Joshua 2:3

3 The king of Yericho sent to Rachav, saying, Bring forth the men who are come to you, who have entered into your house; for they have come to search out all the land.

Joshua 2:3 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 2:3

And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab
Not merely because she kept a public house, or being a prostitute had often strangers in it, and so conjectured that the men he had notice of might be there; but he sent upon certain information that they were seen to go in there, as it follows:

saying, bring forth the men that are come to thee;
not to commit lewdness with her, though this is the sense some Jewish commentators give; but this neither agrees with the character of the men Joshua had chosen for this purpose, nor answers any end of the king to suggest; nor can it be thought that Rahab would so openly and freely own this, as in ( Joshua 2:4 ) : but what is meant by the phrase is explained in the following clause,

which are entered into thine house:
in order to lodge there that night:

for they be come to search out all the country;
so it was suspected, nor was the suspicion groundless.

Joshua 2:3 In-Context

1 Yehoshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men as spies secretly, saying, Go, view the land, and Yericho. They went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rachav, and lay there.

2 It was told the king of Yericho, saying, Behold, there came men in here tonight of the children of Yisra'el to search out the land.

3 The king of Yericho sent to Rachav, saying, Bring forth the men who are come to you, who have entered into your house; for they have come to search out all the land.

4 The woman took the two men, and hid them; and she said, Yes, the men came to me, but I didn't know whence they were:

5 and it happened about the time of the shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out; where the men went I don't know: pursue after them quickly; for you will overtake them.