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And if you report our mission, we will be released from the oath you made us swear.”
Joshua 2:20 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB But if you talk about this business of ours, then we shall be guiltless of your oath which you’ve made us to swear.”
  • KJV And if thou utter this our business, then we will be quit of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear.
  • NKJV And if you tell this business of ours, then we will be free from your oath which you made us swear.”
  • NASB But if you tell this business of ours, then we shall be exempt from the oath which you have made us swear.”
  • NLT If you betray us, however, we are not bound by this oath in any way.”

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 add that if Rahab betrays their mission, they will be released from the oath. The covenant depends on Rahab's faithfulness.

Overview

This final condition guards the spies' mission while keeping the promise to Rahab secure as long as she remains loyal. The mutual faithfulness required reflects the nature of covenant relationship. Rahab's silence and obedience will demonstrate the reality of her faith, ensuring that the promised deliverance is hers.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 1

  • Prov 11:13A gossip reveals a secret, but a trustworthy person keeps a confidence.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Joshua videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Joshua 2:20YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on JoshuaMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

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 2:20 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.