Joshua 2:3-13

3 And the king of Jericho sent and spoke to Raab, saying, Bring out the men that entered into thine house this night; for they are come to spy out the land.

4 And the woman took the two men and hid them; and she spoke to the messengers, saying, The men came in to me,

5 but when the gate was shut in the evening, the men went out; I know not whither they are gone: follow after them, if ye may overtake them.

6 But she brought them up upon the house, and hid them in the flax-stalks that were spread by her on the house.

7 And the men followed after them in the way to Jordan to the fords; and the gate was shut.

8 And it came to pass when the men who pursued after them were gone forth, and before the spies had lain down to sleep, that she came up to them on the top of the house;

9 and she said to them, I know that the Lord has given you the land; for the fear of you has fallen upon us.

10 For we have heard that the Lord God dried up the Red Sea before you, when ye came out of the land of Egypt, and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, who were beyond Jordan, to Seon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed.

11 And when we heard it we were amazed in our heart, and there was no longer any spirit in any of us because of you, for the Lord your god God in heaven above, and on the earth beneath.

12 And now swear to me by the Lord God; since I deal mercifully with you, so do ye also deal mercifully with the house of my father:

13 and save alive the house of my father, my mother, and my brethren, and all my house, and all that they have, and ye shall rescue my soul from death.

Joshua 2:3-13 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.

Footnotes

• [a]. them.
• [b]. dark.
• [c]. shall.