Joshua 2

Joshua 2 is the second chapter of the Book of Joshua. In the preceding chapter, Joshua 1, God commanded Joshua, Moses' successor, to enter the land of Canaan, and Joshua instructed the people to prepare to cross the Jordan within three days. This chapter recounts the spying out of Jericho before the crossing of the Jordan. It is closely linked with Joshua 6, in which the walls of Jericho fall.

Outline

• Verse 1: Joshua secretly sends two men from Shittim as spies. The two men enter Jericho and lodge in the house of a harlot named Rahab.
• Verses 2–7: The king of Jericho hears of this and demands that Rahab bring out the spies. Rahab hides the two men under the stalks of flax laid out on her roof and says that they left about the time the city gate was being shut. The pursuers chase them as far as the fords of the Jordan, and as soon as the pursuers have gone out, the gate is shut.
• Verses 8–13: Rahab tells the spies that the people of the land are terrified, citing how the Red Sea was dried up and how Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites, were utterly destroyed. She then asks them to swear by the LORD that they will spare her family.
• Verses 14–21: The two men promise to deal kindly with Rahab's family provided she does not reveal their business. Because Rahab's house is on the city wall, she lets the two men down by a cord through the window and tells them to hide in the mountain for three days. The two men set three conditions: she must tie a scarlet cord in the window, gather her family inside the house, and not disclose the matter. Rahab ties the scarlet cord in the window.
• Verses 22–24: The two men hide in the mountain for three days, then cross the river and return. They report to Joshua that the LORD has delivered the whole land into their hands.

Key Verses

• Joshua 2:11 "for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath": Here Rahab, a Gentile woman, confesses the God of Israel.
• Joshua 2:18 "thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by": This is the first appearance of the scarlet cord, which becomes the sign of deliverance.
• Joshua 2:24 "Truly the LORD hath delivered into our hands all the land": This report stands in contrast to the report of the twelve spies, which ended in unbelief.

Characters and Places

• Joshua: The leader of Israel, who sends the spies.
• Rahab: A woman living on the wall of Jericho, who hides the spies.
• The two spies: The text does not give their names.
• The king of Jericho: The king of the city, who searches for the spies. His name is not given.
• Sihon and Og: The two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, who were defeated by Israel.
• Shittim: Israel's encampment east of the Jordan, from which the spies set out.
• Jordan River, Red Sea

Points for Reflection

• Rahab's lie: Rahab deceives the king's men in order to save the spies. Interpretations of this differ. One view holds that the lie itself was wrong but that her faith and kindness were commended; Augustine, among others, is known to have taken this position. Another view holds that the act can be justified as an effort to preserve life.
• The meaning of "harlot": Some Jewish traditions and Josephus are known to have understood Rahab as an innkeeper. The Korean Revised Version and the New Korean Revised Version render the word as "harlot."
• Extrabiblical tradition: Rabbinic literature is known to contain a tradition identifying the two spies as Caleb and Phinehas, but this identification does not appear in the text.
• The scarlet cord and blood: Beginning with an early church epistle attributed to Clement of Rome, an interpretive tradition has read the scarlet cord as a type of redemption through the blood of Christ. This is an interpretive tradition, not something the text states directly.
• Hesed: The expressions "shewed you kindness" and "deal kindly and truly" in verses 12 and 14 are connected to hesed, which denotes covenant faithfulness.
• Connections to the New Testament: Hebrews 11:31 cites Rahab's action as an example of faith. James 2:25 cites it as an example of faith accompanied by works. That these two passages treat the same person with different emphases is frequently noted in discussions of justification. Matthew 1:5 includes Rahab in the genealogy of Jesus as the mother of Boaz.

In the Korean Church

The chapter is frequently used in sermons on Rahab's faith, God's grace in embracing the Gentiles, and the scarlet cord and the precious blood of Christ. In Sunday schools it is often taught together with the story of the walls of Jericho.