Before they left, the men told her, “We will be bound by the oath we have taken only if you follow these instructions.
Parallel translations
- WEB The men said to her, “We will be guiltless of this your oath which you’ve made us to swear.
- KJV And the men said unto her, We will be blameless of this thine oath which thou hast made us swear.
- BSB The men said to her, “We will not be bound by this oath you made us swear
- NKJV So the men said to her: “We will be blameless of this oath of yours which you have made us swear,
- NASB And the men said to her, “We shall be exempt from this oath to you which you have made us swear,
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The spies clarify that they will be released from their oath unless Rahab follows their conditions. The promise of rescue carries specific obligations.
Overview
The men set out the terms under which their oath remains binding, showing that the covenant of deliverance involves Rahab's faithful response. This is not arbitrary but ensures the promise is kept in good order. The conditional structure underscores that saving faith is shown in obedient compliance with the appointed means of rescue.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Num 30:2When a man vows a vow to Yahweh, or swears an oath to bind his soul with a bond, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.
- 2 Sam 21:7But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, because of Yahweh’s oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.
- Gen 24:3–8I will make you swear by Yahweh, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you shall not take a wife for my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live.
- 2 Sam 21:1–2There was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David sought the face of Yahweh. Yahweh said, “It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he put the Gibeonites to death.”
- Lev 19:11–12“‘You shall not steal. “‘You shall not lie. “‘You shall not deceive one another.
- Josh 2:20But if you talk about this business of ours, then we shall be guiltless of your oath which you’ve made us to swear.”
- Exod 20:7“You shall not take the name of Yahweh your God in vain, for Yahweh will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
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Christ at the center
Joshua — the same name as Jesus, 'the LORD saves' — leads God's people into their inheritance, a shadow of the greater Joshua who brings us into the true rest and the promised land that remains.
How Joshua 2:17 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.