Joshua 6:23
Read Joshua 6:23 Using Other Translations
What does Joshua 6:23 mean?
And the young men that were spies went in, and brought
out
Rahab
Not only went into the city, but into Rahab's house, which they
knew again by the scarlet thread hung out at the window of it.
But here a difficulty occurs, how they could be said to go into
her house, when it was built on the town wall, ( Joshua 2:15 ) ; and
that was now fallen down flat. Abarbinel thinks that when the
spies went round the city, they saw the scarlet thread in the
window of her house, and set their eyes on the house, or wistly
observed it; and marked it in such manner, that after the fall of
the wall they went to the place of her house, and brought her
out, though her house was broken down, and no wall standing: but
then they could not be said properly to go into her house, and
bring her out. Kimchi is of opinion that not all the wall of the
city fell, but what was over against the camp of Israel; and that
the house of Rahab was on the wall on the other side: but it
seems by the account of it as if the whole wall fell; and the
apostle says, "the walls of Jericho fell down", ( Hebrews
11:30 ) ; all of them; and so the Septuagint version of (
Joshua 6:20 )
.
``and the whole wall, or all the wall fell round about:''and I see not why it may not be thought that the whole wall fell, excepting that small part alone which Rahab's house stood; and that standing alone would make the miracle the greater, and show the divine approbation of saving Rahab and her family: besides, if the wall sunk down in its place all around into the earth, as the Jews understand the phrase; (See Gill on Joshua 6:5); the house might continue on it firm and unmoved, going down with it to the surface of the earth, where it may be supposed the top of the wall was; and so they might go in and take her out, and preserve her from being destroyed with the rest of the inhabitants; and not only her,
but her father and her mother, and her brethren, and all
that she had;
all other relations that were with her, particularly her sisters,
which are in her request, ( Joshua 2:13 ) ; with
all that appertained to her brethren and sisters, which is there
expressed also:
and they brought out all her kindred;
before mentioned, or if there were any other of her relations she
had taken into her house for safety; or "all her families"
F5, for her father's household might be
branched out into various families, and become numerous, and so
be an emblem of the number of Gentile sinners saved by Christ the
antitype of Joshua:
and left them without the camp of Israel;
until they, became proselytes, and embraced the religion of
Israel, as Kimchi remarks. However, being Gentiles, some external
rites and ceremonies were to be performed upon them, as well as a
declaration at least of their renouncing idolatry was required of
them, before they could be admitted into the camp of Israel; and
which was required even of a proselyte of the gate, or of one
that was only a sojourner among them.
F5 (hytwxpvm lk) "omnes familias ejus", Pagninus, Montanus, Tigurine version.
