Joshua 2:14
Ver. 14. And the men answered her,.... The two spies:our life for yours; or "our souls in your stead to die" {i}; 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" {k}, 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.{i} twml Mkytxt wnvpn "anima nostra pro vobis ad moriendum", Pagninus, Montanus. {k} hz wnrbd ta "verbum nostrum hoc", Pagninus, Montanus; "sermonem nostrum hunc", Vatablus, Junius & Tremellius. Joshua 2:15Ver. 15. 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, Ac 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 calls {l} 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.{l} Epigram. l. 3. Ep. 62. Joshua 2:16Ver. 16. 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, says {m}, from the mountain Quarantania, the very same perhaps where the two spies concealed themselves, Jos 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, Lu 10:30; which very probably is the same mountain which Josephus {n} says hung over the city, and was a very barren one; though the singular may be put for the plural, since, as Strabo says {o}, 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.{m} Travels, p. 276. Ed. 2. {n} De Bello Jud. l. 4. c. 8. sect. 2. {o} Geograph. l. 16. p. 525. Joshua 2:17Ver. 17. 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 2:18Ver. 18. 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, Jos 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", Jas 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, Mr 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, Ex 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 2:19Ver. 19. 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", Jos 2:14. Joshua 2:20Ver. 20. 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 "Jos 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 2:21Ver. 21. 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 2:22Ver. 22. And they went, and came unto the mountain,.... Rahab had directed them to, the mountain Quarantania, See Gill on "Jos 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 2:23Ver. 23. 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 "Jos 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, Jos 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 2:24Ver. 24. 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, Jos 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 Entire Bible.