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Joshua 2:17

in Joshua 2

The men said to her, “We will not be bound by this oath you made us swear

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And the men said unto her, We will be guiltless of this thine oath which thou hast made us to swear.

KJV

And the men said unto her, We will be blameless of this thine oath which thou hast made us swear.

This verse in Joshua 2

Commentary

7 notes on this verse

A commentator

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)

Said - Or, had said; namely, before she let them down; it being very improbable, either that she would dismiss them before the condition was agreed on; or that she would discourse with them, or they with her, about such secret and weighty things after they were let down, when others might overhear them.

This site's exposition

We will not be bound by this oath you made us swear

on Joshua 2:17-19

The formula “his blood will be on his own head” is legal language, and lays the account on the man who walks out. Safety inside a marked house recalls Exodus 12:22, and Origen and Matthew Henry read the two nights together.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers2 voices

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.

A commentator

Clement of Rome

1 CLEMENT 12 · Written before 99.

proposed

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 Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

): If thou utter this our business, that is, "If thou betray us when we are gone, or if thou make this agreement public, so as that others tie scarlet lines in their windows and so confound us, then we will be clear of thy oath." Those are unworthy of the secret of the Lord that know now how to keep it to themselves when there is occasion.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens

And the men said unto her,....

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

she said--rather "she had said," for what follows must have been part of the previous conversation. 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.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase

How the passage was read

What the Jewish commentators add

On the verses either side of this one

Until the pursuers return. 16 How could she possibly have known that the pursuers would be coming back after three days? She must have had Divine inspiration to know they would return after three days.
Rashi: France, 1040–1105 · Rashi on Joshua 2:16:1, via Sefaria, The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997

This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.

Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 4 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.

The words behind it

9 Hebrew words

Every 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.

  • וַיֹּאמְר֥וּand they said

    vaiyomeruH559 →5305 times

  • אֵלֶ֖יהָto her

    ʾeleihaH413 →5510 times

  • הָאֲנָשִׁ֑יםthe men

    haanashimH582 →566 times

  • נְקִיִּ֣ם[will be] free

    nekiyimH5355 →43 times

  • אֲנַ֔חְנוּwe

    ʾanachnuH587 →120 times

  • מִשְּׁבֻעָתֵ֥ךְfrom oath your

    mishevuatekhH7621 →30 times

  • הַזֶּ֖ה<the> this

    hazehH2088 →1180 times

  • אֲשֶׁ֥רwhich

    ʾasherH834 →5497 times

  • הִשְׁבַּעְתָּֽנוּ׃you made swear us

    hishba'tanuH7650 →186 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Numbers 30:2

    If a man makes a vow to the LORD or swears an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word; he must do everything he has promised.

    it leads to

    • Psalms 50:14

      Sacrifice a thank offering to God, and fulfill your vows to the Most High.

    • Psalms 116:14

      I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all His people.

    • Ecclesiastes 5:4–5

      When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it, because He takes no pleasure in fools. Fulfill your vow.

    • Job 22:27

      You will pray to Him, and He will hear you, and you will fulfill your vows.

    • Psalms 66:13–14

      I will enter Your house with burnt offerings; I will fulfill my vows to You—

  • Through

    2 Samuel 21:7

    Now the king spared Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the oath before the LORD between David and Jonathan son of Saul.

    it leads to

    • 1 Samuel 20:15

      and do not ever cut off your loving devotion from my household—not even when the LORD cuts off every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth.”

    • 2 Samuel 4:4

      And Jonathan son of Saul had a son who was lame in his feet. He was five years old when the report about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up…

    • 1 Samuel 23:18

      So the two of them made a covenant before the LORD. And David remained in Horesh, while Jonathan went home.

Where this verse is studied

About Joshua

Joshua Commanding the Sun to Stand Still upon Gibeon, John Martin, 1816, National Gallery of Art. Public domain.
Joshua Commanding the Sun to Stand Still upon Gibeon, John Martin, 1816, National Gallery of Art. Public domain.

This page draws on 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; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.