Joshua 2 - Summary

Historical setting

Joshua leads the Israelites at an uncertain date, probably in the Iron Age, approaching the Jordan from the east. Jericho lies west of the Jordan, inside Canaan, the land the Israelites claim they have been promised. The city is walled and defended. Joshua operates from a camp at Shittim, east of the river, before the Israelites attempt to cross and assault Jericho. The king of Jericho holds authority there and can mobilize pursuit parties, but once Rahab misdirects them eastward toward the Jordan fords, they have no further presence in the narrative.

Life and customs

In the ancient Levant, a house built into the city wall was a real possibility, and a rope lowering people down its outside would have been a practical way to escape detection. Spies would have sought lodging where strangers would not be questioned too closely. Rahab's occupation as a prostitute made her house, by inference, a place where men came and went without remark.

An oath sworn "by the LORD" invoked the Israelite God as witness and enforcer; breaking such an oath was thought to bring divine punishment. The scarlet cord served as a visible sign to identify which household the Israelites must spare. The requirement that Rahab keep the escape secret, on pain of oath-breaking, and that her family remain inside the house to receive protection, meant that her safety depended on strict obedience.

What the text says

Joshua sends two men to spy on Jericho (verse 1). They lodge at Rahab's house. The king learns of their presence (verses 2-3) and demands that Rahab hand them over. She hides them under flax stalks on her roof (verses 4-6) and tells the king's men that the spies left at dusk; the pursuers then go toward the Jordan fords (verses 7-8).

Before the spies sleep, Rahab tells them that she knows the LORD has given Israel the land (verses 8-9). She explains that all Canaan's inhabitants fear Israel because they have heard how the LORD dried up the Red Sea and destroyed the kings Sihon and Og (verse 10). Their hearts have melted with terror, she says, and the LORD their God is God in heaven and on earth (verse 11).

Rahab asks the men to swear by the LORD that they will spare her father, mother, brothers, sisters, and all they possess (verses 12-13). The men agree, saying "our life for yours" if she tells no one of their business; they swear they will deal kindly with her when the LORD gives them the land (verse 14). They lower her by a cord through her window, since her house is on the town wall (verse 15). She tells them to hide in the mountains for three days until the pursuers return (verse 16).

The men instruct her to bind a scarlet cord in the window and gather her whole father's household inside (verses 17-18). Whoever leaves the house will be responsible for his own death; whoever stays inside will be under the men's responsibility (verse 19). If she reveals their business, they will be free from their oath (verse 20). She agrees and binds the scarlet cord (verse 21).

The spies hide in the mountains for three days while the pursuers search but find nothing (verse 22). They return to Joshua and tell him all that befell them, reporting that the LORD has delivered the land into Israel's hands because all the inhabitants faint because of Israel (verses 23-24).

Takeaways

• Rahab's act of hiding the spies rests on her belief that Israel's God has already determined the outcome of the coming conflict.
• The scarlet cord and the requirement to stay indoors form a visible and concrete sign of the covenant protection the spies swear.
• The spies return to Joshua with intelligence that confirms the enemy's morale is broken before any battle is fought.