Who was Rahab in Joshua 2?

Rahab is identified as a prostitute living in a house on Jericho’s wall. She shelters Joshua’s two spies, misdirects the king’s men, and confesses YHWH’s supremacy. She asks the spies to spare her household when Israel takes the land. The chapter does not describe her earlier life beyond her occupation.

Why did Rahab lie to the king’s men?

Rahab’s false report sends the king’s men away while the spies remain hidden on her roof. Her later speech explains her conviction that YHWH has given Israel the land and her desire to save her household. The narrator reports the deception without declaring that lying is right.

What does the scarlet cord mean in Joshua 2?

The scarlet cord marks Rahab’s window as part of the agreement to spare her household. Her relatives must remain inside, and she must keep the mission secret. The chapter assigns the cord this role in the rescue agreement; it does not explain the color’s symbolism or identify the cord as a prediction.

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What the Bible says about fear →

Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).