Conquest of Canaan · around 1400 BC
Rahab in the Bible
The prostitute saved by faith. Name meaning: “Broad,” “spacious” (the meaning of the Hebrew word)
A Canaanite from Jericho and a prostitute, Rahab hides the two spies sent by Joshua because she has recognized that the LORD is the true God. Saved with her family thanks to the scarlet cord tied in her window, she joins the people of Israel and becomes an ancestor of King David and of Jesus (Matt 1:5). Hebrews and James hold her up as a model of a faith that acts.
Key moments
- She welcomes the two spies Joshua 2:1
- She hides them under the stalks of flax Joshua 2:6
- She confesses the LORD as the true God Joshua 2:11
- She ties the scarlet cord Joshua 2:21
- Saved with her family at the fall of Jericho Joshua 6:23
- She dwells in Israel Joshua 6:25
- Mother of Boaz, ancestor of David and of Jesus Matthew 1:5
Strengths
- Faith
- Courage
- Discernment
- Love for her family
- Hospitality
Weaknesses
Rahab made her living as a prostitute in an idolatrous city (Josh 2:1). To protect the spies, she lied to the king’s messengers (Josh 2:4-5): Scripture praises her faith and her welcome, without approving the lie.
Lessons for today
- No past is too heavy for God’s grace: a Canaanite prostitute becomes an ancestor of the Messiah (Matt 1:5).
- True faith decides and acts: Rahab took a stand for God at the risk of her life (Jas 2:25-26).
- The same news can produce fear or faith: it all depends on the conclusion we draw about God (Josh 2:9-11).
- God’s salvation can extend to a whole family: Rahab thought of her own people and gathered them under the promised sign (Josh 2:13, 18).
And 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.
By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.
Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?
People around Rahab
Stories with Rahab
Quiz: how well do you know Rahab?
In which city did Rahab live?
Sent to view the land, “even Jericho,” the spies “came into an harlot’s house, named Rahab.” Joshua 2:1
What did Rahab tie in her window?
The spies told her to bind “this line of scarlet thread in the window,” and “she bound the scarlet line in the window.” Joshua 2:18–21
Where did Rahab hide the spies?
“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.” Joshua 2:6
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