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Joshua Chapter
Two
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO JOSHUA 2
This
chapter gives an account of the spies sent by Joshua to Jericho, and of their
entrance into the house of Rahab, who hid them from the king's messengers, Joshua 2:1; of the
relation she gave them of the fear and dread of Israel, which were fallen upon
the Canaanites, Joshua 2:8; and of
the request she made to them, to save her and her father's house, when the city
should be taken, and to have a sure sign of it given her, Joshua 2:12; which
the spies solemnly promised, and gave her a sign of it, with a charge not to
discover the matter to any, Joshua 2:14; and
being let down by a cord through the window of her house, they made their escape
to a mountain, where they lay three days, and then returned to Joshua, and made
their report, Joshua 2:21.
Joshua 2:1 2 Now Joshua the son of Nun
sent out two men from Acacia Grove[a] to spy
secretly, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” So they went, and
came to the house of a harlot named Rahab, and lodged there.
YLT
1And Joshua son of Nun
sendeth from Shittim, two men, spies, silently, saying, `Go, see the land --
and Jericho;' and they go and come into the house of a woman, a harlot, and her
name [is] Rahab, and they lie down there.
And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men,.... Or
"had sent"F16וישלח
"miserat", Vatablus, Masius, Drusius. ; for this was done before the
above order to depart: it is a tradition of the JewsF17Shalshalet
Hakabala, fol. 7. 2. , that they were Caleb and Phinehas; but they were not
young men, as in Joshua 6:23;
especially the former; nor is it probable that men of such rank and figure
should be sent, but rather meaner persons; yet such as were men of good sense
and abilities, and capable of conducting such an affair they were sent about,
as well as men of probity and faithfulness; two good men, Kimchi says they
were, and not as they that went on the mission of Moses; these were sent from
Shittim, the same with Abelshittim, in the plains of Moab, where Israel now lay
encamped, Numbers 33:49,
which JosephusF18Antiqu. l. 5. c. 1. De Bello Jud. l. 4. c. 8. sect.
2. calls Abila, and says it was sixty furlongs, or seven miles and better, from
Jordan:
to spy secretly; or "silently"F19חרש "silentio", Montanus, Munster; so Kimchi and
Ben Melech. ; not so much with respect to the inhabitants of the land, for it
is supposed in all spies, that they do their business in the most private and
secret manner, so as not to be discovered by the inhabitants, whose land they
are sent to spy; but with respect to the children of Israel, that they might
know nothing of it, lest they should be discouraged, thinking that Joshua was
in some fear of the Canaanites, and under some distrust of the promise of God
to give the land to them: the word for "smiths", and also for persons
deaf and dumb, coming from the same root, have furnished the Jewish writers
with various conceits, as that these spies went in the habit of smiths with the
instruments of their business in their hands; or acted as deaf and dumb
persons, and so as incapable of giving an account of themselves, or of
answering to any questions put to them, should they be taken up and examined;
their commentators in general take notice of this:
saying, go view the land, even Jericho; especially
Jericho, so NoldiusF20P. 277. ; the land in general, and Jericho in
particular, because it was a great city, as Kimchi notes; of this city; see
Gill on Luke 19:4. Whether
it had its name from the sweetsmelling balsam which grew in plenty about it, or
from the form of it, being that of an half moon, is not certain, StraboF21Geograph.
l. 16. p. 525. says of it, that here was a paradise of balsam, an aromatic, and
that it was surrounded with hills in a plain, which bent to it like an
amphitheatre. They were not sent to spy the land, as the spies in the times of
Moses, to see what sort of land it was, and what sort of people dwelt in it;
but to reconnoitre it, to know where it was best to lead the people at first,
and encamp; and particularly to observe the passes and avenues leading to
Jericho, the first city in it, nearest to them, of importance. Ben Gersom
thinks it was to spy or pick out the thoughts of the inhabitants of the land,
what apprehensions they had of the people of Israel, whether disheartened and
dispirited at their near approach, and what were their intentions, resolutions,
and preparations to act against them, offensively, or defensively; and which
seems not amiss, since this was the chief information they got, and which they
reported to Joshua upon their return; though Abarbinel objects to it as a thing
impossible:
and they went, and came into a harlot's house, named Rahab; they went
from Shittim, and crossed the river Jordan, by swimming or fording, and came to
Jericho; which, as JosephusF23 says, was fifty furlongs, or seven
miles and a half, from Jordan; and they went into a harlot's house, not
purposely for that reason, because it was such an one, but so it proved
eventually; though the Targum of Jonathan says it was the house of a woman, an
innkeeper or victualler; for Jarchi, Kimchi, and Ben Melech, interpret the word
it uses of a seller of foodF24And so R. Sol. Urbin. Obel Moed, fol.
24. 1. ; and if so, it furnishes out a reason why they turned in thither, where
they might expect to have food and lodging; though the Jews commonly take her
to be a harlot; and generally speaking, in those times and countries, such as
kept public houses were prostitutes; and there are some circumstances which
seem to confirm this in the context; and so the Greek version calls her, and is
the character given of her in the New Testament: her name was Rahab, of whom
the Jews have this traditionF25, that she was ten years of age when
Israel came out of Egypt; that she played the harlot the forty years they were
in the wilderness, became the wife of Joshua, who had daughters by her, from
whom came eight prophets, Jeremiah, Hilkiah, Maasia, Hanameel, Shallum, Baruch,
the son of Neriah, Ezekiel, the son of Buzi, and some say Huldah the
prophetess; but the truth is, she married Salmon, a prince of the tribe of
Judah; see Gill on Matthew 1:5,
and lodged there; that is, they went thither in order to
lodge.
Joshua 2:2 2 And it was told the king
of Jericho, saying, “Behold, men have come here tonight from the children of
Israel to search out the country.”
YLT
2And it is told to the king
of Jericho, saying, `Lo, men have come in hither to-night, from the sons of
Israel, to search the land.
And it was told the king of Jericho, saying,.... Who being
alarmed at the near approach of the Israelites, and knowing their claim to the
land of Canaan, and their design upon it, employed men to watch and observe
what passed in the city, and parts adjacent, and inform him of it; or some
persons of themselves, and for their own safety, and the good of their fellow citizens,
gave notice to the king of it:
behold, there came men hither tonight of the children of Israel; who were
known by their habit and language; or at least, being strangers, were suspected
to be of that people, the terror of whom had fallen on all the inhabitants, so
that every strange man they took for an Israelite; from hence it appears, that
the spies came to Jericho at night, that they might not be observed: but with
all their precaution they were taken notice of, and their design suspected, namely:
to search out the country; which were the proper
places to attack first, and where there was the greatest probability of
succeeding, as well as to find out the disposition of the inhabitants, whether
fearful or fearless of them.
Joshua 2:3 3 So the king of Jericho
sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who have
entered your house, for they have come to search out all the country.”
YLT
3And the king of Jericho
sendeth unto Rahab, saying, `Bring out the men who are coming in unto thee, who
have come into thy house, for to search the whole of the land they have come
in.
And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab,.... Not
merely because she kept a public house, or being a prostitute had often
strangers in it, and so conjectured that the men he had notice of might be
there; but he sent upon certain information that they were seen to go in there,
as it follows:
saying, bring forth the men that are come to thee; not to commit
lewdness with her, though this is the sense some Jewish commentators give; but
this neither agrees with the character of the men Joshua had chosen for this
purpose, nor answers any end of the king to suggest; nor can it be thought that
Rahab would so openly and freely own this, as in Joshua 2:4, but
what is meant by the phrase is explained in the following clause:
which are entered into thine house: in order to lodge there
that night:
for they be come to search out all the country; so it was
suspected, nor was the suspicion groundless.
Joshua 2:4 4 Then the woman took the
two men and hid them. So she said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know
where they were from.
YLT
4And the woman taketh the
two men, and hideth them, and saith thus: `The men came in unto me, and I have
not known whence they [are];
And the woman took the two men,.... Or "she had
taken" themF26ותפח "duxerat,
tulerat"; so Syr. Ar. Kimchi, & Ben Melech. before the messengers
came, upon a rumour she understood was gone abroad, that she had got
Israelitish spies in her house, and so might expect to be visited and searched
by the king's officers, and therefore took this precaution:
and hid them; the Hebrew word is singular,
"him"F1ותצפנו "et abscondit
eum", Montanus; "abdiderat eum", Vatablus. : hence the Jews, who
take these two spies to be Caleb and Phinehas, say, that only Caleb was hid,
and Phinehas, though he was before them, was not seen, being an angel, Malachi 2:7; but
the sense is, that she hid each of them, and very probably singly and apart,
that if one was found, the other might escape, as Ben Gersom observes; and
Abarbinel is of opinion that she hid them twice, now in the middle of her
house, one in one place, and the other in another, for the reason before given,
and after this hid them in the roof of her house, as afterwards related:
and said thus, there came men unto me; that is, into
her house, this she owned:
but I wist not whence they were; of what
country they were, whether Israelites or not; which whether she knew or not is
not certain; it is probable she did, and told an untruth, as she also did in Joshua 2:5.
Joshua 2:5 5 And it happened as the
gate was being shut, when it was dark, that the men went out. Where the men
went I do not know; pursue them quickly, for you may overtake them.”
YLT
5and it cometh to pass --
the gate is to [be] shut -- in the dark, and the men have gone out; I have not
known whither the men have gone; pursue ye, hasten after them, for ye overtake
them;'
And it came to pass, about the time of the shutting of the
gate,.... Of the city, which was done every night, and at a certain
time:
when it was dark; the sun set, and night come on:
that the men went out; out of her house, and
out of the city too, as she said, though it was a downright lie, as well as
what follows:
whither the men went I wot not; though she knew they
were not gone, but were now in her house; she might not scruple telling a lie,
being brought up a Heathen, and being done with a design to save the lives of
persons that belonged to a people she was persuaded were the people of God, and
to whom he had given the land; though her lies are not to be justified; evil is
not to be done that good may come; nor are men to tell lies one to another upon
any account; but these sins, with others, the Lord forgave her:
pursue after them quickly, and ye shall overtake them; this she
encouraged them to do, to get rid of them the sooner, and to remove all
suspicion of her having any respect for them, and of being concerned in
concealing them.
Joshua 2:6 6 (But she had brought them
up to the roof and hidden them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in
order on the roof.)
YLT
6and she hath caused them to
go up on the roof, and hideth them with the flax wood, which is arranged for
her on the roof.
But she had brought them up to the roof of the house,.... Before
the messengers came; though Abarbinel thinks it was after they were gone, when
she took them from the place of their concealment, and had them to the roof of
the house, where she thought they would be safe and secure, should the
messengers return, or others come in search of them, who would not, as she
imagined, look for them there:
and hid them with the stalks of flax; that is,
under them, or "in flax of wood", or "a tree"F2בפשתי העץ "in linis
ligni", Montanus; "vel arboris", Vatablus. ; which may with as
much propriety, or more, be called a tree than hyssop, 1 Kings 4:33; as it
is in the MisnahF3Sabbat, c. 2. sect. 3. & Bartenora in ib. .
Moreover, there was a sort of flax which grew in the upper part of Egypt
towards Arabia, as Pliny saysF4Nat. Hist. l. 19. c. 1. , which they
called "xylon", or wood, of which were made "lina xylina":
though the words may be rightly transposed, as by as, "stalks of
flax", which are large and strong before the flax is stripped or beaten
off of them; the Targum renders it bundles of flax, or handfuls and sheaves of
them, as they were when cut down and gathered:
which she had laid in order upon the roof; to be dried,
as Kimchi observes; and PlinyF5Nat. Hist. l. 19. c. 1. speaks of
flax being bound up in bundles, and hung up and dried in the sun; which was
done that it might be more easily stripped and beaten off; and the roofs of
houses in those countries being flat, were very fit for such a purpose; See
Gill on Deuteronomy 22:8;
and these being now laid there were very suitable and convenient to conceal the
men under them. This seems to be in favour of Rahab, as being a virtuous and
industrious woman; see Proverbs 31:13.
Joshua 2:7 7 Then the men pursued them
by the road to the Jordan, to the fords. And as soon as those who pursued them
had gone out, they shut the gate.
YLT
7And the men have pursued
after them the way of the Jordan, by the fords, and the gate they have shut
afterwards, when the pursuers have gone out after them.
And the men pursued after them,.... As they thought:
the way to Jordan; on the other side of which the people of
Israel lay encamped, to which they supposed, according to Rahab's account,
these two men directed their course:
unto the fords; the fords of Jordan, the passages through
it; for in some places, and at some times, it was fordable; which accounts for
the way in which these spies could get over Jordan, see Genesis 32:10; it
was most reasonable to conclude they would return the same way; and so far the
king's messengers went, but further they did not choose to go, because it would
be to no purpose, and they might expose themselves to the camp of Israel, which
lay on the other side:
and as soon as they which pursued after them were gone out, they
shut the gate; that is, either as soon as the king's messengers were gone out
of Rahab's house, either the spies, or rather the men of the house, Rahab's
servants, shut the door of it to prevent their return, or others coming in; or
rather, when they were got out of the city, the watchmen of the city, the
porters of the city gates, shut them, that if they were not got out of the
city, to prevent their escape, or however to keep out others from entering,
that might be on some such design, or worse.
Joshua 2:8 8 Now before they lay down,
she came up to them on the roof,
YLT
8And -- before they lie down
-- she hath gone up unto them on the roof,
And before they were laid down,.... Under the stalks of
the flax; or rather, since they are said to be hid in them, before they were
fallen asleep, so Kimchi and Abarbinel:
she came up unto them upon the roof; to acquaint them how
things were, and to converse with them on the following subjects.
Joshua 2:9 9 and said to the men: “I
know that the Lord
has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all
the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you.
YLT
9and she saith unto the men,
`I have known that Jehovah hath given to you the land, and that your terror
hath fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted at
your presence.
And she said unto the men,.... The two spies:
I know that the Lord hath given you the land; the land of
Canaan, of which she was an inhabitant, and in which they now were; this she
knew either by some tradition that was among them; or by divine revelation, a
supernatural impulse upon her mind: or by observing what the Lord had done
already, in putting the land of the Amorites into their hands, which were one
of the seven nations of Canaan; and by this it also appears, and more clearly
by what follows, that she had knowledge of the Lord God, the God of Israel:
and that your terror is fallen upon us; which was
another token or sign by which she knew the land would be delivered to them;
that they who were a formidable people, and struck terror into others, now were
terrified themselves, at the rumour of Israel being come to invade them; this
was what the Lord said should be the case, Deuteronomy 11:25,
and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you; or
"melt"F6נמגו "liquefacti
sunt", Montanus, Piscator. , like wax before the fire, as Moses had
predicted, Exodus 15:15.
Joshua 2:10 10 For we have heard how the Lord dried up the
water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to
the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan,
Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed.
YLT
10`For we have heard how
Jehovah dried up the waters of the Red Sea at your presence, in your going out
of Egypt, and that which ye have done to the two kings of the Amorite who [are]
beyond the Jordan; to Sihon and to Og whom ye devoted.
For we have heard how the Lord dried up the waters of the Red sea
for you, when ye came out of Egypt,.... To make a passage
for them through it, to walk in as on dry land; this they had heard of and
remembered, though it was forty years ago:
and what you did unto the kings of the Amorites that were
on the other side Jordan: which were things more recent, done but a few months ago:
Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed; the history
of which see in Numbers 21:21; who
were destroyed by them under Moses and Joshua their commanders; and Hercules,
who is thought to be the same with Joshua, is by LucianF7In Hercule.
called Ogmius, from slaying Og, as is supposedF8Dickinson. Delph.
Phoenic. c. 4. p. 44. .
Joshua 2:11 11 And as soon as we heard these
things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in
anyone because of you, for the Lord your God, He is
God in heaven above and on earth beneath.
YLT
11And we hear, and melt doth
our heart, and there hath not stood any more spirit in [any] man, from your
presence, for Jehovah your God, He [is] God in the heavens above, and on the
earth beneath.
And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did
melt,.... Particularly what were done to the two kings of the Amorites,
who, and their people, were utterly destroyed, their goods made a prey of, and
their countries seized upon and possessed:
neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of
you; they looked dejected in their countenances, had no heart to go
about any business, trembled at the shaking of a leaf, or at the least rumour
and report made that the Israelites were coming on and were at hand; they had
no spirit to prepare to go out and meet them, or to defend themselves:
for the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and in
earth beneath; the Maker and Possessor of both; is the Governor of the whole
universe, and does what he pleases in it; and disposes of all countries,
persons, and things, as he thinks fit: this is a proof of her knowledge of the
true God, and faith in him, and shows her to be a believer, and hence she is
reckoned in the catalogue of believers, Hebrews 11:31; and
her faith is proved to be of the right kind by the works she did, James 2:25.
Joshua 2:12 12 Now therefore, I beg you,
swear to me by the Lord,
since I have shown you kindness, that you also will show kindness to my
father’s house, and give me a true token,
YLT
12`And now, swear ye, I pray
you, to me by Jehovah -- because I have done with you kindness -- that ye have
done, even ye, kindness with the house of my father, and have given to me a
true token,
Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the Lord,.... Which
being a religious action, and done by men that feared the Lord, she knew it
would be binding upon them: the Targum is,"swear to me by the Word of the
Lord:"
since I have showed you kindness; by receiving them with
peace into her house, and hiding them when inquired for and demanded of her; in
doing which she risked her own, life, had this treachery to her country, as it
would have been deemed, been discovered;
that you will also show kindness unto my father's house; she mentions
not herself and household, for if this was granted that would be implied and
included; and this she presses for by the law of retaliation and friendship,
for since she had shown kindness to them, it was but reasonable it should be
returned:
and give me a true token; that she and her
father's house would be saved by them when the city should be taken and the
inhabitants destroyed; a token that would not deceive her, on which she might
depend, and would be firm and sure.
Joshua 2:13 13 and spare my father, my
mother, my brothers, my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives
from death.”
YLT
13and have kept alive my
father, and my mother, and my brothers, and my sisters, and all that they have,
and have delivered our souls from death.'
And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and
my brethren, and my sisters,.... She makes no mention of any husband or
children she had, as harlots seldom have, and which seems to confirm her
character as such; and so Abarbinel observes, that her father's house is only
mentioned to tell us that she had no husband, for she was an harlot and had no
children, and puts her father and mother in the room of an husband, and her
brethren and sisters in the room of children:
and all that they have; not their substance
only, but their children more especially, the children of her brethren and
sisters:
and deliver our lives from death; here she manifestly
includes herself, and requests the saving of her life, and the lives of all her
relations, when she knew the inhabitants of the city would be all put to death
upon the taking of it: thus she provided for the safety of her family, as Noah
in another case and manner did, Hebrews 11:7; and
indeed seemed more concerned for them than for herself; and thus souls sensible
of their own estate and condition, by nature and grace, are very solicitous for
the salvation of their relations and friends, Romans 9:3.
Joshua 2:14 14 So the men answered her,
“Our lives for yours, if none of you tell this business of ours. And it shall
be, when the Lord
has given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with you.”
YLT
14And the men say to her,
`Our soul for yours -- to die; if ye declare not this our matter, then it hath
been, in Jehovah's giving to us this land, that we have done with thee kindness
and truth.'
And the men answered her,.... The two spies:
our life for yours; or "our souls in your stead to
die"F9נפשנו תחתיכם
למות "anima nostra pro vobis ad moriendum",
Pagninus, Montanus. ; that is, we engage for the security of your lives, should
they be in danger; we promise to die in your room and stead rather than you
should: this they said not as though their lives would be required of them for
them, but to assure her of the safety of her and her father's house, on the
following condition:
if ye utter not this our business; not their business in
searching the land, for the discovery of that would be of little avail after
they were gone; for it was known already that there were persons come to search
the land; but "this our word"F11את
דברנו זה "verbum
nostrum hoc", Pagninus, Montanus; "sermonem nostrum hunc",
Vatablus, Junius & Tremellius. , what they were going to say to her and bid
her do, as a sign of safety to her and hers; which, if she discovered, others
would give out the same sign, and then they could not promise her safety; or if
she did not take care to bring in her father, mother, brethren, and sisters,
and theirs into her house, they could not engage to protect them:
and it shall be, when the Lord hath given us the land; not the whole
land, but Jericho and the laud about it, that when that part of it should be
delivered into their hands:
that we will deal kindly and truly with thee;
"kindly", by sparing her and her father's house; "truly",
by faithfully performing the promise and oath they made to her.
Joshua 2:15 15 Then she let them down by
a rope through the window, for her house was on the city wall; she dwelt
on the wall.
YLT
15And she causeth them to go
down by a rope through the window, for her house [is] in the side of the wall,
and in the wall she [is] dwelling;
Then she let them down by a cord through the window,.... Which
must be large, and the cord strong, as well as she herself a masculine woman,
to let down two men by it, unless she employed any of her servants in the
affair; though this being so great a secrecy, it is probable she trusted none
of her domestics with it as little as possible: in like manner the Apostle Paul
was let down by the wall of Damascus in a basket, Acts 9:25; Jarchi
supposes it was the same cord and window, by means of and in at which her
gallants used to come and go:
for her house was upon the town wall; in a suitable
and convenient place to receive her guests and gallants: and it is observed,
that harlots have had their houses on or under walls: Martial speaks of harlots
whom he callsF12Epigram. l. 3. Ep. 62. Summoenianae, whores that
plied under the walls and in the suburbs of cities:
and she dwelt upon the wall; that part of the house
in which she particularly dwelt was built on or over the wall, and the rest
towards the city was for the entertainment of persons that resorted to her
house.
Joshua 2:16 16 And she said to them, “Get
to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you. Hide there three days, until the
pursuers have returned. Afterward you may go your way.”
YLT
16and she saith to them, `To
the mountain go, lest the pursuers come upon you; and ye have been hidden there
three days till the turning back of the pursuers, and afterwards ye go on your
way.'
And she said unto them, get ye unto the mountain,.... Which was
near to the city, and is supposed to be the same which is now called
Quarantania: Dr. Shaw, a late traveller in those parts, saysF13Travels,
p. 276. Ed. 2. , from the mountain Quarantania, the very same perhaps where the
two spies concealed themselves, Joshua 2:16, we
have a distinct view of the land of the Amorites, of Gilead, and of Bashan, the
inheritance of the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and of the half tribe of
Manasseh--to it joins the mountain of Adummim, and through it the road is cut
that leads from Jerusalem to Jericho, where probably it was from the very
nature of the situation that the man fell among thieves, Luke 10:30; which
very probably is the same mountain which JosephusF14De Bello Jud. l.
4. c. 8. sect. 2. says hung over the city, and was a very barren one; though
the singular may be put for the plural, since, as Strabo saysF15Geograph.
l. 16. p. 525. , it was surrounded with mountains:
lest the pursuers meet you; on their return from the
fords of Jordan, being disappointed:
and hide yourselves there three days: some of the
Jewish Rabbins, as Jarchi and Kimchi, observe that she had this by the
revelation of the Holy Ghost, that the pursuers would return at the end of
three days; but the latter more truly remarks, that this was said by
conjecture; that Jericho being, as he says, one day from Jordan, and a little
more, by going, returning, and searching for the spies, they would be three
days in doing it:
until the pursuers be returned; into the city; for until
they were they could not be in safety, but must be in danger of being met by
them and taken up:
and afterward may ye go your way: to Jordan, and so to the
camp of Israel, and that without fear.
Joshua 2:17 17 So the men said to her:
“We will be blameless of this oath of yours which you have made us
swear,
YLT
17And the men say unto her,
`We are acquitted of this thine oath which thou hast caused us to swear:
And the men said unto her,.... Some think that this
discourse, which passed between the spies and her, was while in the house
before she let them down, or otherwise they would have been in danger of being
overheard, and so the whole affair discovered; but as it was on the other side
of the house, and under the wall of the city, and without it, they might with
the greater safety converse together:
we will be blameless of this thine oath which thou hast
made us swear; that is, they would most faithfully and punctually keep it, it
should be sacred to them, and she should have no occasion to lay any blame upon
them in the least.
Joshua 2:18 18 unless, when we
come into the land, you bind this line of scarlet cord in the window through
which you let us down, and unless you bring your father, your mother, your brothers,
and all your father’s household to your own home.
YLT
18lo, we are coming into the
land, this line of scarlet thread thou dost bind to the window by which thou
hast caused us to go down, and thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren,
and all the house of thy father thou dost gather unto thee, to the house;
Behold, when we come into the land,.... The land
of Canaan, and into this city, into that part of it, as the Septuagint, where
her house was, meaning not themselves only, but the people of Israel they
belonged to:
thou shall bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which
thou didst let us down by; the word by refers either to the scarlet
thread they were let down by, said to be a cord, Joshua 2:15; and
therefore must be a line twisted with various scarlet threads, as Kimchi; who
observes, that according to the Targum, it was the border of a red garment; or
to the window through which they were let down, as the Septuagint version; it
may refer to both, and the sense be, that the same twisted cord of scarlet
thread they were let down by should be bound to the same window they were let
down through; only this objection there is to the same window, that it was not
towards the city, and so not to be seen when they came into it, but looked over
the wall without the city: now as Rahab was an instance of the salvation of
sinners by the grace of God, for she was a sinner by birth, by practice, and a
notorious one; she was an instance of distinguishing grace, of free and
efficacious grace, a singular instance of it; and became a true penitent, a
real believer, was a justified person, and saved: so the scarlet thread was an
emblem of the blood of Christ, by which salvation is; redemption and all the
blessings of grace are through it; justification, remission of sin,
reconciliation, and atonement, and safety, and protection from avenging
justice, and wrath to come, are only by it: likewise the spies, who are also
called "messengers", James 2:25; may
represent the ministers of the Gospel, who are the messengers of Christ, and
the churches, are sent out by him the antitypical Joshua, men of wisdom,
courage, and valour, and are sent as spies to bring to light men and things,
who direct to the way of salvation and give the same token of it, Mark 16:16,
and thou shall bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren,
and all thy father's household home unto thee; into her house, where
the scarlet thread was bound, and where only they would be safe, as the
Israelites were in the houses where the blood of the paschal lamb was
sprinkled, Exodus 12:23; and
so they are safe, and they only, who are under the blood of sprinkling, and
partake of the virtue of it.
Joshua 2:19 19 So it shall be that
whoever goes outside the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall
be on his own head, and we will be guiltless. And whoever is with
you in the house, his blood shall be on our head if a hand is laid on
him.
YLT
19and it hath been, any one
who goeth out from the doors of thy house without, his blood [is] on his head,
and we are innocent; and any one who is with thee in the house, his blood [is]
on our head, if a hand is on him;
And it shall be, that
whosoever shall go out of the door of thy house into the street,.... After
they have been taken in, and when the Israelites were come into the city:
his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be
guiltless; if he is killed by any person, his death will be owing to
himself, and no blame to be laid on us; nor shall we reckon ourselves guilty of
the breach of the oath taken:
and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood
shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him: if anyone
within doors is killed by an Israelite entering in, the guilt of the blood
shall lie upon us, and we will be answerable, according to the tenor of the
oath, "our life for yours", Joshua 2:14.
Joshua 2:20 20 And if you tell this
business of ours, then we will be free from your oath which you made us swear.”
YLT
20and if thou declare this
our matter, then we have been acquitted from thine oath which thou hast caused
us to swear.'
And if thou utter this our
business,.... So that others would either hang out scarlet threads or get
into her house for shelter; see Gill on Joshua 2:14,
then we will be quit of thine oath which thou hast made us to
swear; be under no obligation to make it good, by saving her and her
father's house.
Joshua 2:21 21 Then she said, “According
to your words, so be it.” And she sent them away, and they departed. And
she bound the scarlet cord in the window.
YLT
21And she saith, `According
unto your words, so it [is];' and she sendeth them away, and they go; and she
bindeth the scarlet line to the window.
And she said, according to
your words, so be it,.... She agreed, that if the conditions
required were not performed, they would be quit of their oath, but if they
were, she expected it would be fulfilled:
and she sent them away, and they departed; took their
leave of each other:
and she bound the scarlet line in the window; immediately,
as Abarbinel thinks, and in the sight of the spies, that they might see that
she conformed to their direction, and that they might take notice where she
fastened it; and that she herself might, at the sight of it, be put in mind of
the design of it, and be an encouragement to her faith as to the safety of her
and her father's house; and it being a thing so trifling and insignificant in
itself, would not be taken notice of by the inhabitants, or be thought to be
done with any design; though, according to the instruction of the spies, it
seems as if it was to be done when they came into the land, and into the city,
and which seems most likely that it was then done.
Joshua 2:22 22 They departed and went to
the mountain, and stayed there three days until the pursuers returned. The
pursuers sought them all along the way, but did not find them.
YLT
22And they go, and come in to
the mountain, and abide there three days until the pursuers have turned back;
and the pursuers seek in all the way, and have not found.
And they went, and came
unto the mountain,.... Rahab had directed them to, the mountain Quarantania; see
Gill on Joshua 2:16,
and abode there three days; being, no doubt,
supplied with food by Rahab; and it might not be three wholly, but one whole
day and part of the other two:
until the pursuers were returned; to the city of Jericho,
as might reasonably be supposed:
and the pursuers sought them throughout all the way; from Jericho
to the fords of Jordan, searching every hedge, field, and village as they went
and returned:
but found them not; Rahab having hid them in
her house, and then sent them to the mountain, there to remain till the return
of the pursuers.
Joshua 2:23 23 So the two men returned,
descended from the mountain, and crossed over; and they came to Joshua the son
of Nun, and told him all that had befallen them.
YLT
23And the two men turn back,
and come down from the hill, and pass over, and come in unto Joshua son of Nun,
and recount to him all that hath come upon them;
So the two men returned,
and descended from the mountain,.... Or came down from it again, by which,
it seems, they went to the top of it, and hid themselves in some cave there:
this descent, Kimchi says, was,"on the third day of their being sent,
which was the second day of the three days Joshua made mention of when he said,
"within three days";'See Gill on Joshua 1:11,
and passed over; that is, the river Jordan, at the fords of
it:
and came to Joshua the son of Nun; at Shittim, where he
still continued, and from whence he sent them, Joshua 2:1,
and told him all things that befell them; what house
they went into when come to Jericho, what reception they met with, the report
of them to the king of Jericho, how messengers were sent by him to demand them,
and by what means they were preserved and made their escape.
Joshua 2:24 24 And they said to Joshua,
“Truly the Lord
has delivered all the land into our hands, for indeed all the inhabitants of
the country are fainthearted because of us.”
YLT
24and they say unto Joshua,
`Surely Jehovah hath given into our hand all the land; and also, all the
inhabitants of the land have melted at our presence.'
And they said unto Joshua,.... Made a
report of what they had got knowledge of, which answered the end of their
mission:
truly the Lord hath delivered into our hands all the land: which they
concluded by the terror the inhabitants of it were in, and so in no condition
to make resistance and defend themselves; and they not only judged of the whole
land by the case of the inhabitants of Jericho, but were assured by Rahab that
all the inhabitants of the land were in the same plight and condition, Joshua 2:9,
for even the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us; this was the
temper and disposition they appeared in, and seems to be what Joshua was
chiefly desirous of knowing; since nothing else is told by the spies nor
inquired of by him, but immediately upon this report began his march towards
Canaan, as in the next chapter is related.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)