The Meaning of Joshua 6:23 Explained

Joshua 6:23

KJV: And the young men that were spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred, and left them without the camp of Israel.

YLT: And the young man, the spies, go in and bring out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all whom she hath; yea, all her families they have brought out, and place them at the outside of the camp of Israel.

Darby: And the young men, the spies, went in and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had: all her kindred did they bring out, and they left them outside the camp of Israel.

ASV: And the young men the spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had; all her kindred also they brought out; and they set them without the camp of Israel.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And the young men  that were spies  went in,  and brought out  Rahab,  and her father,  and her mother,  and her brethren,  and all that she had; and they brought out  all her kindred,  and left  them without  the camp  of Israel. 

What does Joshua 6:23 Mean?

Context Summary

Joshua 6:22-27 - Spared When Others Perished
It is not the amount of truth that we know which saves us, but the grasp with which we hold it. All that Rahab knew was very slight and partial, but she held to it with all the tenacity of her soul, and it was accounted to her for righteousness, Romans 4:15. Also her works approved her faith. She identified herself with Israel by the scarlet thread, gathered her kinsfolk under her roof, and waited in anticipation of deliverance, James 2:25.
She had yet to be delivered from falsehood and lying, but that God-consciousness which is the first ray of dawn had broken upon her, and would necessarily result in perfect day. Poor outcast though she was, she became incorporated with Israel and the type of Gentile sinners who are permitted to sit with Christ in heavenly places. See Ephesians 2:17-18.
The city was devoted to destruction, lest the microbe of corruption should, through Israel, infect the world. See 1 Kings 16:34, r.v. But remember Luke 19:1-10. [source]

Chapter Summary: Joshua 6

1  Jericho is shut up
2  God instructs Joshua how to beseige it
12  The city is composed
17  It is accursed
20  The walls fall down
22  Rahab is saved
26  The builder of Jericho is cursed

What do the individual words in Joshua 6:23 mean?

And went in the young men who had been spies and brought out - Rahab and her father her mother her brothers all that she had so her relatives they brought out and left them outside the camp of Israel
וַיָּבֹ֜אוּ הַנְּעָרִ֣ים הַֽמְרַגְּלִ֗ים וַיֹּצִ֡יאוּ אֶת־ רָ֠חָב וְאֶת־ אָבִ֨יהָ אִמָּ֤הּ אַחֶ֙יהָ֙ כָּל־ אֲשֶׁר־ לָ֔הּ וְאֵ֥ת מִשְׁפְּחוֹתֶ֖יהָ הוֹצִ֑יאוּ וַיַּ֨נִּיח֔וּם מִח֖וּץ לְמַחֲנֵ֥ה יִשְׂרָאֵֽל

וַיָּבֹ֜אוּ  And  went  in 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
הַנְּעָרִ֣ים  the  young  men 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: נַעַר  
Sense: a boy, lad, servant, youth, retainer.
הַֽמְרַגְּלִ֗ים  who  had  been  spies 
Parse: Article, Verb, Piel, Participle, masculine plural
Root: רָגַל  
Sense: to go on foot, spy out, foot it, go about, walk along, move the feet.
וַיֹּצִ֡יאוּ  and  brought  out 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: יׄוצֵאת 
Sense: to go out, come out, exit, go forth.
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.
רָ֠חָב  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.
אָבִ֨יהָ  her  father 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person feminine singular
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
אִמָּ֤הּ  her  mother 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person feminine singular
Root: אֵם  
Sense: mother.
אַחֶ֙יהָ֙  her  brothers 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person feminine singular
Root: אָח  
Sense: brother.
אֲשֶׁר־  that 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
לָ֔הּ  she  had 
Parse: Preposition, third person feminine singular
וְאֵ֥ת  so 
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.
מִשְׁפְּחוֹתֶ֖יהָ  her  relatives 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, third person feminine singular
Root: מִשְׁפָּחָה  
Sense: clan, family.
הוֹצִ֑יאוּ  they  brought  out 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: יׄוצֵאת 
Sense: to go out, come out, exit, go forth.
וַיַּ֨נִּיח֔וּם  and  left  them 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural, third person masculine plural
Root: מֻנָּח  
Sense: to rest.
מִח֖וּץ  outside 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular
Root: חוּץ  
Sense: outside, outward, street, the outside.
לְמַחֲנֵ֥ה  the  camp 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, common singular construct
Root: מַחֲנֶה  
Sense: encampment, camp.
יִשְׂרָאֵֽל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.