Joshua 2:7-14

2:7 Meanwhile ¹  the king’s men tried to find them on the road to the Jordan River ²  near the fords. ³  The city gate was shut as soon as they set out in pursuit of them. ⁴ 

2:8 Now before the spies ⁵  went to sleep, Rahab ⁶  went up ⁷  to the roof. 2:9 She said to the men, “I know the Lord is handing this land over to you. ⁸  We are absolutely terrified of you, ⁹  and all who live in the land are cringing before ¹⁰  you. ¹¹  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. ¹²  2:11 When we heard the news we lost our courage and no one could even breathe for fear of you. ¹³  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. ¹⁴  Because I have shown allegiance to you, show allegiance to my family. ¹⁵  Give me a solemn pledge ¹⁶  2:13 that you will spare the lives of my father, mother, brothers, sisters, and all who belong to them, and rescue us ¹⁷  from death.” 2:14 The men said to her, “If you ¹⁸  die, may we die too! ¹⁹  If you do not report what we’ve been up to, ²⁰  then, when the Lord hands the land over to us, we will show unswerving allegiance ²¹  to you.” ²² 

[2:7]  ¹ tn Another way to translate vv. 6-7 would be, “While she took them up to the roof and hid them…, the king’s men tried to find them….” Both of the main clauses have the subject prior to the predicate, perhaps indicating simultaneous action. (On the grammatical point, see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 42, §235.) In this case Rahab moves the Israelite spies from the hiding place referred to in v. 4 to a safer and less accessible hiding place.

[2:7]  ² tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for clarity.

[2:7]  ³ tn Heb “And the men chased after them [on] the road [leading to] the Jordan to the fords.” The text is written from the perspective of the king’s men. As far as they were concerned, they were chasing the spies.

[2:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “And they shut the gate after – as soon as the ones chasing after them went out.” The expressions “after” and “as soon as” may represent a conflation of alternate readings.

[2:8]  ⁵ tn Heb “they.”

[2:8]  ⁶ tn Heb “she”; the referent (Rahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:8]  ⁷ tn The Hebrew text adds, “to them.” This is somewhat redundant in English and has not been translated.

[2:9]  ⁸ tn Heb “has given the land to you.” Rahab’s statement uses the Hebrew perfect, suggesting certitude.

[2:9]  ⁹ tn Heb “terror of you has fallen upon us.”

[2:9]  ¹⁰ tn Or “melting away because of.”

[2:9]  ¹¹ 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….”

[2:10]  ¹² tn Heb “and what you did to the two Amorite kings who were beyond the Jordan, Sihon and Og, how you annihilated them.”

[2:11]  ¹³ tn Heb “And we heard and our heart[s] melted and there remained no longer breath in a man because of you.”

[2:12]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “Now, swear to me by the Lord.”

[2:12]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “with the house of my father.”

[2:12]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “true sign,” that is, “an inviolable token or pledge.”

[2:13]  ¹⁷ tn Or “our lives.”

[2:14]  ¹⁸ tn The second person pronoun is masculine plural, indicating that Rahab’s entire family is in view.

[2:14]  ¹⁹ 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.

[2:14]  ²⁰ tn Heb “If you do not report this matter of ours.”

[2:14]  ²¹ tn Heb “allegiance and faithfulness.” These virtual synonyms are joined in the translation as “unswerving allegiance” to emphasize the degree of promised loyalty.

[2:14]  ²² tn The second person pronoun is feminine singular, referring specifically to Rahab.