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.

1 And Ioshua the sonne of Nun sent out of Shittim two men, to spie secretly, saying, Go, view the land, euen Iericho: and they went, and came into an harlots house, named Rahab, and lodged there.

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

3 And the king of Iericho sent vnto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entred into thine house: for they bee come to search out all the countrey.

4 And the woman tooke the two men, and hid them, & said thus: There came men vnto mee, but I wist not whence they were:

5 And it came to passe about the time of shutting of the gate, when it was darke, that the men went out: whither the men went, I wote not: pursue after them quickely, for ye shall ouertake them.

6 But shee had brought them vp to the roofe of the house, and hid them with the stalkes of flaxe, which she had laid in order vpon the roofe.

7 And the men pursued after them the way to Iordan, vnto the foords: and assoone as they which pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate.

8 And before they were laide downe, shee came vp vnto them vpon the roofe.

9 And she said vnto the men, I know that the Lord hath giuen you the land, and that your terrour is fallen vpon vs, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you:

10 For wee haue heard how the Lord dried vp the water of the red Sea for you; when you came out of Egypt, and what you did vnto the two kings of the Amorites that were on the other side Iordan, Sihon and Og; whom ye vtterly destroyed.

11 And assoone as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remaine any more courage in any man, because of you: for the Lord your God, he is God in heauen aboue, and in earth beneath.

12 Now therfore, I pray you, sweare vnto me by the Lord, since I haue shewed you kindnesse, that ye will also shew kindnesse vnto my fathers house, and giue me a true token:

13 And that ye will saue aliue my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they haue, and deliuer our liues from death.

14 And the men answered her, Our life for yours, if yee vtter not this our businesse. And it shall bee when the Lord hath giuen vs the land, that wee will deale kindely and truely with thee.

15 Then shee let them downe by a coard thorow the window: for her house was vpon the towne wall, and she dwelt vpon the wall.

16 And she said vnto them, Get you to the mountaine, lest the pursuers meete you; and hide your selues there three dayes, vntill the pursuers bee returned, and afterward may ye goe your way.

17 And the men said vnto her, Wee will bee blamelesse of this thine oath which thou hast made vs sweare:

18 Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt binde this line of scarlet threed in the window which thou didst let vs downe by: and thou shalt bring thy father and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy fathers houshold home vnto thee.

19 And it shall bee, that whosoeuer shall goe out of the doores of thy house into the street, his blood shalbe vpon his head, and wee will bee guiltlesse: and whosoeuer shall bee with thee in the house, his blood shalbe on our head, if any hand be vpon him.

20 And if thou vtter this our businesse, then we wilbe quit of thine oath which thou hast made vs to sweare.

21 And shee saide, According vnto your words, so be it. And she sent them away, & they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window.

22 And they went, and came vnto the mountaine, and abode there three dayes, vntill the pursuers were returned. And the pursuers sought them thorowout all the way, but found them not.

23 So the two men returned, and descended from the mountaine, and passed ouer, and came to Ioshua the sonne of Nun, and told him all things that befell them.

24 And they saide vnto Ioshua, Truely the Lord hath deliuered into our hands all the land; for euen all the inhabitants of the countrey doe faint because of vs.

I == Num 25:1 ; Matt 1:5 ; Heb 11:31 ; James 2:25

 

II == Ps 127:1 ; Prov 21:30

 

 

 

 

 

IV == 2nd Sam 17:19-20

 

 

 

 

 

VI == Ex 1:17 ; 2nd Sam 17:19

 

 

 

 

 

 

IX == Gen 35:5 ; Ex 23:27 ; Deut 2:25 ; 11:25

 

X == Ex 14:21 ; Num 21:24 , 34-35 ; Josh 4:23

 

 

 

XI == Ex 15:14-15 ; Deut 4:39 ; Josh 5:1 ; 7:5 ; Isa 13:7

 

 

XII == Josh 2:18 ; 1st Sam 20:14-15 , 17 ; 1st Tim 5:8

 

 

 

 

XIV == Judg 1:24 ; Matt 5:7

 

 

 

XV == Acts 9:25

 

 

 

 

 

XVII == Ex 20:7

 

XVIII == Josh 2:12 ; 6:23

 

 

 

 

XIX == Matt 27:25

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XXIV == Ex 23:31 ; Josh 6:2 ; 21:44

 

1 Then Joshua, son of Nun, secretly sent out two spies from Shittim, saying, "Go, reconnoiter the land and Jericho." When the two reached Jericho, they went into the house of a harlot named Rahab, where they lodged.

2 But a report was brought to the king of Jericho that some Israelites had come there that night to spy out the land.

3 So the king of Jericho sent Rahab the order, "Put out the visitors who have entered your house, for they have come to spy out the entire land."

4 The woman had taken the two men and hidden them, so she said, "True, the men you speak of came to me, but I did not know where they came from.

5 At dark, when it was time for the gate to be shut, they left, and I do not know where they went. You will have to pursue them immediately to overtake them."

6 2 Now, she had led them to the roof, and hidden them among her stalks of flax spread out there.

7 But the pursuers set out along the way to the fords of the Jordan, and once they had left, the gate was shut.

8 Before the spies fell asleep, Rahab came to them on the roof

9 and said: "I know that the LORD has given you the land, that a dread of you has come upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are overcome with fear of you.

10 For we have heard how the LORD dried up the waters of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and how you dealt with Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites beyond the Jordan, whom you doomed to destruction.

11 At these reports, we are disheartened; everyone is discouraged because of you, since the LORD, your God, is God in heaven above and on earth below.

12 Now then, swear to me by the LORD that, since I am showing kindness to you, you in turn will show kindness to my family; and give me an unmistakable token

13 that you are to spare my father and mother, brothers and sisters, and all their kin, and save us from death."

14 "We pledge our lives for yours," the men answered her. "If you do not betray this errand of ours, we will be faithful in showing kindness to you when the LORD gives us the land."

15 Then she let them down through the window with a rope; for she lived in a house built into the city wall.

16 "Go up into the hill country," she suggested to them, "that your pursuers may not find you. Hide there for three days, until they return; then you may proceed on your way."

17 The men answered her, "This is how we will fulfill the oath you made us take:

18 When we come into the land, tie this scarlet cord in the window through which you are letting us down; and gather your father and mother, your brothers and all your family into your house.

19 Should any of them pass outside the doors of your house, he will be responsible for his own death, and we shall be guiltless. But we shall be responsible if anyone in the house with you is harmed.

20 If, however, you betray this errand of ours, we shall be quit of the oath you have made us take." 21 "Let it be as you say," she replied, and bade them farewell. When they were gone, she tied the scarlet cord in the window.

22 They went up into the hills, where they stayed three days until their pursuers, who had sought them all along the road without finding them, returned.

23 Then the two came back down from the hills, crossed the Jordan to Joshua, son of Nun, and reported all that had befallen them.

24 They assured Joshua, "The LORD has delivered all this land into our power; indeed, all the inhabitants of the land are overcome with fear of us."

v 1. Shittim is pronounced shi - teem  ‘, meaning “sticks of wood” presumably from the acacia tree. This is where the people were camped when they fell into immorality at the instigation of Balaam, Num. 25. This was seven miles from the Jordan, so the people had three days to gather food and assemble at the river. The two spies were hardy swimmers to cross the Jordan when it was out of it’s banks. They thought they were just going on a risky spy mission, but God had a soul there He wanted to save, even one to be an ancestor of the Messiah, Matt. 1:5. All spying is done in secret, but this was kept secret from Israel, in case they might be discouraged as they had at Kedesh when the other spies brought their report.

v 2,3. The spies may have swum the Jordan farther north and entered the city from the west, trying to disguise themselves. They possibly mingled with others coming in from their fields in the evening and asked questions to find the harlot’s house. Several, including Josephus wish to soften this account saying that this meant an inn, or an inn which doubled as a place of prostitution. There is no positive proof of this, and  Rahab was definitely a prostitute.  It gave the spies a possible excuse for being in the city, but does not mean they participated in immorality. Or they may have come in with the noon traffic and spent the afternoon viewing the defenses and disposition of the people. At any rate, they aroused suspicions, including Rahab’s, but she turned to the true God. The people had been observing Israel across the Jordan for several weeks and expected an invasion, so the king quickly sent men to have the spies apprehended.
v 4-7. Whether or not Rahab had seen the king’s agents coming soon after dark, she had taken the precaution of hiding the spies under flax drying on the roof. Flax was soaked for 4-6 weeks to disintegrate all but the fibers. Then it was dried and the fibers were made into linen cloth. The agents took her word concerning the spies, along with her suggestion that if they would follow quickly they would find them. As soon as they left, the city gate was shut, in case the spies were still in the city. Some excuse her lies as acceptable in a time of war,  but Is it ever right to do wrong that good may come? Perhaps it is best to assume God rewarded her good behavior and pardoned that which was not right.
v 8-14. Before the spies have a chance to settle in for the night, she informs them that   all the people are terrorized by what God has done for them from the time they left Egypt, and that she knows God has given them the land. She believes with her heart and confesses with her mouth, Rom. 10:10. With that, she pleads for protection for all her family and their possessions. The men agree, providing she doesn’t report them.
v 15-22.   There were limestone cliffs with many caves about 500 steps behind the city in the opposite direction from which the pursuers had gone. She warned the men to flee there and hide three days till the others quit searching, then she let them down over the wall with a scarlet cord. The city had double walls 30 feet high and 12 feet between them, the inner wall being 12 feet thick.  Rahab’s house, like some others, was  built on top, connecting the two, because the city was so crowded. It only covered six acres. The agreement was that she should keep that same scarlet cord displayed in the window and bring all her family into that house for protection. If they did not come in or she failed to display the scarlet cord, or if she reported the spies, the agreement was nullified.  This is similar to the night of the passover. All who had faith to come in under the blood would be saved. The scarlet cord represents the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Rom. 10:9-13; 1 Pet. 1:18. 
The sparing of Rahab and her household is given in Josh. 6:22-25. Contrary to  Rabbinical traditions that she married Joshua and descendants included eight prophets and priests, including Jeremiah, we know she married Salmon, an ancestor of Christ. Some think Salmon was one of the spies . More important, her faith is mentioned in Heb. 11:31 and Jas. 2:25. She aided the spies because of faith, not fear.

v 23,24. The spies probably left the caves in the dead of night to hurry back and swim the swollen Jordan again. They were able to give a favorable report for invasion, because the people were living in terror of them.