Rahab and the Spies at Jericho
Joshua 2:1-24; Joshua 6:22-25
The story of Rahab and the two Israelite spies is one of the most remarkable episodes in the biblical account of Israel’s entrance into the Promised Land. It is a story of courage, faith, unexpected alliances, and divine protection. It also introduces a surprising character into the history of Israel: a Canaanite woman named Rahab, whose faith in the God of Israel would eventually earn her a place of honor in biblical tradition.
The story takes place as the Israelites prepare to cross the Jordan River and enter Canaan under the leadership of Joshua. Moses has died, Joshua has assumed command, and the Israelites are camped at Shittim, east of the Jordan. Across the river lies the fortified city of Jericho, one of the principal obstacles standing between Israel and the land God had promised to Abraham and his descendants.
Jericho is strategically important because it commands access to the central region of Canaan. Its walls and defensive position make it a formidable obstacle for an approaching army. Before leading the Israelites across the Jordan, Joshua decides that he needs information about the city and its defenses.
This decision also recalls an earlier episode in Israel’s history. Forty years before, Moses had sent twelve spies into Canaan to investigate the land. Their report had frightened the Israelites and contributed to their refusal to enter the Promised Land. Only Joshua and Caleb had encouraged the people to trust God and proceed. That earlier failure had resulted in forty years of wandering in the wilderness.
Now Joshua sends only two men, rather than twelve, on a secret reconnaissance mission. He instructs them to examine the land, particularly the city of Jericho. Their mission is intended to discover the city’s condition and provide information that might help Israel prepare for the coming confrontation.
The two spies leave the Israelite camp and make their way across the Jordan River into Jericho.
The Spies Enter the House of Rahab
When the two men arrive in Jericho, they enter the house of a woman named Rahab, who is identified in the biblical account as a prostitute. Her house is apparently situated near the city wall, making it a convenient place for travelers to stay and potentially providing an opportunity for the spies to gather information without attracting immediate attention.
The biblical narrative does not explain precisely why they chose Rahab’s house. It may have offered a degree of anonymity, since travelers regularly visited such establishments. Whatever their reasons, the two Israelites take lodging there.
However, their presence does not remain unnoticed.
Someone reports to the king of Jericho that Israelite men have entered the city and are staying at Rahab’s house. The king immediately recognizes the potential danger. The Israelites have already become known throughout the region because of their escape from Egypt and their military victories east of the Jordan. Their arrival in Jericho suggests that an invasion may be imminent.
The king therefore sends messengers to Rahab with instructions to surrender the two men. He believes they have entered the city to investigate its defenses and gather information in preparation for an attack.
Rahab now faces a dangerous decision. She can obey the king and surrender the strangers, or she can protect them and risk being accused of treason.
She chooses to protect them.
Before the king’s messengers arrive, Rahab has taken the two spies to the roof of her house and hidden them beneath stalks of flax that have been laid out to dry. When the royal messengers question her, she acknowledges that the men had visited her but claims that she does not know where they came from. She tells the messengers that the men have already left and suggests that they pursue them quickly before they escape.
The king’s representatives believe her account. They leave the city and pursue the supposed fugitives toward the Jordan River. Once they have gone, the city gate is closed.
Rahab’s deception has succeeded. The two Israelite spies remain hidden and are now beyond the immediate reach of the king’s authorities.
This episode establishes Rahab as the central figure in the story. Although she is not an Israelite, she is willing to risk her own safety to protect two men who belong to a people her city regards as enemies. Her actions will soon be explained by something more significant than simple sympathy or personal generosity.
Rahab’s Confession of Faith
After the king’s messengers have departed, Rahab returns to the roof to speak with the spies. What follows is one of the most important conversations in the entire story.
Rahab explains that she knows the Israelites are preparing to enter Canaan and that the people of Jericho are terrified of them.
She tells the spies that the inhabitants of the land have heard what happened when Israel escaped from Egypt. They know that the Lord dried up the waters of the Red Sea so that the Israelites could escape from Pharaoh’s army. They have also heard about Israel’s victories over Sihon and Og, the Amorite kings whose territories lay east of the Jordan.
These reports have spread throughout Canaan, producing widespread fear.
Rahab explains that the hearts of the people have melted and that courage has largely disappeared from the population. The inhabitants understand that Israel represents a powerful threat, but Rahab recognizes something deeper behind the Israelites’ success.
She declares:
“For the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.” (Joshua 2:11, King James Version)
This statement is remarkable because it comes from a Canaanite woman who has grown up among people who worship other gods.
Rahab has come to believe that the God of Israel is not simply another national deity competing with the gods of Canaan. He is the supreme God, whose authority extends over heaven and earth.
Her declaration represents a significant turning point in the biblical narrative. Earlier, the Israelites had repeatedly struggled to trust God’s promises. Now, as they approach the Promised Land, a woman from the very population they are about to confront expresses confidence in the power of Israel’s God.
The contrast is striking. The Israelites have sometimes doubted God despite witnessing his miracles, while Rahab has developed faith through hearing about what God has done.
Her words also demonstrate that the reputation of Israel’s God has spread beyond the boundaries of Israel itself. The events of the Exodus and the victories in the wilderness have become known among other peoples.
Rahab’s faith is therefore not based on personal experience of the Exodus. Rather, she has heard the stories and drawn her own conclusions about the nature and power of God.
Rahab Requests Protection for Her Family
Having explained why she believes the Israelites will eventually conquer Jericho, Rahab makes an important request.
She asks the two spies to swear by the Lord that they will show kindness to her and her family when the Israelites take the city.
She reminds them that she has protected their lives by hiding them from the king’s representatives. In return, she asks that they spare her father, mother, brothers, sisters, and everyone associated with her household.
Her request is not simply for her own survival. She wants her entire family to be protected from the destruction she believes is coming.
The spies agree to her request.
They promise that if she keeps their mission secret and does not betray them, they will show her kindness and faithfulness when the Israelites enter the city.
Their agreement establishes a solemn obligation between Rahab and the two representatives of Israel.
The arrangement also reveals an important theme in the story. Rahab is not merely helping the spies escape. She is placing her future in the hands of the God of Israel and seeking protection through the people who serve him.
The spies explain that her family must remain inside her house when the Israelites attack. If anyone leaves the house and goes into the streets, that person will be responsible for the consequences. The spies also make clear that they will not be responsible if Rahab reveals their agreement or betrays their mission.
Rahab accepts these conditions.
The agreement establishes the terms by which she and her family will be spared when Jericho falls.
The Scarlet Cord in the Window
Rahab’s house is situated within the wall of Jericho, and she has a window through which she can lower the spies to safety.
After their agreement has been made, Rahab helps the men escape by lowering them from the window with a rope.
Before they depart, the spies give her one additional instruction. She must tie a scarlet cord in the window through which she has lowered them.
The scarlet cord will serve as a visible sign identifying her house when the Israelites attack the city.
She must also gather her family into the house and keep them there until the danger has passed. Her father, mother, brothers, sisters, and other relatives must all be present if they are to receive the protection promised by the spies.
The scarlet cord becomes the distinguishing mark of Rahab’s household.
The detail has attracted considerable attention throughout the history of biblical interpretation. Some Christian interpreters have understood the scarlet cord as a symbolic anticipation of salvation through the blood of Christ. Others have viewed it more simply as a practical identification signal that allows the Israelites to recognize the house they have promised to protect.
The biblical account itself does not explicitly explain the cord as a religious symbol. Its immediate purpose is clear: it identifies Rahab’s house so that her family can be spared.
Rahab agrees to everything the spies have requested. She ties the scarlet cord in her window and prepares to wait for the arrival of the Israelite army.
The Spies Escape into the Hills
Before the spies leave, Rahab gives them some additional advice.
She tells them that the men pursuing them have gone toward the Jordan River and that they should avoid following the same route. Instead, she recommends that they travel into the nearby hills and hide there for three days until the search parties have returned to Jericho.
The spies follow her advice.
They leave Rahab’s house and disappear into the surrounding countryside. For three days they remain hidden in the hills while the king’s men search unsuccessfully for them.
When the search has ended, the spies make their way back toward the Jordan River. They cross the river and return to the Israelite camp at Shittim, where Joshua is waiting for their report.
Their mission has been successful, although not necessarily in the way Joshua originally anticipated.
The spies have not provided a detailed description of Jericho’s fortifications, its military strength, or its defensive arrangements. Instead, they bring back something perhaps more important: evidence that the people of Canaan are already frightened by the approaching Israelites.
They report to Joshua that the Lord has delivered the entire land into Israel’s hands because the inhabitants are losing their courage.
The report is an important contrast with the earlier mission of the twelve spies sent by Moses. Forty years before, the Israelites had received a report that emphasized the strength of the Canaanite cities and the apparent impossibility of defeating their inhabitants. The people had responded with fear and rebellion.
Now the report emphasizes the fear of the Canaanites themselves and confirms that the situation has changed.
Joshua and the Israelites have every reason to believe that the time has finally come to enter the Promised Land.
The account of Rahab and the spies concludes with the return of the two men to Joshua. The next major episode will be the miraculous crossing of the Jordan River, followed by the confrontation with Jericho itself.
The Fall of Jericho and Rahab’s Rescue
Although the story of Rahab and the spies concludes in Joshua 2, her role in the biblical narrative is not finished.
Several chapters later, the Israelites cross the Jordan River and prepare to attack Jericho. Under God’s instructions, they march around the city for seven days. On the seventh day, after the priests sound their trumpets and the people shout, the walls of Jericho collapse.
The Israelites enter the city, and the biblical account describes the destruction of its inhabitants and buildings.
But Joshua has not forgotten the agreement made with Rahab.
He instructs the two spies who had entered Jericho earlier to return to her house and bring her and her family to safety.
The men enter the city and find Rahab, her father, mother, brothers, and all the members of her household. They lead them out of the city and take them to a place of safety outside the Israelite camp.
Rahab and her family are spared because of the promise made to her.
The biblical narrative then tells us that Rahab and her relatives were permitted to live among the Israelites. Joshua 6:25 specifically states that Rahab continued to live among Israel because she had hidden the messengers Joshua had sent to Jericho.
This is a significant conclusion to the story.
Rahab began as an outsider, a Canaanite woman living in a city that stood in opposition to Israel. Yet she became one of the few inhabitants of Jericho to survive its destruction. Her family was also preserved, and she was welcomed into the community of Israel.
The story therefore does more than describe the successful escape of two spies. It establishes that someone from outside Israel could recognize the God of Israel, demonstrate faith in him, and become part of the community associated with his promises.
Rahab in Later Biblical Tradition
Rahab’s importance extends beyond the Book of Joshua. She is remembered in several later biblical writings, where her story becomes an example of faith, courage, and the possibility of transformation.
In the New Testament Letter to the Hebrews, Rahab is included among the individuals remembered for their faith.
Hebrews 11:31 declares that Rahab did not perish with those who were disobedient because she had welcomed the Israelite spies in peace.
This reference places Rahab alongside important figures from Israel’s history, including Abraham, Moses, and other individuals whose faith influenced their actions.
The Letter of James also refers to Rahab, but emphasizes a slightly different aspect of her story.
James 2:25 uses her as an example of the relationship between faith and action. Rahab demonstrated her faith not simply by believing that the God of Israel was powerful, but by acting on that belief when she protected the spies and helped them escape.
Her actions provide an illustration of James’s argument that genuine faith expresses itself through deeds.
Rahab also appears in the genealogy of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew.
Matthew 1:5 identifies Rahab as the mother of Boaz, whose descendants eventually include King David and, according to Matthew’s genealogy, Jesus.
This connection gives Rahab an extraordinary place in Christian biblical tradition. A Canaanite woman who once lived in Jericho becomes part of the ancestral line through which the Gospel of Matthew traces the birth of Jesus.
Her inclusion is especially noteworthy because Matthew’s genealogy includes several women whose lives and circumstances were unusual by the standards of their time. Their presence emphasizes that the biblical story of salvation involves unexpected individuals and does not always follow conventional patterns of social status or religious identity.
The Historical and Religious Significance of the Story
The story of Rahab and the spies occupies an important position in the Book of Joshua because it introduces several themes that will continue throughout the account of Israel’s settlement in Canaan.
One of these themes is the contrast between fear and faith. The inhabitants of Jericho have heard about Israel’s God and are frightened by the prospect of an Israelite invasion. Rahab, however, responds differently. Instead of simply surrendering to fear, she recognizes the power of the God of Israel and acts accordingly.
Another important theme is the unexpected nature of faith. Rahab is not an Israelite, a priest, or a prominent religious leader. She is a woman living on the margins of her society. Nevertheless, she becomes one of the most important individuals in the opening chapters of Joshua.
Her story suggests that religious faith cannot always be predicted by a person’s background, nationality, or social position.
The narrative also raises questions about the relationship between Israel and the peoples already living in Canaan. The Book of Joshua contains accounts of warfare and destruction that have generated considerable discussion among religious scholars and historians. Rahab’s story introduces a more complicated picture by showing that at least one Canaanite household is spared because of its response to Israel’s God.
This episode also demonstrates the importance of loyalty and hospitality. Rahab protects two vulnerable strangers at considerable personal risk. In return, the spies honor their agreement and protect her family.
The story therefore presents an example of mutual obligation between people who initially belong to opposing communities.
From a historical perspective, scholars distinguish between the biblical narrative and what can be established independently about the events it describes. The Book of Joshua presents the entry into Canaan as a divinely directed military campaign, but the historical circumstances of Israel’s emergence in the region remain subjects of considerable archaeological and scholarly debate. The story of Rahab is therefore important both as part of Israel’s traditional account of its origins and as a literary expression of the religious themes that shaped the Book of Joshua.
The Lasting Message of Rahab and the Spies
The story of Rahab and the spies is a relatively short episode, but its significance extends throughout the Bible.
At its most immediate level, it explains how two Israelite spies escaped from Jericho and returned to Joshua with information about the condition of the city. It also establishes the agreement that would eventually save Rahab and her family when Jericho was destroyed.
At a deeper level, however, it introduces one of the Bible’s recurring themes: the possibility that faith and spiritual insight can emerge in unexpected places.
Rahab recognizes something that many of the Israelites themselves had sometimes struggled to understand. She believes that the God of Israel is powerful, that his purposes are unfolding, and that the approaching events cannot be understood simply as a conflict between competing armies.
Her decision to protect the spies demonstrates that her belief has become something more than an intellectual conviction. She is willing to place her own life and the lives of her family members at risk because she believes that the God of Israel is the true God.
Her story also challenges the assumption that the boundaries of God’s purposes are limited by national or ethnic identity. Although Rahab begins as an outsider, she becomes part of Israel’s story and, in Christian tradition, part of the genealogy of Jesus.
The narrative reminds readers that courage sometimes requires taking a position that places one in opposition to the surrounding community. Rahab chooses to act according to what she believes is true, even when doing so puts her in danger.
Ultimately, Rahab’s story is one of faith expressed through action, hospitality extended to strangers, and the unexpected inclusion of an outsider in a much larger religious history.
A woman who might otherwise have disappeared from the historical record becomes one of the Bible’s enduring examples of faith. Her actions help two spies escape, save her family from the destruction of Jericho, and establish her place in the continuing story of Israel and the Christian understanding of salvation.
Biblical references: Joshua 2:1-24; Joshua 6:22-25; Matthew 1:5; Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25.
This summary is based primarily on the biblical account in Joshua 2 and Joshua 6, with attention to the later references to Rahab in the New Testament.