9 And she said H559 unto the men, H582 I know H3045 that the LORD H3068 hath given H5414 you the land, H776 and that your terror H367 is fallen H5307 upon us, and that all the inhabitants H3427 of the land H776 faint H4127 because H6440 of you.
Then H227 the dukes H441 of Edom H123 shall be amazed; H926 the mighty men H352 of Moab, H4124 trembling H7461 shall take hold H270 upon them; all the inhabitants H3427 of Canaan H3667 shall melt away. H4127 Fear H367 and dread H6343 shall fall H5307 upon them; by the greatness H1419 of thine arm H2220 they shall be as still H1826 as a stone; H68 till thy people H5971 pass over, H5674 O LORD, H3068 till the people H5971 pass over, H5674 which H2098 thou hast purchased. H7069
Now G1161 faith G4102 is G2076 the substance G5287 of things hoped for, G1679 the evidence G1650 of things G4229 not G3756 seen. G991 For G1063 by G1722 it G5026 the elders G4245 obtained a good report. G3140
And the LORD H3068 said H559 unto Abram, H87 after H310 that Lot H3876 was separated H6504 from him, Lift up H5375 now thine eyes, H5869 and look H7200 from the place H4725 where thou art northward, H6828 and southward, H5045 and eastward, H6924 and westward: H3220 For all the land H776 which thou seest, H7200 to thee will I give it, H5414 and to thy seed H2233 for H5704 ever. H5769 And I will make H7760 thy seed H2233 as the dust H6083 of the earth: H776 so that H834 if a man H376 can H3201 number H4487 the dust H6083 of the earth, H776 then shall thy seed H2233 also be numbered. H4487 Arise, H6965 walk H1980 through the land H776 in the length H753 of it and in the breadth H7341 of it; for I will give H5414 it unto thee.
And there was trembling H2731 in the host, H4264 in the field, H7704 and among all the people: H5971 the garrison, H4673 and the spoilers, H7843 they also trembled, H2729 and the earth H776 quaked: H7264 so it was a very great H430 trembling. H2731 And the watchmen H6822 of Saul H7586 in Gibeah H1390 of Benjamin H1144 looked; H7200 and, behold, the multitude H1995 melted away, H4127 and they went H3212 on beating down H1986 one another.
Moreover he said, H559 I am the God H430 of thy father, H1 the God H430 of Abraham, H85 the God H430 of Isaac, H3327 and the God H430 of Jacob. H3290 And Moses H4872 hid H5641 his face; H6440 for he was afraid H3372 to look H5027 upon God. H430 And the LORD H3068 said, H559 I have surely H7200 seen H7200 the affliction H6040 of my people H5971 which are in Egypt, H4714 and have heard H8085 their cry H6818 by reason H6440 of their taskmasters; H5065 for I know H3045 their sorrows; H4341 And I am come down H3381 to deliver H5337 them out of the hand H3027 of the Egyptians, H4714 and to bring H5927 them up out of that land H776 unto a good H2896 land H776 and a large, H7342 unto a land H776 flowing H2100 with milk H2461 and honey; H1706 unto the place H4725 of the Canaanites, H3669 and the Hittites, H2850 and the Amorites, H567 and the Perizzites, H6522 and the Hivites, H2340 and the Jebusites. H2983
In the same H1931 day H3117 the LORD H3068 made H3772 a covenant H1285 with Abram, H87 saying, H559 Unto thy seed H2233 have I given H5414 this land, H776 from the river H5104 of Egypt H4714 unto the great H1419 river, H5104 the river H5104 Euphrates: H6578 The Kenites, H7017 and the Kenizzites, H7074 and the Kadmonites, H6935 And the Hittites, H2850 and the Perizzites, H6522 and the Rephaims, H7497 And the Amorites, H567 and the Canaanites, H3669 and the Girgashites, H1622 and the Jebusites. H2983
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Joshua 2
Commentary on Joshua 2 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 2
Jos 2:1-7. Rahab Receives and Conceals the Two Spies.
1. Joshua … sent … two men to spy secretly—Faith is manifested by an active, persevering use of means (Jas 2:22); and accordingly Joshua, while confident in the accomplishment of the divine promise (Jos 1:3), adopted every precaution which a skilful general could think of to render his first attempt in the invasion of Canaan successful. Two spies were despatched to reconnoitre the country, particularly in the neighborhood of Jericho; for in the prospect of investing that place, it was desirable to obtain full information as to its site, its approaches, the character, and resources of its inhabitants. This mission required the strictest privacy, and it seems to have been studiously concealed from the knowledge of the Israelites themselves, test any unfavorable or exaggerated report, publicly circulated, might have dispirited the people, as that of the spies did in the days of Moses.
Jericho—Some derive this name from a word signifying "new moon," in reference to the crescent-like plain in which it stood, formed by an amphitheater of hills; others from a word signifying "its scent," on account of the fragrance of the balsam and palm trees in which it was embosomed. Its site was long supposed to be represented by the small mud-walled hamlet Er-Riha; but recent researches have fixed on a spot about half an hour's journey westward, where large ruins exist about six or eight miles distant from the Jordan. It was for that age a strongly fortified town, the key of the eastern pass through the deep ravine, now called Wady-Kelt, into the interior of Palestine.
they … came into an harlot's house—Many expositors, desirous of removing the stigma of this name from an ancestress of the Saviour (Mt 1:5), have called her a hostess or tavern keeper. But Scriptural usage (Le 21:7-14; De 23:18; Jud 11:1; 1Ki 3:16), the authority of the Septuagint, followed by the apostles (Heb 11:31; Jas 2:25), and the immemorial style of Eastern khans, which are never kept by women, establish the propriety of the term employed in our version. Her house was probably recommended to the spies by the convenience of its situation, without any knowledge of the character of the inmates. But a divine influence directed them in the choice of that lodging-place.
2, 3. it was told the king—by the sentinels who at such a time of threatened invasion would be posted on the eastern frontier and whose duty required them to make a strict report to headquarters of the arrival of all strangers.
4-6. the woman took the two men, and hid them—literally, "him," that is, each of them in separate places, of course previous to the appearance of the royal messengers and in anticipation of a speedy search after her guests. According to Eastern manners, which pay an almost superstitious respect to a woman's apartment, the royal messengers did not demand admittance to search but asked her to bring the foreigners out.
5. the time of shutting of the gates—The gates of all Oriental cities are closed at sunset, after which there is no possibility either of admission or egress.
the men went out—This was a palpable deception. But, as lying is a common vice among heathen people, Rahab was probably unconscious of its moral guilt, especially as she resorted to it as a means for screening her guests; and she might deem herself bound to do it by the laws of Eastern hospitality, which make it a point of honor to preserve the greatest enemy, if he has once eaten one's salt. Judged by the divine law, her answer was a sinful expedient; but her infirmity being united with faith, she was graciously pardoned and her service accepted (Jas 2:25).
6. she had brought them up to the roof of the house, and hid them with the stalks of flax—Flax, with other vegetable productions, is at a certain season spread out on the flat roofs of Eastern houses to be dried in the sun; and, after lying awhile, it is piled up in numerous little stacks, which, from the luxuriant growth of the flax, rise to a height of three or four feet. Behind some of these stacks Rahab concealed the spies.
7. the men pursued after them the way to Jordan unto the fords—That river is crossed at several well-known fords. The first and second immediately below the sea of Galilee; the third and fourth immediately above and below the pilgrims' bathing-place, opposite Jericho.
as soon as they which pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate—This precaution was to ensure the capture of the spies, should they have been lurking in the city.
Jos 2:8-21. The Covenant between Her and Them.
8-13. she came up unto them upon the roof and said—Rahab's dialogue is full of interest, as showing the universal panic and consternation of the Canaanites on the one hand (Jos 24:11; De 2:25), and her strong convictions on the other, founded on a knowledge of the divine promise, and the stupendous miracles that had opened the way of the Israelites to the confines of the promised land. She was convinced of the supremacy of Jehovah, and her earnest stipulations for the preservation of her relatives amid the perils of the approaching invasion, attest the sincerity and strength of her faith.
14. the men answered her, Our life for yours, if ye utter not this our business—This was a solemn pledge—a virtual oath, though the name of God is not mentioned; and the words were added, not as a condition of their fidelity, but as necessary for her safety, which might be endangered if the private agreement was divulged.
15. her house was upon the town wall—In many Oriental cities houses are built on the walls with overhanging windows; in others the town wall forms the back wall of the house, so that the window opens into the country. Rahab's was probably of this latter description, and the cord or rope sufficiently strong to bear the weight of a man.
16-21. she said—rather "she had said," for what follows must have been part of the previous conversation.
Get you to the mountain—A range of white limestone hills extends on the north, called Quarantania (now Jebel Karantu), rising to a height of from twelve hundred to fifteen hundred feet, and the sides of which are perforated with caves. Some one peak adjoining was familiarly known to the inhabitants as "the mountain." The prudence and propriety of the advice to flee in that direction rather than to the ford, were made apparent by the sequel.
21. she bound the scarlet line in the window—probably soon after the departure of the spies. It was not formed, as some suppose, into network, as a lattice, but simply to hang down the wall. Its red color made it conspicuous, and it was thus a sign and pledge of safety to Rahab's house, as the bloody mark on the lintels of the houses of the Israelites in Egypt to that people.