Joshua Chapter 2

At a Glance

  • Joshua 2 is a turning point in the conquest narrative, introducing Rahab the Canaanite insider who helps Israel’s spies.
  • Historical & Literary Context.
  • This chapter belongs to the early conquest narrative that follows the division of the land and the crossing of the Jordan.
  • - Faith Beyond Ethnic Boundaries: Rahab’s confession of faith and her inclusion into Israel’s story signal God’s mercy to the nations.
  • - Faith as Action: Rahab’s risk-taking and hospitality demonstrate that faith requires concrete, courageous deeds.

JOSHUA CHAPTER 2

Chapter Overview

Joshua 2 is a turning point in the conquest narrative, introducing Rahab the Canaanite insider who helps Israel’s spies. The chapter opens with Joshua sending two spies to Jericho, who enter the city and lodge in Rahab’s house—a house that becomes a sanctuary of faith in a city that stands under judgment. The king of Jericho seeks the spies, while Rahab hides them on her roof and crafts a story to misdirect the pursuers. Her declaration of faith—“the LORD, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath”—is both a confession of Israel’s God and a bold confession that transforms Rahab’s status from outsider to integral participant in Israel’s future. She negotiates a treaty: she hides the men and, in return, asks for mercy for her family. The spies agree, giving Rahab a cette token—a red cord, a signal that marks her house for salvation when Jericho falls. The chapter sets Jericho up as a foreshadowing of Israel’s future relationship with the nations, mixing caution with faith, and showing that God’s purposes often work through unlikely allies. Rahab’s faith becomes a foundational witness in the conquest narrative.

Historical & Literary Context

This chapter belongs to the early conquest narrative that follows the division of the land and the crossing of the Jordan. It has a literary function: a story of faith, courage, and cunning that demonstrates God’s sovereignty in delivering cities and peoples into Israel’s hands. Rahab’s inclusion in the genealogical line of Christ (as seen in later biblical testimony) underscores the theme that God’s grace operates beyond ethnic Israel. The genre blends espionage adventure with theological confession, showing that religious faith can be lived out in real-world scenarios—risk, diplomacy, and hospitality become instruments of divine will. The chapter also foreshadows the integration of Gentiles into God’s people, widening the scope of the Abrahamic promise. The tension between human strategy and divine sovereignty is palpable, with Rahab’s cunning helping to secure Israel’s future.

Key Themes

- Faith Beyond Ethnic Boundaries: Rahab’s confession of faith and her inclusion into Israel’s story signal God’s mercy to the nations.

- Faith as Action: Rahab’s risk-taking and hospitality demonstrate that faith requires concrete, courageous deeds.

- God’s Sovereignty in Warfare: Jericho’s imminent fall is framed as a divine act, with human agency playing a secondary, yet essential, role.

- Covenant Hospitality: Rahab’s protection of spies illustrates hospitality as a sacred virtue with cosmic consequences.

Modern Application

Rahab’s story invites contemporary readers to consider where faith challenges comfort zones. It speaks to outsiders and insiders alike: faith isn’t confined to heritage; it is about trust in the God of Israel and action that aligns with that trust. In daily life, Rahab’s example can inspire crossover generosity—welcoming the stranger, taking calculated risks for the greater good, and negotiating peace in hostile contexts. The narrative also invites readers to value wisdom and discernment in difficult situations, to be mindful of the ways God uses unlikely people to fulfill His plans. Finally, Rahab’s penalty and protection remind us that grace often operates where we least expect, offering a pathway for reconciliation and inclusion within God’s people.

- Hebrews 11:31 (Rahab’s faith)

- James 2:25 (Rahab as a model of faith and works)

- Joshua 6 (Jericho’s fall and Rahab’s deliverance)

- Genesis 12-15 (Abrahamic promises that expand to Rahab’s inclusion)

Recommended Personas

- Joshua (for reconnaissance, faith in God’s plan)

- Rahab (for courageous faith and inclusion of outsiders)

- Jesus (for inclusion and redemptive faith that bridges nations)

Chapter Text

1

And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot’s house, named Rahab, and lodged there.

2

And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, there came men in hither to night of the children of Israel to search out the country.

3

And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house: for they be come to search out all the country.

4

And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were:

5

And it came to pass about the time of shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out: whither the men went I wot not: pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them.

6

But she had brought them up to the roof of the house, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof.

7

And the men pursued after them the way to Jordan unto the fords: and as soon as they which pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate.

8

And before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the roof;

9

And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you.

10

For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed.

11

And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.

12

Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the LORD, since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto my father’s house, and give me a true token:

13

And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.

14

And the men answered her, Our life for yours, if ye utter not this our business. And it shall be, when the LORD hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee.

15

Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall.

16

And she said unto them, Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you; and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers be returned: and afterward may ye go your way.

17

And the men said unto her, We will be blameless of this thine oath which thou hast made us swear.

18

Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father’s household, home unto thee.

19

And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him.

20

And if thou utter this our business, then we will be quit of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear.

21

And she said, According unto your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window.

22

And they went, and came unto the mountain, and abode there three days, until the pursuers were returned: and the pursuers sought them throughout all the way, but found them not.

23

So the two men returned, and descended from the mountain, and passed over, and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and told him all things that befell them:

24

And they said unto Joshua, Truly the LORD hath delivered into our hands all the land; for even all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us.

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