Joshua 2:8
in Joshua 2Before the spies lay down for the night, Rahab went up on the roof
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the roof;
KJV
And before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the roof;
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This verse in Joshua 2
Commentary
5 notes on this verseAnd 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.
This site's exposition
before they were laid down
on Joshua 2:8-11
Her speech is the Song of the Sea coming true inside Canaan. Exodus 15:14-16 said the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away and that fear and dread shall fall upon them, and forty years later a woman in Jericho says our hearts did melt and no courage remained in any man. She names the Red Sea, which is forty years old, and Sihon and Og from Numbers 21, which is recent, so the country has been keeping account of Israel the whole time; Joshua 5:1 then reports the same fear from the kings themselves. Her last words, that the Lord is God in heaven above and in earth beneath, are what Moses presses on Israel at Deuteronomy 4:39, and Albert Barnes observes that the reports which brought a Canaanite to faith left her countrymen only afraid.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
A commentator
Clement of RomeClement's First Letter to the Corinthians, Chapter 12 · Written before 99.
proposed
On account of her faith and hospitality, Rahab the harlot was saved. For when spies were sent by Joshua, the son of Nun, to Jericho, the king of the country ascertained that they had come to spy out their land, and sent men to seize them, in order that, when taken, they might be put to death. But the hospitable Rahab receiving them, concealed them on the roof of her house under some stalks of flax. And when the men sent by the king arrived and said, "There came men unto you who are to spy out our land; bring them forth, for so the king commands," she answered them, "The two men whom you seek came unto me, but quickly departed again and are gone," thus not discovering the spies to them. Then she said to the men, "I know assuredly that the Lord your God has given you this city, for the fear and dread of you have fallen on its inhabitants. When therefore you shall have taken it, keep ye me and the house of my father in safety." And they said to her, "It shall be as you have spoken to us. As soon, therefore, as you know that we are at hand, you shall gather all your family under your roof, and they shall be preserved, but all that are found outside of your dwelling shall perish." Moreover, they gave her a sign to this effect, that she should hang forth from her house a scarlet thread. And thus they made it manifest that redemption should flow through the blood of the Lord to all them that believe and hope in God. You see, beloved, that there was not only faith, but prophecy, in this woman.
For her faith and hospitality Rahab the harlot was saved. For when the spies were sent forth into Jericho by Joshua the son of Nun, the king of the land perceived that they were coming to spy out his country, and [he] sent forth men to seize them, that being seized they might be put to death. So the hospitable Rahab received them and hid them in the upper chamber under the flax stalks. And when the messengers of the king came near and said, "The spies of our land entered into your house; bring them forth, for the king so orders," then she answered, "The men truly, whom you seek, came to me, but they departed immediately and are journeying on the way"; and she pointed out to them the opposite road. And she said to the men, "Without a doubt I perceive that the Lord your God will deliver this city to you; for the fear and the dread of you is fallen upon its inhabitants. When therefore it shall come to pass that you take it, save me and the house of my father." And they said to her, "It shall be even so as you have spoken to us. Therefore, when you perceive that we are coming, you shall gather all your folk beneath your roof, and they shall be saved; for as many as shall be found outside of the house shall perish." And moreover they gave her a sign, that she should hang out from her house a scarlet thread, thereby showing beforehand that through the blood of the Lord there shall be redemption for all them that believe and hope on God. You see, dearly beloved, not only faith, but prophecy, is found in the woman.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
She was convinced of the supremacy of Jehovah, and her earnest stipulations for the preservation of her relatives amid the perils of the approaching invasion, attest the sincerity and strength of her faith.
The words behind it
8 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְהֵ֖מָּה | vehemah | and they | H1992 → | 553 times |
| טֶ֣רֶם | terem | not yet | H2962 → | |
| יִשְׁכָּב֑וּן | yishkavun | they had lain down ! | H7901 → | |
| וְהִ֛יא | vehi' | and she | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| עָלְתָ֥ה | ʾaltah | she went up | H5927 → | 890 times |
| עֲלֵיהֶ֖ם | ʾaleihem | to them | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| הַגָּֽג׃ | hagag | the roof | H1406 → | 30 times |
וְהֵ֖מָּהand they
vehemahH1992 →553 times
טֶ֣רֶםnot yet
teremH2962 →
יִשְׁכָּב֑וּןthey had lain down !
yishkavunH7901 →
וְהִ֛יאand she
vehi'H1931 →1879 times
עָלְתָ֥הshe went up
ʾaltahH5927 →890 times
עֲלֵיהֶ֖םto them
ʾaleihemH5921 →5755 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
הַגָּֽג׃the roof
hagagH1406 →30 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Joshua

Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Clement of Rome, Clement's First Letter to the Corinthians, Chapter 12; Clement of Rome, 1 CLEMENT 12; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
