Joshua 2, The Spies and Rahab

The nation of Israel has been told to enter and conquer Canaan.  Their new leader is Joshua.

Joshua 2: 1, Joshua sends two spies

Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. "Go, look over the land," he said, "especially Jericho." So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.

Joshua sends two men into check out the surroundings of the town of Jericho.  This would presumably be a wise course of action -- although it backfired in Exodus when Joshua himself was one of twelve spies sent into the land.

The Hebrew word shittim apparently translates as acacia trees (see here.) There was a region of acacia trees northeast of the Dead Sea and so this valley was home for the Israelites for a time.

The Hebrew word describing Rahab is zanah.  Some have attempted to translated this word as "innkeeper"  -- Madvig says that first century historian Josephus did this -- but the Hebrew word is used throughout the Old Testament to mean prostitute (see Leviticus 19:29 for an example.) There is no reason to sanitize the Old Testament events -- here we have a pagan prostitute who will play an essential role in the kingdom of YHWH.

Joshua 2: 2-7, Spies are chased

The king of Jericho was told, "Look! Some of the Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land." So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: "Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land."
    

But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, "Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, the men left. I don't know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them." (But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax she had laid out on the roof.)
    

So the men set out in pursuit of the spies on the road that leads to the fords of the Jordan, and as soon as the pursuers had gone out, the gate was shut.

The "king" of the town is alerted to the spying. Rahab hides the men and then lies to the king about them.  We are not given (yet) a motive for her deceit. Rahab's lie is shrewd -- if the men have just left, the searchers need to hurry after them and thus leave her alone -- so that she can find another way for the spies to leave.

Joshua 2:8-13, Rahab's commitment

Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof and said to them, "I know that the LORD has given this land to you and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. We have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. When we heard of it, our hearts melted and everyone's courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.

"Now then, please swear to me by the LORD that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and that you will save us from death."

This is the reason for Rahab's actions -- she has heard about this God of the Israelites, from His work in Egypt and afterwards. (The defeat of Sihon and Og is described in Numbers 21: 21-26.)

The fact that the people of Jericho are frightened, based on YHWH's past action, must surely be encouraging to the spies and, eventually, to Israel.  A similar experience occurs to Gideon in Judges 7: 13-15, as he prepares to attack a Midianite camp.

(NIV footnotes: In verse 10, the Hebrew term, "completely destroyed", refers to "devoting possessions to God"; this could be done by destroying these objects.  This vague term "completely destroyed" will occur throughout the NIV translation of the book of Joshua, always with a footnote that is could have different meanings.)

Joshua 2:14-16, Gratitude

"Our lives for your lives!" the men assured her. "If you don't tell what we are doing, we will treat you kindly and faithfully when the LORD gives us the land." So she let them down by a rope through the window, for the house she lived in was part of the city wall.

    

Now she had said to them, "Go to the hills so the pursuers will not find you. Hide yourselves there three days until they return, and then go on your way."

The spies are grateful and promise to remember Rahab.  She gives them instructions on getting away, apparently sending them west, away from the Jordan for a time. The term "three days", which also occurred in Joshua 1:11, is a common expression for an undetermined length of time (say commentators Hubbard, Madvig)  I suspect this is similar to the use, in my language, of "couple" (as in "a couple of days") to often mean something other than "two".

Joshua 2: 17-21, A scarlet cord

The men said to her, "This oath you made us swear will not be binding on us unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you have brought your father and mother, your brothers and all your family into your house.

    

"If anyone goes outside your house into the street, his blood will be on his own head; we will not be responsible. As for anyone who is in the house with you, his blood will be on our head if a hand is laid on him.  But if you tell what we are doing, we will be released from the oath you made us swear."            

    

"Agreed," she replied. "Let it be as you say." So she sent them away and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window.

The instructions to Rahab sound eerily like the Passover instructions to the people of Israel in the Exodus.  Death is coming and only in this house (with the blood red cord) will one be protected.  We are given no clue as to why the spies think they can make this agreement.

Hubbard suggests a subtle play on words here -- the Hebrew word translated "cord" is tikvat. in which the woman places her "hope", tikvah. 

Joshua 2: 22-24, Report

When they left, they went into the hills and stayed there three days, until the pursuers had searched all along the road and returned without finding them.

    

Then the two men started back. They went down out of the hills, forded the river and came to Joshua son of Nun and told him everything that had happened to them. They said to Joshua, "The LORD has surely given the whole land into our hands; all the people are melting in fear because of us."

The spies return and report on their success.  The spies, partly motivated by their conversation with Rahab, are enthusiastic about the upcoming conquest.  This report is much better than the report given forty years before!