Joshua 2:4

4 But the woman had hidden the two men. She said, "It's true that the men came here. But I didn't know where they had come from.

Joshua 2:4 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 2:4

And the woman took the two men
Or "she had taken" them

---

FOOTNOTES:

F26 before the messengers came, upon a rumour she understood was gone abroad, that she had got Israelitish spies in her house, and so might expect to be visited and searched by the king's officers, and therefore took this precaution:

and hid them;
the Hebrew word is singular, "him" ^F1: hence the Jews, who take these two spies to be Caleb and Phinehas, say, that only Caleb was hid, and Phinehas, though he was before them, was not seen, being an angel, ( Malachi 2:7 ) ; but the sense is, that she hid each of them, and very probably singly and apart, that if one was found, the other might escape, as Ben Gersom observes; and Abarbinel is of opinion that she hid them twice, now in the middle of her house, one in one place, and the other in another, for the reason before given, and after this hid them in the roof of her house, as afterwards related:

and said thus, there came men unto me;
that is, into her house, this she owned:

but I wist not whence they [were];
of what country they were, whether Israelites or not; which whether she knew or not is not certain; it is probable she did, and told an untruth, as she also did in ( Joshua 2:5 ) .

F26 (xptw) "duxerat, tulerat"; so Syr. Ar. Kimchi, & Ben Melech.
F1 (wnputw) "et abscondit eum", Montanus; "abdiderat eum", Vatablus.

Joshua 2:4 In-Context

2 The king of Jericho was told, "Look! Some of the people of Israel have come here tonight. They've come to check out the land."

3 So the king sent a message to Rahab. It said, "Bring out the men who came into your house. They've come to check out the whole land."

4 But the woman had hidden the two men. She said, "It's true that the men came here. But I didn't know where they had come from.

5 They left at sunset, when it was time to close the city gate. I don't know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You might catch up with them."

6 But in fact she had taken them up on the roof. There she had hidden them under some flax she had piled up.