Joshua 2

What makes this story most remarkable is that Rahab, the person principally concerned in it, is twice celebrated in the New Testament as a great believer Hebrews 11:31 By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace. and as one whose faith proved itself by good works, James 2:25 And in the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she had received the messengers and had sent them out another way?

Jos 2:1 And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go look over the land, even Jericho. And they went and came to the house of a harlot named Rahab. And they stayed there.

An harlot’s house - Rahab is an example of a woman who was a sinner, yet, because of her faith, not only pardoned, but exalted to the highest honor. Rahab was admitted among the people of God; she intermarried into a chief family of a chief tribe, and found a place among the best remembered ancestors of King David and of Christ; thus receiving the temporal blessings of the covenant in largest measure.

Jos 2:2 And the king of Jericho was told about it, saying, Behold, men from the sons of Israel came in here tonight, to search out the country.

Tonight – likely refers to late afternoon as the gates would have been closed at dark, and the spies, as well as others, would not have been able to enter the city then.

Jos 2:3 And the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, Bring out the men that have come to you, those who have entered into your house. For they have come to search out all the country.

One commentator mentioned the code of Hammurabi, which states:
If conspirators meet in the house of a tavern-keeper, and these conspirators are not captured and delivered to the court, the tavern-keeper shall be put to death. (Other source equates tavern keeper with prostitute.)
translated by L.W. King (1910)
Edited by Richard Hooker

Rahab risked her life by harboring the spies.

Jos 2:4 And the woman took the two men and hid them. And she said, Two men came to me, but I did not know from where they came.

I did not know from where they came - Rahab acted as she did from the belief in God’s declared word, and conviction that resistance to His will would be both vain and wicked Jos_2:9-11. Thus, she manifested a faith both sound and practical, and is praised accordingly Heb_11:31; Jam_2:25.

Whence they were - Her answer contained in these and the following words, was false, and therefore unquestionably sinful, even though the intent was for good.

Jos 2:5 And it happened when it was dark, at the time of shutting the gate, the men went out. Where the men went I do not know. Go after them quickly, for you shall overtake them.

whither the men went I wot not; 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. This was a palpable deception. Rahab might deem herself bound to do it by the laws of Eastern hospitality, which make it a point of honor to preserve the greatest enemy, if he has once eaten one's salt. Judged by the divine law, her answer was a sinful expedient; but her infirmity being united with faith, she was graciously pardoned and her service accepted (Jam_2:25).

the time of shutting of the gates--The gates of all cities in that area are closed at sunset, after which there is no possibility either of admission or egress.

Jos 2:6 But she had brought them up on the roof, and had hidden them with the stalks of flax which she had laid in order upon the roof.

Stalks of flax - literally, “the carded fibres of the tree.” The flax in Palestine grew to more than three feet in height, with a stalk as thick as a cane. It was probably with the flax stalks, recently cut and laid out on the house roof to dry, that Rahab hid the spies. Flax, with other vegetable productions, is at a certain season spread out on the flat roofs of Eastern houses to be dried in the sun; and, after lying awhile, it is piled up in numerous little stacks, which, from the luxuriant growth of the flax, rise to a height of three or four feet. Flax 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.

Jos 2:7 And the men went after them on the way to Jordan, to the fords. And when they who pursued them had gone out, they shut the gate.

Jos 2:8 And before they had laid down, she came up to them on the roof.

before they had laid down - before they had fallen asleep.

Jos 2:9 And she said to the men, I know that Jehovah has given you the land, and that your terror has fallen on us, and that all those who live in the land faint because of you.

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 rumor of Israel coming to invade them; this was what the Lord said should be the case, Deuteronomy 11:25 There shall no man stand before you, for the LORD your God shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon the face of all the land that you shall tread upon, as He has said to you.

and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you; or "melt" like wax before the fire, as Moses had predicted, Exodus 15:15-16 Then the princes of Edom were terrified. Trembling seized upon the mighty men of Moab. All the people of Canaan shall melt away. Fear and dread shall fall upon them. By the greatness of Your arm they shall be still as a stone, until Your people pass over, O LORD; until the people whom You have purchased pass over.

I know that Jehovah has given you the land - Rahab knew a fair amount about Israel's history and God's plans for Israel's future. The Lord made it plain in Egypt His purposes for Israel. Exodus 7:5 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD when I stretch forth My hand upon Egypt, and bring out the sons of Israel from among them. Rahab was also able to see in the Transjordan what God had done for Israel.

Jos 2:10 For we have heard how Jehovah 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 that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed.

Completely destroyed - Hebrew word herem, a technical term for the ancient practice of completely destroying the spoils of war as an offering to whatever deity the victor believed in.

Jos 2:11 And we had heard, and our hearts melted, nor did any more spirit remain in any man, because of you. For Jehovah your God, He is God in Heaven above and in earth beneath.

The Lord your God, he is God - Rahab believed based on the testimony she had already heard about the Lord in Egypt etc, and confessed her belief similar to which Moses spoke in Deuteronomy 4:39 Therefore, know this day and consider within your heart, that the LORD is God in Heaven above and on the earth beneath. There is no other. Rahab had only heard of what Israel had experienced. Her faith then was ready. It is noteworthy, too, that the same reports which work faith and conversion in the harlot, cause only terror and astonishment among her countrymen.

He is God in heaven above, and to earth beneath – Romans 1:19-20 because the thing which may be known of God is clearly revealed within them, for God revealed it to them. For the unseen things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being realized by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, for them to be without excuse.

Jos 2:12 Now therefore, I pray you, swear to me by Jehovah, since I have dealt with you in kindness, that you will also deal with kindness to my father's house. And give me a true token,

And so the Lord spares one who believes in Him within this city.

A true token - lit. a sign of truth, i.e., a sign by which they guaranteed the truth of the kindness for which she asked. This sign consisted in nothing but the solemn oath with which they were to confirm their assurance, and, according to Jos_2:14, actually did confirm it. The oath itself was taken in these words, “our soul shall die for you,” by which they pledged their life for the life of Rahab and her family in this sense: God shall punish us with death if we are faithless, and do not spare thy life and the lives of thy relations

Swear unto me by the Lord - an oath in his name was the deepest and most solemn obligation under which a Jew could possibly come. Deuteronomy 6:13 You shall fear the LORD your God and serve Him, and shall swear by His name.

Jos 2:13 and shall save alive my father and my mother, and my brothers and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.

Deliver our lives from death - all the inhabitants of the land were doomed to destruction, and therefore she obliges them to enter into a covenant with her for the preservation of herself and her household.

And that ye will save alive my father, She makes no mention of any husband or children she had, 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 deliver our lives from death; thus she provided for the safety of her family, as Noah in another case and manner did, Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, having been warned by God of things not yet seen, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

Jos 2:14 And the men answered her, Our life shall be for yours, if you do not tell our business. And when Jehovah has given us the land, we will deal kindly and truly with you.

Our life for yours - This is a form of oath, in which God is in effect invoked to punish them with death if they did not perform their promise to save Rahab’s life.

Jos 2:15 Then she let them go down by a cord through the window. For her house was on the town wall, and she lived on the wall.

Jos 2:16 And she said to them, Get up into the mountain lest the pursuers meet you. And hide yourselves there three days until the pursuers have returned. And afterward you may go your way.

Get you to the mountain--A range of white limestone hills extends on the north, called Quarantania (now Jebel Karantu), rising to a height of from twelve hundred to fifteen hundred feet, and the sides of which are perforated with caves. Some one peak adjoining was familiarly known to the inhabitants as "the mountain."

Jos 2:17 And the men said to her, We will be blameless of this oath to you which you have made us swear.

we will be blameless of this thine oath; 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.

Jos 2:18 Behold, when we come into the land, you shall set this line of scarlet thread in the window from which you let us down. And you shall bring your father and your mother, and your brothers, and all your father's household, home to you.

This line of scarlet thread - said to be a cord

and thou shall bring thy father, 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, Exo_12:23; and so they are safe, and they only, who are under the blood of sprinkling, and partake of the virtue of it.

Jos 2:19 And it shall be, whoever shall go out of the doors of your house, his blood shall be on his head, and we will be blameless. And whoever shall be with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head if a hand is on him.

his blood should be upon his own head; The formula, “his blood be upon his head,” is synonymous with the legal formula, “his blood be upon him” (Lev_20:9).

Jos 2:20 And if you tell our business, then we will be free of the oath which you have made us swear to you.

Jos 2:21 And she said, Let it be according to your word. And she sent them away, and they departed. And she set the scarlet line in the window.

according to your words, so be it - She agreed.

When Rahab had accepted all these conditions, she let the men go, and bound the red cord in the window. It is not to be supposed that she did this at once, but merely as soon as it was necessary. It is mentioned here for the purpose of bringing the subject to a close.

Jos 2:22 And they went and came to the mountain, and stayed there three days until the pursuers had returned. And the pursuers looked for them throughout all the way, but did not find them.

Jos 2:23 And the two men returned and came down from the mountain, and passed over, and came to Joshua the son of Nun. And they told him all that happened to them.

Jos 2:24 And they said to Joshua, Truly Jehovah has delivered all the land into our hands, for even all those who live in the country faint because of us.