Notes on Rahab

Rahab was a prostitute who lived in the wall of the city of Jericho. She sheltered the spies sent by Joshua and when the city of Jericho was destroyed Joshua protected her. After the fall of Jericho Rahab lived among the Israelites where she and Salmon had a son named Boaz. As mother of Boaz she was an ancestor of King David and Joseph the carpenter husband of Mary Mother of Jesus Christ.

References to Salmon in Scripture.

Joshua 2 1 - 3

Joshua 6:17 - 25

1 Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim.
"Go, look over the land," he said, "especially Jericho."
So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.

2 The king of Jericho was told, "Look! Some of the Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land."

3 So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab:
"Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house,
because they have come to spy out the whole land."

Joshua 6:17 - 25

The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the LORD.
Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent.

18 But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them.
Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it.

19 All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the LORD and must go into his treasury."

20 When the trumpets sounded, the people shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet,
when the people gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so every man charged straight in, and they took the city.

21 They devoted the city to the LORD and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it--
men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.

22 Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land,
"Go into the prostitute's house and bring her out and all who belong to her, in accordance with your oath to her."

23 So the young men who had done the spying went in and brought out Rahab,
her father and mother and brothers and all who belonged to her.
They brought out her entire family and put them in a place outside the camp of Israel.

24 Then they burned the whole city and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the LORD's house.

25 But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her,
because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho--
and she lives among the Israelites to this day.

Matthew 1:5

Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse,

Hebrews 11:31

31By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.

James 2:25

25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous
for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?

To Understand my faith better I have decided to construct these pages. They are strictly educational, non-commercial and to foster scholarly discussion. All Bible quotes are from the New International Version unless otherwise stated. I use the NIV because while not a perfect translation, certainly the best available. All mistakes are my own and if you differ from my thoughts I welcome your comments. J. Barry O'Connell Jr.