The Meaning of Joshua 2:1 Explained

Joshua 2:1

KJV: And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot's house, named Rahab, and lodged there.

YLT: And Joshua son of Nun sendeth from Shittim, two men, spies, silently, saying, 'Go, see the land -- and Jericho;' and they go and come into the house of a woman, a harlot, and her name is Rahab, and they lie down there.

Darby: And Joshua the son of Nun sent from Shittim two spies secretly, saying, Go, see the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into a harlot's house, named Rahab, and they lay down there.

ASV: And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men as spies secretly, saying, Go, view the land, and Jericho. And they went and came into the house of a harlot whose name was Rahab, and lay there.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And Joshua  the son  of Nun  sent  out of Shittim  two  men  to spy  secretly,  saying,  Go  view  the land,  even Jericho.  And they went,  and came  into an harlot's  house,  named  Rahab,  and lodged  there. 

What does Joshua 2:1 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The two men sent out as spies were young (cf. Joshua 6:23). Joshua sent them out secretly (cf. Joshua 7:2). He did not want a recurrence of the Kadesh Barnea rebellion ( Numbers 13-14).
"He had learned by experience that spy reports should be brought to the leaders only, for the people did not have sufficient orientation or experience to properly evaluate such a report." [1]
Their mission was to explore the area Israel would enter, especially Jericho. Jericho is possibly the lowest city on earth, lying about750 feet below sea level. [2] Their object was to determine when and how to attack, not whether to attack.
"Sending out men for reconnaissance was a widespread phenomenon in the east. Moreover, a prostitute"s or innkeeper"s house was the accustomed place for meeting with spies, conspirators, and the like. Thus, for example, we read in Hammurabi"s Code: "If scoundrels plot together [3] in an innkeeper"s house, and she does not seize them and bring them to the palace, that innkeeper shall be put to death" (law 109). In a Mari letter we read about two men who sow fear and panic and cause rebellion in an army. Also, the pattern of a three-day stay in an area when pursuing escapees has support in ancient eastern sources; for example the instructions to the Hittite tower commanders specify that if an enemy invades a place he must be pursued for three days. In the same collection of instructions we find that it is forbidden to build an inn (arzana) in which prostitutes live near the fortress wall, apparently because of the kind of danger described in Joshua 2." [4]
Jericho was not a large city, but it had strong fortifications and a strategic location on the eastern frontier of Canaan. It lay just a few miles west of the Jordan River in the Jordan Valley. If the Israelites were to gain a foothold in Canaan, they would have to defeat Jericho.
The spies probably stayed at Rahab"s house because they hoped to be less conspicuous there than they would have been if they had lodged elsewhere. [5] Josephus called Rahab an innkeeper, which she may have been. [6] The writer recorded Rahab"s name because she became an important person in Israel"s history. She was an ancestor of David as well as Israel"s helper on this occasion (cf. Matthew 1:5).

Context Summary

Joshua 2:1-14 - A Heathen Woman's Act Of Faith
"To view the land" was a hazardous undertaking. The physiognomy of the Hebrews would certainly betray them, and it did. The sacred writer does not commend Rahab's mode of life nor her lies. Her morality was faulty enough, but beneath it, slowly smoldering, was a spark of pure love and faith, and this would consume the rubbish and burn clear, Hebrews 11:31.
The stalks of flax were probably laid out on the roof to dry. She believed, on the ground of the wonders wrought in Egypt, that Jehovah was the true God, and that His word was sure. Her faith proved itself in her works-in her efforts to save others, and in the confidence with which she rested behind her scarlet cord. That she was sneered at and persecuted is quite likely, but she persisted and became an ancestress of Christ, Matthew 1:5. How faith greatens the soul! James 2:25. [source]

Chapter Summary: Joshua 2

1  Rahab receives and conceals the two spies sent from Shittim
8  The covenant between her and them
23  Their return and description of events

What do the individual words in Joshua 2:1 mean?

And sent out Joshua son of Nun from Shittim two men to spy secretly saying go view - the land and especially Jericho So they went and came to the house of a harlot and named Rahab and lodged there
וַיִּשְׁלַ֣ח יְהוֹשֻׁ֣עַ־ בִּן־ נ֠וּן מִֽן־ הַשִּׁטִּ֞ים שְׁנַֽיִם־ אֲנָשִׁ֤ים מְרַגְּלִים֙ חֶ֣רֶשׁ לֵאמֹ֔ר לְכ֛וּ רְא֥וּ אֶת־ הָאָ֖רֶץ וְאֶת־ יְרִיח֑וֹ וַיֵּ֨לְכ֜וּ וַ֠יָּבֹאוּ בֵּית־ אִשָּׁ֥ה זוֹנָ֛ה וּשְׁמָ֥הּ רָחָ֖ב וַיִּשְׁכְּבוּ־ שָֽׁמָּה

וַיִּשְׁלַ֣ח  And  sent  out 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁלַח  
Sense: to send, send away, let go, stretch out.
יְהוֹשֻׁ֣עַ־  Joshua 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהֹושֻׁעַ  
Sense: son of Nun of the tribe of Ephraim and successor to Moses as the leader of the children of Israel; led the conquest of Canaan.
בִּן־  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
נ֠וּן  of  Nun 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: נוּן  
Sense: father of Joshua the successor of Moses.
הַשִּׁטִּ֞ים  Shittim 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: שִׁטִּים  
Sense: place of Israel’s encampment between the conquest of the transjordanic region and crossing the Jordan into Canaan.
שְׁנַֽיִם־  two 
Parse: Number, md
Root: שְׁנַיִם  
Sense: two.
אֲנָשִׁ֤ים  men 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
מְרַגְּלִים֙  to  spy 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Participle, masculine plural
Root: רָגַל  
Sense: to go on foot, spy out, foot it, go about, walk along, move the feet.
חֶ֣רֶשׁ  secretly 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: חֶרֶשׁ  
Sense: silently, secretly.
לֵאמֹ֔ר  saying 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
לְכ֛וּ  go 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
רְא֥וּ  view 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
הָאָ֖רֶץ  the  land 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
וְאֶת־  and  especially 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
יְרִיח֑וֹ  Jericho 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יְרִחֹו 
Sense: a city 5 miles (8 km) west of the Jordan and 7 miles (.
וַיֵּ֨לְכ֜וּ  So  they  went 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
וַ֠יָּבֹאוּ  and  came  to 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
בֵּית־  the  house 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
זוֹנָ֛ה  a  harlot 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: זָנָה 
Sense: to commit fornication, be a harlot, play the harlot.
וּשְׁמָ֥הּ  and  named 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person feminine singular
Root: שֵׁם  
Sense: name.
רָחָ֖ב  Rahab 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: רָחָב  
Sense: a harlot of Jericho who aided the spies to escape; saved from the destruction of Jericho; married Salmon, an ancestor of David and of Christ; commended for her faith in the book of James.
וַיִּשְׁכְּבוּ־  and  lodged 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: שָׁכַב  
Sense: to lie down.