Joshua 2 Footnotes

2:1 Joshua initiated a reconnaissance mission, secretly dispatching two spies to Jericho. The narrative gives few details about the mission itself; it focuses on how the spies spent the night in the house of a harlot named Rahab. Some commentators read sexual innuendo into the text. The narrative, however, is careful to avoid any suggestion of a sexual encounter between the spies and Rahab by using terminology applicable to lodging rather than sex. The phrase “came to the house” indicates that the spies entered her house, not that they “went to bed with her,” the description of sexual relations (e.g., Jdg 16:1). Rahab, in addition to being a prostitute, was probably an innkeeper.

2:2-7 Rahab hid the spies and misled the representatives of the king of Jericho when they came in search of them. She admitted the spies had entered her house but then sent the king’s search party on a false pursuit outside the city. In so doing, Rahab assumed great personal risk to herself and her family; if they had discovered her deception the consequences would have been severe.

Scripture does not condone Rahab’s lie; the Bible makes it clear that such deception is wrong. Nevertheless the NT celebrates Rahab’s action (Heb 11:31) as a demonstration of her faith in the God of Israel and rejection of the Canaanites. Had she told the truth to the king’s representatives, the spies would have been executed. The biblical narrator reports what actually happened, and does not speculate about what alternative Rahab might have had in her intent to protect the spies. On the question of lying for a good purpose, see note on Ex 1:19.

2:8-14 The main point of this passage is Rahab’s confession of faith in the Lord. She acknowledged: (1) his divine providence in Israel’s possession of Canaan, (2) his presence in Israel’s exodus and migration through the wilderness, and (3) the Lord’s sovereignty over the universe.