Browse by Book

Joshua 2 Commentary

Please choose a passage

Joshua 2:1-7 meaning

Joshua sends two men to scout out Jericho. While they stay in the house of a prostitute named Rahab, the king of Jericho sends word to her, asking her to deliver them into his hands. Rahab hides the men, and as soon as the king’s agents leave her house, watchmen shut the city gate for the night.

Joshua 2:8–14 meaning

Rahab tells the Israelite spies that she fears the LORD their God and asks them to spare her and her family from death when they conquer the land of Jericho. The men agree to do what she says if she keeps their movements secret.

Joshua 2:15-21 meaning

Rahab lowers the Israelite spies down from her roof and instructs them to escape the city. The men reiterate their promise to show kindness to her and her family when they return to destroy Jericho if she will tie a scarlet cord through her window and gather her family into her home. As long as she maintains their secret, they will spare her. Rahab accepts these conditions and releases the men.

Joshua 2:22–24 meaning

The Israelite spies leave Rahab’s house. They remain in the hill country west of Jericho for three days until the king’s agents who searched for them return to the city. Then, unlike the 10 spies in Numbers 13 who gave a negative report, they return to Joshua and tell him the LORD will give them victory over Jericho.

Joshua 1 begins with the LORD calling Joshua to succeed Moses as Israel’s next leader. The LORD tells Joshua He will be with him in all things, urging him to be firm and resolute as he leads the Israelites to conquer the Promised Land. Joshua obeys the LORD and takes two preliminary steps. First, he instructs the Israelite officers to prepare the people for the march. Second, he reminds the tribes who have claimed their portions east of the Jordan River that they must continue to aid in the conquest of Canaan. These three tribes had agreed with Moses to support the remaining Israelites in taking the west side of Jordan before settling in their allocated cities. The chapter ends with the eastern tribes pledging loyalty to Joshua and urging him to be bold as he leads the Israelites to the land of Canaan. The chapter’s outline is as follows:

The LORD commands Joshua to be strong and courageous as he leads Israel into the Promised Land. God urges the new leader to meditate on the Scriptures consistently to be successful in all his endeavors (vv. 1–9).
Joshua commands the Israelite officers to speak to the people to prepare them to cross the Jordan River and conquer the Promised Land (vv. 10–11).
Joshua instructs the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, who will settle east of the Jordan, to help their brothers fight until they conquer the land west of the Jordan (vv. 12–15).
The eastern tribes agree to Joshua’s demands to help their fellow Israelites conquer the west side of Jordan before settling in their allotted cities. They promise to obey Joshua just as they obeyed Moses, and urge him to be strong and courageous to fulfill God’s calling on his life (vv. 16–18).