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Rahab

the one with the scarlet cord

Who was Rahab?

Also called
Rahab, as the Douay-Rheims and many others call her Joshua 2:1; Matthew 1:5
From
From Jericho, in Canaan Joshua 2:1
Occupation
The Bible calls her a prostitute. A NAB note says she may have kept an inn Joshua 2:1; NAB note on Jos 2, 1
Rahab, an artistic recreation

What the Bible says

Joshua 2:1, 15

1And Josue the son of Nun sent from Setim two men, to spy secretly: and said to them: Go, and view the land and the city of Jericho. They went and entered into the house of a woman that was a harlot named Rahab, and lodged with her. 15Then she let them down with a cord out of a window: for her house joined close to the wall.

Joshua 2:4-6, 11

4And the woman taking the men, hid them, and said: I confess they came to me, but I knew not whence they were: 5And at the time of shutting the gate in the dark, they also went out together. I know not whither they are gone: pursue after them quickly, and you will overtake them. 6But she made the men go up to the top of her house, and covered them with the stalks of flax, which was there. 11And hearing these things we were affrighted, and our heart fainted away, neither did there remain any spirit in us at your coming in: for the Lord your God he is God in heaven above, and in the earth beneath.

Joshua 6:25; Matthew 1:5

But Josue saved Rahab the harlot and her father’s house, and all she had, and they dwelt in the midst of Israel until this present day: because she hid the messengers whom he had sent to spy out Jericho. At that time, Josue made an imprecation, saying:

Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner revision), public domain.

The path of Rahab

  1. Before Jesus. She lived in Jericho, in a house built against the city wall. The text calls her “Rahab the prostitute”. Joshua 2:1, 15
  2. With Jesus. Joshua sent two spies to Jericho. They went into Rahab’s house and stayed there. Joshua 2:1
  3. With Jesus. The king of Jericho ordered her to hand them over. Rahab had hidden them on the roof, among stalks of flax. Joshua 2:3-4, 6
  4. With Jesus. Rahab told the king’s messengers that the men had already left. Their pursuers went out to look for them on the road to the Jordan. Joshua 2:4-5, 7
  5. With Jesus. She told the spies that the Lord had given them the land. She also said that the Lord is God in heaven above and on earth below. Joshua 2:9-11
  6. With Jesus. She asked them to swear to save her father, her mother, her brothers and sisters and all her family. Joshua 2:12-13
  7. With Jesus. She let them down by a rope through the window. They asked her to tie a red cord in that window, and she tied it. Joshua 2:15, 18, 21
  8. Afterward. When Israel took Jericho, Joshua ordered that Rahab and all her family be saved. From then on she lived among the people of Israel. Joshua 6:22-25

Words of Rahab

“I know that the Lord hath given this land to you: for the dread of you is fallen upon us, and all the inhabitants of the land have lost all strength.” Joshua 2:9

To the spies, on the roof of her house, before they lay down to sleep.

“And hearing these things we were affrighted, and our heart fainted away, neither did there remain any spirit in us at your coming in: for the Lord your God he is God in heaven above, and in the earth beneath.” Joshua 2:11

In that same conversation with the spies.

“Now therefore swear ye to me by the Lord, that as I have shewn mercy to you, so you also will shew mercy to my father’s house: and give me a true token, that you will save my father and mother, my brethren and sisters, and all things that are theirs, and deliver our souls from death.” Joshua 2:12-13

When she asked the spies to save her family.

“As you have spoken, so be it done.” Joshua 2:21

When the spies explained to her the sign of the red cord.

What they were like

The greatest thing they did

Not to be confused with

In the Church today

In art, recognized by: The red cord in the window From Jos 2, 18.21; this is how Christian art shows her

What people ask

Why does the Bible call her a prostitute?

That is what the Book of Joshua and the Letter to the Hebrews call her. A NAB note says that perhaps she also kept an inn, where the spies could come and go without being noticed. Joshua 2:1; Hebrews 11:31; NAB note on Jos 2, 1

Was it right for her to lie to the king’s messengers?

A note in Torres Amat’s Catholic Bible in Spanish (1830s) says that she did wrong in that, but that she deserves praise for her faith. And for saving the two men at the risk of her own life. Joshua 2:4-5; Torres Amat Bible (1836), note on Jos 2, 4

Is Rahab an ancestor of Jesus?

Yes. The Gospel of Matthew names her in the genealogy of Jesus: she was the mother of Boaz, the husband of Ruth. Matthew 1:5

What does the New Testament say about her?

The Letter to the Hebrews says that she was saved by faith. The Letter of James says that she was justified by her works, because she welcomed the messengers. Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25

What was the red cord for?

It was the sign the spies asked for. That way the Israelites would recognize her house and save everyone inside it. Joshua 2:18-19

Daily life She had stalks of flax laid out on the roof of her house. Joshua 2:6 Little known A NAB note explains that flax was dried in the sun…

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Who Rahab is connected to

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