Joshua 2:1-7·~1 min

Rahab Welcomes the Spies

Joshua sends two spies to inspect Jericho, but their presence reaches the king almost at once. Rahab's house becomes the place where the mission is exposed and pressed by royal demand.

T¹hen Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim, saying, “Go, inspect the land, especially Jericho.” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there. ²And it was reported to the king of Jericho: “Behold, some men of Israel have come here tonight to spy out the land.” ³So the king of Jericho sent to Rahab and said, “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, for they have come to spy out the whole land.”

Verse 1Joshua secretly sends two spies from Shittim to inspect the land, especially Jericho, and they lodge at the house of Rahab, a prostitute.

This verse launches the mission and places Rahab at the center of the chapter.

Verse 2Word reaches the king of Jericho that Israelite men have come that night to spy out the land.

This verse introduces the threat by showing the mission has already been detected.

Verse 3The king sends to Rahab and orders her to bring out the men who entered her house because they are spying on the land.

This verse tightens the pressure on Rahab and forces her to choose a side.

Rahab has already hidden the spies, then sends the king's men in the wrong direction with a plausible story. The pursuers leave for the Jordan crossings, and the city gate shuts behind them.

⁴But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. So she said, “Yes, the men did come to me, but I did not know where they had come from. ⁵At dusk, when the gate was about to close, the men went out, and I do not know which way they went. Pursue them quickly, and you may catch them!” ⁶(But Rahab had taken them up to the roof and hidden them among the stalks of flax that she had laid out there.) ⁷So the king’s men set out in pursuit of the spies along the road to the fords of the Jordan, and as soon as they had gone out, the gate was shut.

Verse 4Rahab has taken the two men and hidden them, then tells the king's messengers that the men came but she does not know where they are from.

This verse reveals her protection of the spies and begins her deception of the pursuers.

Verse 5She says the men left at dusk before the gate closed and urges the pursuers to go after them quickly.

This verse redirects the search and buys the spies time.

Verse 6The spies are actually hidden on Rahab's roof among the stalks of flax she has laid out there.

This verse clarifies the reality behind Rahab's words and secures the scene's suspense.

Verse 7The king's men pursue the spies toward the Jordan fords, and once they leave, the city gate is shut.

This verse closes the pursuit scene and seals the city behind them.

Passage shape

A quiet block diagram: each row is one authored paragraph movement, with verse numbers kept visible for scanning and deeper work.

vv. 1-3
Joshua sends two spies to inspect Jericho, but their presence reaches the king almost at once. Rahab's house becomes the place where the mission is exposed and pressed by royal demand.
This paragraph sets the mission in motion and introduces the danger that drives the rest of the scene.
1 2 3
vv. 4-7
Rahab has already hidden the spies, then sends the king's men in the wrong direction with a plausible story. The pursuers leave for the Jordan crossings, and the city gate shuts behind them.
This paragraph resolves the immediate threat and shows Rahab's intervention preserving the spies' escape route.
4 5 6 7

Section summaryJoshua quietly sends two spies to Jericho, but their arrival is quickly discovered. Rahab hides them, misdirects the king's men, and keeps the mission alive while the city closes against pursuit.

Role in the chapterThis opening section creates the chapter's tension and establishes Rahab as the decisive actor in it. Inside the chapter, it turns a reconnaissance mission into a test of protection, loyalty, and quick judgment.