Joshua 2:9-14

2:9 She said to the men, “I know the Lord is handing this land over to you. ¹  We are absolutely terrified of you, ²  and all who live in the land are cringing before ³  you. ⁴  2:10 For we heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you left Egypt and how you annihilated the two Amorite kings, Sihon and Og, on the other side of the Jordan. ⁵  2:11 When we heard the news we lost our courage and no one could even breathe for fear of you. ⁶  For the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on earth below! 2:12 So now, promise me this with an oath sworn in the Lord’s name. ⁷  Because I have shown allegiance to you, show allegiance to my family. ⁸  Give me a solemn pledge ⁹  2:13 that you will spare the lives of my father, mother, brothers, sisters, and all who belong to them, and rescue us ¹⁰  from death.” 2:14 The men said to her, “If you ¹¹  die, may we die too! ¹²  If you do not report what we’ve been up to, ¹³  then, when the Lord hands the land over to us, we will show unswerving allegiance ¹⁴  to you.” ¹⁵ 

Joshua 2:24

2:24 They told Joshua, “Surely the Lord is handing over all the land to us! ¹⁶  All who live in the land are cringing before us!” ¹⁷ 

Psalms 127:1

Psalm 127 ¹⁸ 

A song of ascents, ¹⁹  by Solomon.

127:1 If the Lord does not build a house, ²⁰ 

then those who build it work in vain.

If the Lord does not guard a city, ²¹ 

then the watchman stands guard in vain.

¹ tn Heb “has given the land to you.” Rahab’s statement uses the Hebrew perfect, suggesting certitude.

² tn Heb “terror of you has fallen upon us.”

³ tn Or “melting away because of.”

⁴ tn Both of these statements are actually subordinated to “I know” in the Hebrew text, which reads, “I know that the Lord…and that terror of you…and that all the inhabitants….”

⁵ tn Heb “and what you did to the two Amorite kings who were beyond the Jordan, Sihon and Og, how you annihilated them.”

⁶ tn Heb “And we heard and our heart[s] melted and there remained no longer breath in a man because of you.”

⁷ tn Heb “Now, swear to me by the Lord.”

⁸ tn Heb “with the house of my father.”

⁹ tn Heb “true sign,” that is, “an inviolable token or pledge.”

¹⁰ tn Or “our lives.”

¹¹ tn The second person pronoun is masculine plural, indicating that Rahab’s entire family is in view.

¹² tn Heb “Our lives in return for you to die.” If the lives of Rahab’s family are not spared, then the spies will pay for the broken vow with their own lives.

¹³ tn Heb “If you do not report this matter of ours.”

¹⁴ tn Heb “allegiance and faithfulness.” These virtual synonyms are joined in the translation as “unswerving allegiance” to emphasize the degree of promised loyalty.

¹⁵ tn The second person pronoun is feminine singular, referring specifically to Rahab.

¹⁶ tn Heb “Surely the Lord has given into our hand all the land.” The report by the spies uses the Hebrew perfect, suggesting certitude.

¹⁷ tn Heb “are melting away because of us.”

¹⁸ sn Psalm 127. In this wisdom psalm the psalmist teaches that one does not find security by one’s own efforts, for God alone gives stability and security.

¹⁹ sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.

²⁰ sn The expression build a house may have a double meaning here. It may refer on the surface level to a literal physical structure in which a family lives, but at a deeper, metaphorical level it refers to building, perpetuating, and maintaining a family line. See Deut 25:9; Ruth 4:11; 1 Sam 2:35; 2 Sam 7:27; 1 Kgs 11:38; 1 Chr 17:10, 25. Having a family line provided security in ancient Israel.

²¹ sn The city symbolizes community security, which is the necessary framework for family security.