The story of Rahab is found in the book of Joshua. If you’ve heard of Rahab before, I’m guessing the first description of her that comes to mind would be “prostitute” or “harlot”. That would be totally understandable, because the two times she’s mentioned in the “New Testament” Scriptures, she is described in this way. But, do you think that’s really fair?
If we look at the famous “Faith Chapter” of Hebrews 11, Rahab is the only person in the entire list of 16 with their sin recorded and attached to their name – “Rahab the harlot”. It seems a little offensive, doesn’t it!? The English serial killer, known as “Jack the Ripper”, probably deserves the name, but in the book of Hebrews, Rahab is part of the list of righteous people of faith. I think it’s this discrepancy, along with Rahab’s ancestral links to King David and The Messiah, that has led some to suggest that Rahab was actually an innkeeper, rather than a prostitute. Even the Jewish historian, Josephus, held this view. However, every other use in Scripture of the Hebrew word used to describe Rahab’s “profession”, shows clearly that she was definitely not being described as an innkeeper. Let’s look a little more in depth at Rahab and her life, and see if we can make sense of these dilemmas.
If you’re not familiar with the story of Rahab, I suggest that it’s worth reading through the second chapter of Joshua. The rough outline of the story, though, is that the Israelites were at the Jordan River, and ready to finally cross over into the land of Canaan. Jericho was before them, so Joshua sent two men to spy out the city, and when they were noticed, it was Rahab who hid them and aided their escape. In return for her kindness, she asked them to make an oath to spare her and her family when the Israelites returned to conquer Jericho. The spies made the oath, with a stipulation that the family would be inside the same house, and with a scarlet cord bound in the window when they returned.
Jericho was a small, but well fortified city, and some suggest that it was actually more of a military outpost city. It was famous for its high walls and even higher watchtowers. These facts show that YHWH was directing the Israelites to go “all in” from the very start of their conquest. Of course, we also know that the city was Canaanite and, due to this, we naturally assume that Rahab was a Canaanite woman from a Canaanite family. But, was she? One reason for questioning this is the Torah commandment found in Deuteronomy 7:1-2, “When YHWH your Elohim brings you into the land which you go to possess, and has cast out many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than you, and when YHWH your Elohim delivers them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them. Nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give your daughter to their son, nor take their daughter for your son.”
It’s worth considering if YHWH would allow the Israelites to break this commandment in their very first moments in the Promised Land. If Rahab was Canaanite, then all three commands listed here were broken: a covenant was made with her, mercy was shown to her and her family, plus Rahab ended up marrying an Israelite! In my opinion, this tells me that Rahab was NOT Canaanite! So, who was she? Is there any legitimate alternative? After some research, I think there may be.
I suggest that Rahab was a Kenite. The father-in-law of Moses was a Kenite, and they were likely descended from Abraham, through his wife, Keturah. The Kenites were always friends of the Israelites, and are mentioned numerous times in Scripture. In fact, we’re even told that there were Kenites that left the “city of palm trees” (another name for Jericho), to dwell among the people of Judah (Judges 1:16). Were there some living there at the time of Joshua?
I think there’s definite hints that add weight to the theory of Rahab’s Kenite (or, at least, non-Canaanite) heritage. The knowledge that Rahab shows and the confessions she makes to the spies indicate that she knew the name YHWH, that she believed that the land had been given to the Israelites by Him and she even stated that He was, indeed, the God of heaven and earth (v 9-11). From archeological evidence, it appears that Rahab lived in a part of the wall not usually used for normal dwellings. This fact possibly indicates that she was an outsider, and just given a second-rate house. As an outsider, perhaps she was coerced in some way into her “profession” also. Clearly, she didn’t appear to hold a strong allegiance to the Canaanites and she seemed to be the first one that the men of the city suspected of hiding the spies.
Of course, if this hypothesis is true, it would explain a number of things, but it certainly does not negate the faith that Rahab showed in the God of Israel. Remember, the Israelites had been wandering for 40 years due to their lack of faith, and yet they had much clearer evidence to fully believe in YHWH than any Kenite ever did! Rahab’s faith stood out above many others and (I’m totally guessing here) I actually wonder if it was Rahab’s faith in YHWH that brought about the spies’ safety in her home. Did the spies decide to lodge with a prostitute or … did the prostitute notice the Israelites and tell them they would be safe with her??
As mentioned, Rahab is known as a prostitute, but she’s also known because of her lying to save the Israelite men. She told the Canaanites that she didn’t know where the men were from, that they left the city when it was dark, that she didn’t know where they were going, and that they would be caught if they were pursued after (v 4-5). There’s no doubt that these are blatant lies. Many try to justify Rahab here because of her righteous status in the “New Testament” writings, however she is never praised for her falsehood. I think we need to be careful of making a doctrine out of this passage, where we allow lying in certain circumstances. Despite this, we still actually see Rahab’s faith through her lies. None of her lies were to save herself and if any of the lies were revealed, she faced probable death. Her courage and her selfless attitude were certainly to be commended, even if her method was not.
Rahab’s faith in YHWH was more than just a belief of facts. It was a faith that clearly led her to action, but also brought hope into her heart. She tells the spies of the fear that came upon all the people when they heard of YHWH’s might (v11), but then boldly pleads with the men to show kindness and save her and her family (v12). Many speak derogatively of the “Old Testament God” having no grace and mercy, yet Rahab had the faith to trust upon those very characteristics of YHWH! It is exactly the same for you and me. Anyone can believe that Yeshua has come, that He died, and even that he rose again. However, those beliefs mean nothing unless we go to the Father in repentance and ask for His forgiveness through His grace and mercy. We need Rahab’s boldness to ask for these things that we have an eternal need of.
When Rahab asks for salvation, she also asks the spies to give her a sign or a “true token” (v12). I have discovered this is quite a study in itself, with the Hebrew word “ot” for sign being used in a number of places within the Scriptures. The use of this word is closely associated with a covenant, proclamation, commitment or promise. Most attribute Rahab’s sign to be the scarlet cord that she uses for the spies to climb down from her window to safety outside the city walls. I would agree, but it’s the promise the spies make to Rahab that truly matters. The sign that goes with it is only a physical reminder of that commitment. In other words, the scarlet cord will not save Rahab, but the words of the men will, when the promise is brought into action. For us, we have the example of the Sabbath. It is a sign of the covenant we make with YHWH, and wearing tzitzits are like a sign also. However, just “doing” Sabbath or just wearing tzitzits means nothing, unless the covenant or promise behind those signs are believed and lived by. This is also made clear by another “sign” in Scripture – circumcision. We are told numerous times that the physical sign of circumcision means nothing unless the inward heart is circumcised.
So, the scarlet cord was a sign of the oath or promise that the spies made to save Rahab and her family members. It had to be there – tied to the window – when they returned to conquer. Again we see Rahab’s faith in action. Notice carefully when she tied the cord to her window – it wasn’t when she saw the army matching towards them. It appears that she tied it to her window right there and then, just as the spies fled to the mountain (v21)! She was ready for deliverance whenever it came! She wasn’t going to sit back, unprepared. She was ready and waiting, certain of the salvation to come! What an important lesson for us. Our salvation is certain if we are truly His, but we can’t just sit back with empty lamps and expect to enter into all that He has in store for us (see the parable of the ten virgins – Matt 25). We need to constantly live in expectation, and with humble and repentant hearts. We should have a healthy fear, but an equally healthy excitement for that day to come!
We don’t know exactly what that scarlet cord looked like, but it was obviously visible to those outside the walls of Jericho. Everyone would have seen it, even though they had no idea of its significance. We have family and friends, workmates and neighbours that see us too. If you’re like me and follow the commandments to wear tzitzits, eat only the clean animals, or observe His feast days then there’s obvious things that people will see in us. Even our attitudes and personal belief systems will be seen by those who get to spend time with us. Many won’t understand our actions or what they see in us, but when the Spirit awakens some of these people, they will know who they can go to by the signs they’ve witnessed.
In amazing scenes, and within weeks of Rahab saving the lives of the two spies, the walls of Jericho came down. The city was torched and all humans and animals were killed – only Rahab and her family were saved alive! The scarlet cord had remained attached to that same window, and the family had kept faith and remained within the walls of that house. According to archaeological evidence, one section of wall appears to have remained intact. I think we can assume that it was where Rahab dwelt, and safety was found in that house alone. What an amazing day that would have been for Rahab the harlot and for those two men that promised to save her alive. The covenant made between them was fulfilled, yet it was truly YHWH that miraculously kept that house standing.
In the days in which we are living, we can easily worry about our safety. However, let us just live in the same faith of Rahab. Even with destruction literally all around, YHWH was able to protect her. I believe there are some very tough times prophesied for these end times, but we need to just remain within the space that YHWH has for each of us and remain close to that scarlet cord – symbolically, relying on the work of Yeshua that has bought our redemption, forgiveness and salvation.
In a city most likely filled with Canaanite soldiers, it was the woman Rahab that ultimately stood out above them all. Her salvation led to marriage into the nation of Israel, to a man named Salmon (according to the book of Matthew). Matthew also states that Salmon and Rahab were the parents of Boaz, who became the husband of Ruth. From there, Rahab became an ancestor of King David and later – Messiah Yeshua! There are possibly names missing in some of these genealogies (particularly Matthew’s), which seems strange to my western mind, yet apparently not particularly unusual for Hebrew authors. The main point to be made is that there is direct lineage between the people listed. So, Rahab’s relationship to Yeshua remains intact, and leaves us looking back at this story with amazement.
To conclude our thoughts on Rahab the harlot, James 2:25 tells us that she was “justified by works when she received the spies and sent them out another way” . Hebrews 11:31 adds to this by saying, “By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies”. She was a true woman of faith and a woman of action. I often feel for women in our western culture, because they are constantly being pushed into a mould where worth is attributed only in certain aspects of life. Biblical, feminine attributes are generally downgraded or ignored! Yet Rahab was not a leader, she was not wealthy, nor was she a high-profile career woman. Instead, she was a looked-down-upon prostitute with little to no future, and living in a city destined for destruction. And yet, over 3000 years later, she is still remembered! She’s remembered for her faith in YHWH through a simple, yet profound story. She turned from prostitution, and became a wife and a mother. I have little doubt that her faith endured to the end, and I pray that she remains an example to men and women around the world. YHWH is merciful, He saves and changes His people and He brings salvation to those who remain within the covenant He makes with us.
Perhaps in the ancient city of Jericho, “Rahab the harlot” was well known to the Canaanites that lived there. Her sin was also her fame. Yet, her sin was not greater than the God that she put her faith in! We can look back at this amazing woman and marvel at YHWH, who allowed a mighty city to be conquered and enabled sin to be conquered in a woman of faith. Will you allow your Creator to conquer you and bring you into His Kingdom?
The words are most definitely true: “Rahab the harlot” … but not anymore!
For further information on Rahab’s possible Kenite ancestry, click here.
Some dispute Rahab being the literal mother of Boaz, saying that there are possibly 170-400 years separating the two. Here is one study showing how it can be reconciled.
