Joshua 2:1-7

Spies Sent to Jericho

1 Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two men as spies from Acacia Grove,[a] saying, "Go and scout the land, especially Jericho." So they left, and they came to the house of a woman, a prostitute named Rahab, and stayed there.
2 The king of Jericho was told, "Look, some of the Israelite men have come here tonight to investigate the land."
3 Then the king of Jericho sent [word] to Rahab and said, "Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, for they came to investigate the entire land."
4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. So she said, "Yes, the men did come to me, but I didn't know where they were from.
5 At nightfall, when the gate was about to close, the men went out, and I don't know where they were going. Chase after them quickly, and you can catch up with them!"
6 But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them among the stalks of flax that she had arranged on the roof.
7 The men pursued them along the road to the fords of the Jordan, and as soon as they left to pursue them, the gate was shut.

Joshua 2:1-7 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JOSHUA 2

This chapter gives an account of the spies sent by Joshua to Jericho, and of their entrance into the house of Rahab, who hid them from the king's messengers, Jos 2:1-7; of the relation she gave them of the fear and dread of Israel, which were fallen upon the Canaanites, Jos 2:8-11; and of the request she made to them, to save her and her father's house, when the city should be taken, and to have a sure sign of it given her, Jos 2:12,13; which the spies solemnly promised, and gave her a sign of it, with a charge not to discover the matter to any, Jos 2:14-20; and being let down by a cord through the window of her house, they made their escape to a mountain, where they lay three days, and then returned to Joshua, and made their report, Jos 2:21-24.

Footnotes 1

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