Joshua 2:16-24

16 And she said to them, Go ye up to the hilly places, lest peradventure the men turning again meet you; and be ye hid there three days, till they come again; and so ye shall go by your way. (And she said to them, Go ye up to the hills, lest as the men return, they come upon you; and be ye hid there for three days, until they return; and then ye can go on your way.)
17 Which said to her, We shall be guiltless of this oath, by which thou hast charged us,
18 if, when we enter into the land, this red cord is not (shown as) a sign, and thou bindest it not in the window, by which thou lettest us down; and thou gatherest not into thine house thy father, and mother, and brethren, and all thy kindred;
19 the blood of him shall be on his head, that goeth out at the door of thine house, and we shall be guiltless; forsooth the blood of all men that be in the house with thee, shall turn into our head (shall be on our heads), if any man toucheth them.
20 That if thou wilt betray us, and bring forth into the midst this word, we shall be clean of this oath, by which thou hast charged us. (But if thou wilt betray us, and bring forth this word into the midst/and make known our agreement, then we shall be released from this oath, by which thou hast charged us.)
21 And she answered, As ye have spoken, so be it done. And she let go them, that they should go forth (And she let them go, so that they could go forth), and (then) she hanged the red cord in her window.
22 And they went forth, and came into the hilly places, and dwelled there three days, till they turned again that (had) pursued them; for they sought them by each way, and found not them. (And they went forth, and came to the hills, and stayed there for three days, until they who had pursued them returned; for they had sought them every place that they could think of, but could not find them anywhere.)
23 And when the seekers entered into the city again, the spyers turned again, and came down from the hill; and when they had passed [over] (the) Jordan, they came to Joshua, the son of Nun; and they told to him all things that befelled to them, (And after that those who had sought them had entered into the city again, the spies returned, and came down from the hills; and when they had crossed back over the Jordan River, they came to Joshua, the son of Nun; and they told him everything that had happened to them,)
24 and said, The Lord hath betaken all the land into our hands, and all the dwellers thereof be cast down by dread. (and they said, The Lord hath delivered all the land into our hands, and all of its inhabitants be greatly afraid of us.)

Joshua 2:16-24 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.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.