Rahab #45

Rahab was a woman living in Jericho when Israel prepared to enter Canaan under Joshua. She is introduced in the book of Joshua as a prostitute whose house stood on the city wall, where two Israelite spies lodged (Joshua 2:1). Her decision to protect them, and her later rescue when Jericho fell, has made her one of the best known outsiders in the Bible and one of only a few women named in the genealogy of Jesus.

Biblical Significance

When the king of Jericho learned that spies had come to her house, he ordered her to hand them over. Rahab hid the men under stalks of flax on her roof and sent the searchers off on a false trail (Joshua 2:2-7). She then told the spies why she had done so: the people of the land were terrified because they had heard how the Lord dried up the Red Sea and defeated the kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan. She confessed that “the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath” (Joshua 2:9-11).

She asked the spies to swear that they would show kindness to her family as she had shown kindness to them; the Hebrew word for kindness here is hesed, the same word used for covenant loyalty (Joshua 2:12-14). The spies agreed, and told her to tie a scarlet cord in her window and gather her family in her house (Joshua 2:17-21). When Jericho was taken, Joshua sent the same two men to bring out Rahab and her household, and she lived among Israel afterward (Joshua 6:22-25).

Some ancient and modern interpreters have suggested the Hebrew word describing her occupation could mean an innkeeper, while most scholars read it as a prostitute, as do the New Testament writers, who use the Greek term for prostitute. The text presents her without excuse or embarrassment and focuses on what she did.

Legacy

The New Testament honors Rahab in three places. Matthew 1:5 lists her in the genealogy as the mother of Boaz, and the ancestor of David and Jesus; this is generally understood to be the same Rahab, though the Old Testament does not itself state the marriage. Hebrews 11:31 counts her among those who acted by faith, saying she did not perish with the disobedient because she welcomed the spies in peace. James 2:25 cites her as an example of faith shown by works, because she received the messengers and sent them out another way.

Rahab’s story is often read alongside Ruth’s. Both are foreign women who join Israel because they trust Israel’s God, and both are set within the messianic line. Her account also raises questions of ethics, as she lied to the king’s men. Interpreters differ on how to treat that, though the New Testament commends her faith and her protection of God’s people rather than commenting on her methods.