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Joshua 2 Bible study: A scarlet line in the window
Rahab's "he is God in heaven above, and on earth beneath" (2:11) is what Moses told Israel to know (Deuteronomy 4:39). The spies' report to Joshua ends in her own words (2:9, 2:24). And the Hebrew word for her scarlet "line" is spelled like the word for "hope".
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“As soon as we had heard it, our hearts melted, and there wasn’t any more spirit in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and on earth beneath.”
Try it · Did you catch it?
“The spies' report to Joshua repeats Rahab's words that the inhabitants of the land "melt away" before Israel.”
Is that in Joshua 2, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
What she knew
To the king's men Rahab says twice that she doesn't know: "I didn’t know where they came from" (2:4), and "Where the men went, I don’t know" (2:5). On the roof she tells the spies what she does know: "I know that the LORD has given you the land" (2:9) (tap know). She says how she knows: "For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you, when you came out of Egypt; and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites" (2:10). Then she says who the LORD is: "for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and on earth beneath" (2:11). Moses had told Israel to know exactly this: "Know therefore today, and take it to heart, that the LORD himself is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath. There is no one else" (Deuteronomy 4:39). In Hebrew, "in heaven above, and on earth beneath" (2:11) is the same five words in both verses, though the WEB words Moses' line a little differently. Moses said it to Israel. In Jericho, a woman who knew the LORD by what she had heard says it to two men of Israel.
Where it leads to Jesus
By faith Rahab
Joshua 2:11leads toHebrews 12:2
Rahab tells the spies, "the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and on earth beneath" (2:11); she had hidden them (2:6), and she sends them away (2:21). Hebrews names her among those who acted by faith: "By faith Rahab the prostitute didn’t perish with those who were disobedient, having received the spies in peace" (Hebrews 11:31). It says of all in that list that they "didn’t receive the promise" (Hebrews 11:39), and calls its readers to run "looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith" (Hebrews 12:2).
Honest questions
Questions people ask about Joshua 2
That was a taste
The rest of Joshua 2 is waiting in Favor
- How it looked from inside the walls
- Kindness for kindness
- Words from the song at the sea
- Two letters, one woman
- 9 questions as you read
- 11 more Hebrew words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
Favor reads the Bible in order, so you'll reach Joshua 2 with everything before it in view. First week free, then $10 a month per person.
The Hebrew word behind it
חֶסֶדchesedsay KHE-sed
Brown-Driver-Briggs: "goodness, kindness", including "kindness of men toward men, in doing favours and benefits", and of God, "lovingkindness in condescending to the needs of his creatures". Joshua uses the word three times, all in this chapter. Rahab shows it first: "since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father’s house" (2:12). The men promise it back: "we will deal kindly and truly with you" (2:14). Chesed and emet (tap true) are the pair the LORD used of himself: "abundant in loving kindness and truth" (Exodus 34:6).
For your group
Joshua 2 Bible study questions
- 1Rahab knew the LORD by what she had heard (2:10-11), and she acted on it before she saw any of it happen. What have you heard about God that you haven't yet acted on?
- 2Rahab asked for kindness not only for herself but for "my father, my mother, my brothers, and my sisters" (2:13). Who would you most want to bring in with you, and what could you do this week toward that?
- 3At Kadesh, men sent to see the land said, "We aren’t able" (Numbers 13:31). These two came back saying, "Truly the LORD has delivered all the land into our hands" (2:24). What changes when you start from what God has said rather than from what you see?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Joshua 2 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.
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Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
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Favor takes the Bible as one story, in order, so you'll reach Joshua 2 with everything that leads up to it in view. Start from Genesis, or meet Jesus first in the Gospels. You can read the text of any chapter in Favor's Look up whenever you like.
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The World English Bible, a modern, readable translation in the public domain. God's name appears as "the LORD", as in most English Bibles.
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Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home