NOTES for Jos 2:1-24

The sacred writer begins the story of the conquest of the land with the parable of Rahab—a prostitute of the city who treacherously let enemy scouts into the city and hid them in her house, and then helped the enemy capture it, becoming “one of their own” among the victors. Whether she gave up her former trade is unknown: the text says nothing about it. Most likely she did: in a rigorously and rigidly religious society such as Jewish society was at the time, her way of life and occupation were, to put it mildly, not encouraged. One might say that this is an ordinary situation in any war, where, as we know, any means will do, as long as they work and bring results. In war, people make use of traitors and turn no one away if it helps an operation succeed. For all that, however, those whose services have once been used are generally not greatly trusted afterwards: someone who has betrayed once can easily do so a second time.

Meanwhile, judging by the text of the parable, we may suppose that the city was already largely demoralized. This is understandable: constant nomadic raids, from which Jericho suffered particularly often because of its location, wore down its inhabitants. The raids were usually sudden and swift: nomads attacked the city, often broke into it, plundered and killed the local people, and then quickly withdrew across the Jordan, helped by a nearby ford that made the river easy to cross. Out in the steppe, pursuing the attackers was not only pointless but dangerous, so the raids usually went unpunished. It is understandable that Rahab was certain the city was doomed if a major war broke out.

Yet this understanding was not the only thing guiding her actions: she tells the scouts plainly that Yahweh has given them both the city and all the rest of the land. Here is the only ray of light against the generally dark background: whoever a person may be, they are not yet doomed if they see Who directs events and why those events unfold as they do. It was precisely this vision that became the foundation of the future that opened up for Rahab through the history of God's people.