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Rahab; Rachab

Concise Bible Dictionary:

The harlot who secreted the spies that Joshua sent into the land. She had heard of the wonders of God in delivering Israel out of Egypt, and she was aware of the fear that had fallen on the inhabitants. In faith she risked her life in hiding the spies. Her stratagem was successful, and she made an agreement with the spies, that if she did not betray them, her life and the life of her family should be saved when the city was taken. This was only to be binding on them if she brought all into her house, under the token of the scarlet line, hung out at the window from which the spies were let down, the house being built upon the wall. Joshua was careful that the compact should be respected, and she and her relatives were saved (Josh. 2:1-22¹And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot's house, named Rahab, and lodged there. ²And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, there came men in hither to night of the children of Israel to search out the country. ³And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house: for they be come to search out all the country. ⁴And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were: ⁵And it came to pass about the time of shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out: whither the men went I wot not: pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them. ⁶But she had brought them up to the roof of the house, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof. ⁷And the men pursued after them the way to Jordan unto the fords: and as soon as they which pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate. ⁸And before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the roof; ⁹And she said unto the men, I know that the Lord hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. ¹⁰For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. ¹¹And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath. ¹²Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the Lord, since I have showed you kindness, that ye will also show kindness unto my father's house, and give me a true token: ¹³And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death. ¹⁴And the men answered her, Our life for yours, if ye utter not this our business. And it shall be, when the Lord hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee. ¹⁵Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall. ¹⁶And she said unto them, Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you; and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers be returned: and afterward may ye go your way. ¹⁷And the men said unto her, We will be blameless of this thine oath which thou hast made us swear. ¹⁸Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household, home unto thee. ¹⁹And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him. ²⁰And if thou utter this our business, then we will be quit of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear. ²¹And she said, According unto your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window. ²²And they went, and came unto the mountain, and abode there three days, until the pursuers were returned: and the pursuers sought them throughout all the way, but found them not. (Joshua 2:1‑22); Josh. 6:17-25¹⁷And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the Lord: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. ¹⁸And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. ¹⁹But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the Lord: they shall come into the treasury of the Lord. ²⁰So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. ²¹And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword. ²²But Joshua had said unto the two men that had spied out the country, Go into the harlot's house, and bring out thence the woman, and all that she hath, as ye sware unto her. ²³And the young men that were spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred, and left them without the camp of Israel. ²⁴And they burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein: only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord. ²⁵And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father's household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho. (Joshua 6:17‑25)).

Rahab was a traitor to her country, and lied to the king; but it was to throw herself under the protection of the God of Israel. Her falsehood is not commended; her faith is (Heb. 11:31³¹By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace. (Hebrews 11:31)); and her works justified her—before men (Jas. 2:25²⁵Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? (James 2:25)). That the RACHAB of Matthew 1:5⁵And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; (Matthew 1:5) is the same as Rahab is evidenced by the article; it was the Rachab mentioned in the Old Testament (the Greek language having no letter H, a CH [X] is substituted). That such women as Rahab and Thamar should be mentioned in the genealogy of the Lord Jesus shows the divine origin of the list, for man would probably have omitted these names. Their insertion exalts the grace that superabounds over all sin.

Jackson’s Dictionary of Scripture Proper Names:

Greek for Rahab (2), i.e., breadth

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