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Rahab
An outsider in Jericho who trusted Israel’s God and ended up in Jesus’ family tree.
Old and New Testament · c. 13th century BC · Joshua, Matthew, Hebrews, James · Also known as Rahab of Jericho, Rachab
About Rahab
Rahab lived in a house on the wall of Jericho, and Scripture calls her a harlot. When Joshua sent two spies into the city, she hid them under stalks of flax on her roof and sent the king’s men the wrong way. She told the spies, "The LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath," and asked them to save her family. A scarlet cord in her window marked her house, and when Jericho fell, Rahab and her family were spared. The New Testament names her in Jesus’ family line and commends her faith.
Jericho was a walled city near the Jordan. Rahab was a Canaanite, an outsider to Israel. Matthew’s family tree of Jesus names her as the mother of Boaz, and Hebrews 11 lists her among the heroes of faith.
The story
Spies on the roof
Two spies came to Rahab’s house. When the king of Jericho sent for them, she hid them "with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof," and told the king’s men the spies had already left.
Joshua 2:1-7
He is God
Rahab told the spies that the whole city had heard how God dried up the Red Sea. "The LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath." She asked them to swear to spare her father, mother, brothers and sisters.
Joshua 2:8-14
A scarlet cord
She let them down by a cord through her window, for her house was on the town wall. They told her to bind "this line of scarlet thread in the window" and gather her family inside. "And she bound the scarlet line in the window."
Joshua 2:15-21
Saved
When Jericho’s walls fell, Joshua sent the two spies to bring out Rahab and everyone with her. "And she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day."
Joshua 6:22-25
Remembered for faith
Matthew names Rahab as the mother of Boaz, in the line of King David and of Jesus. Hebrews says, "By faith the harlot Rahab perished not," and James points to her actions as faith at work.
Matthew 1:5; Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25
Key moments
- Hides the spies: Under stalks of flax. (Joshua 2:6)
- Confesses Israel’s God: "He is God in heaven above." (Joshua 2:11)
- Ties the scarlet cord: A sign on the wall. (Joshua 2:21)
- Saved with her family: When Jericho falls. (Joshua 6:25)
- Named in Jesus’ family line: Mother of Boaz. (Matthew 1:5)
Questions about Rahab
In meetBible these answers are given in Rahab’s voice. They are written by hand and checked against Scripture.
Why did you help the spies?
I told them myself. We had heard how the LORD dried up the Red Sea for Israel, and what happened to the kings across the Jordan. "As soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt." I said, "The LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath." Then I asked them to show kindness to my family, as I had to them.
How are you part of Jesus’ family?
Matthew’s list of Jesus’ ancestors says, "Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse." That makes me the mother of Boaz, the great-great-grandmother of King David, and an ancestor of Jesus. I am one of only a few women named in that list, and like Ruth, I was a foreigner.
Connected people
Read it yourself
Start with Joshua 2; 6.