Joshua 2:2

2 Someone told the king of Jericho, "Men from the Israelites have come here tonight to spy on the land."

Joshua 2:2 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 2:2

And it was told the king of Jericho, saying
Who being alarmed at the near approach of the Israelites, and knowing their claim to the land of Canaan, and their design upon it, employed men to watch and observe what passed in the city, and parts adjacent, and inform him of it; or some persons of themselves, and for their own safety, and the good of their fellow citizens, gave notice to the king of it:

behold, there came men hither tonight of the children of Israel;
who were known by their habit and language; or at least, being strangers, were suspected to be of that people, the terror of whom had fallen on all the inhabitants, so that every strange man they took for an Israelite; from hence it appears, that the spies came to Jericho at night, that they might not be observed: but with all their precaution they were taken notice of, and their design suspected, namely,

to search out the country;
which were the proper places to attack first, and where there was the greatest probability of succeeding, as well as to find out the disposition of the inhabitants, whether fearful or fearless of them.

Joshua 2:2 In-Context

1 Joshua, Nun's son, secretly sent two men as spies from Shittim. He said, "Go. Look over the land, especially Jericho." They set out and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab. They bedded down there.

2 Someone told the king of Jericho, "Men from the Israelites have come here tonight to spy on the land."

3 So the king of Jericho sent word to Rahab: "Send out the men who came to you, the ones who came to your house, because they have come to spy on the entire land."

4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. Then she said, "Of course the men came to me. But I didn't know where they were from.

5 The men left when it was time to close the gate at dark, but I don't know where the men went. Hurry! Chase after them! You might catch up with them."