King James 3 - The Literal Translation

1And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men out of Shittim to spy secretly, saying, Go look over the land, and Jericho. And they went and came into the house of a woman, a harlot; and her name was Rahab. And they lay down there. 2And it was reported to the king of Jericho saying, Behold, men have come here tonight from the sons of Israel, to search the land. 3And the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, Bring out the men who have come in to you, who have come into your house. For they have come in to search out all the land. 4And the woman took the two men and hid them, and said, This way the men came in to me, but I did not know from where they were. 5And it happened as the gate was to be shut at dark, even the men went out. I do not know where they have gone. You go after them, and hurry, for you may overtake them. 6But she made them go up on the roof, and hid them with stalks of flax, which she arranged on the roof. 7And the men went after them the way of the Jordan, by the fords. And they shut the gate afterwards, when the pursuers had gone after them. 8And before they had laid down, she came up to them on the roof.  9And she said to the men, I know that Jehovah has given the land to you, and that your terror has fallen on us, and that all those living in the land have melted before you. 10For we have heard how Jehovah dried up the water of the Sea of Reeds before you, as you were going out of Egypt; also that which you have done to two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan; to Sihon, and to Og, whom you devoted to destruction. 11And we have heard, and our heart has melted, and there still does not rise spirit in any man, because of you. For Jehovah your God, He is God in the heavens above, and in the earth below. 12And now, please swear to me by Jehovah, since I have dealt with you in kindness, that you will also deal with my father’s house in kindness, and shall give to me a token of faithfulness; 13and shall keep alive my father, and my mother, and my brothers, and my sisters, and all that is to them, and shall deliver our souls from death. 14And the men said to her, Our life instead of yours, if you do not tell this matter of ours, then it shall be, when Jehovah gives this land to us that we shall deal with you in kindness and truth. 15And she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was in the side of the wall, and she lived in the wall. 16And she said to them, Go to the mountain lest the pursuers come upon you. And you shall hide there three days until the pursuers return; and afterward you shall go on your way. 17And the men said to her, We will be innocent from this oath of yours which you made us swear. 18Behold, we are coming into the land; you shall bind this scarlet thread of line in the window by which you have let us down. And you shall gather your father, and your mother, and your brothers, and all your father’s house to you, to the house. 19And it shall be, anyone who goes outside from the doors of your house his blood shall be on his head, and we shall be innocent. And anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand is on him. 20But if you declare this matter of ours, then we shall be guiltless from your oath which you have made us swear. 21And she said, Let it be according to your words. And she sent them away. And they went. And she bound the line of scarlet thread in the window. 22And they went and came to the mountain, and stayed there three days, until the pursuers had returned. And the pursuers searched in all the way, but did not find them. 23And the two men returned and came down from the mountain, and crossed over, and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and reported to him all that had happened to them. 24And they said to Joshua, Truly Jehovah has given all the land into our hands. And also, all those living in the land have melted before us.


Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary
 1   RAHAB RECEIVES AND CONCEALS THE TWO SPIES. (Josh 2:1-Josh 2:7)
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 (Josh 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 (Matt 1:5), have called her a hostess or tavern keeper. But Scriptural usage (Lev 21:7-Lev 21:14; Deut 23:18; Judg 11:1; 1Kgs 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   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   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.

 8   THE COVENANT BETWEEN HER AND THEM. (Josh 2:8-Josh 2:21)
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 (Josh 24:11; Deut 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   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.