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The Spies at Rahab's House
v. 1. And Joshua, the son of Hun, sent out of Shittim, a town in Moabitis, where he had his headquarters, this probably having taken place even before the officers of the host made the proclamation throughout the camp, two men to spy secretly, this having reference both to the manner in which the command was given, and the form in which it was carried out, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho, both the city and its vicinity. Jericho was located in a beautiful and fertile valley, noted for its palm-trees, some six to eight miles from the Jordan, and the entire neighborhood was thickly settled. And they went and came into an harlot's house, where their stay would arouse the least suspicion, named Rahab, and lodged there, prepared to stay there overnight.
v. 2. And it was told the king of Jericho, probably by some of the watch who had marked the coming of the strangers, saying, Behold, there came men in hither to-night of the children of Israel to search out the country. This was the natural conclusion which the men of Jericho would reach in finding men of Israel in their city.
v. 3. And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house; for they be come to search out all the country. The king's messengers did not search her house, but made their demand at the door, relying on her supposed loyalty to produce the spies.
v. 4. And the woman took the two men and hid them, just as soon as the servant in charge of the door had informed her of the identity of the callers, whereupon she appeared at the door in person, and said thus, There came men unto me, literally, "True, there came to me men," but I wist not whence they were;
v. 5. and it came to pass about the time of shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out, for the gates were closed at sunset, and the short twilight was rapidly succeeded by the falling of darkness; she implied that the spies must have taken advantage of the dusk to make their escape. Whither the men went I wot (know) not; pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them.
v. 6. But she had brought them up to the roof of the house, those of the Orient being flat and usually parapeted, and hid them with the stalks of flax, unbroken lengths spread out there for the purpose of drying, which she had laid in order upon the roof.
v. 7. And the men, the king's messengers, pursued after them, the spies, the way to Jordan unto the fords, where they were most likely to cross; and as soon as they which pursued after them were gone out, they, the keepers, the watchmen, shut the gate, to prevent the escape of the spies, if they were still in the city. The obvious terror which had taken hold of the king of Jericho showed that the judgment of the Lord upon the Canaanites had already begun, for it was He who took their courage from them.