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Then she said, “According to your words, so be it.” And she sent them away, and they departed. And she bound the scarlet cord in the window.
Joshua 2:21 · New King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB She said, “Let it be as you have said.” She sent them away, and they departed. Then she tied the scarlet line in the window.
  • KJV And she said, According unto your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window.
  • BSB “Let it be as you say,” she replied, and she sent them away. And when they had gone, she tied the scarlet cord in the window.
  • NASB She then said, “According to your words, so be it.” So she sent them away, and they departed; and she tied the scarlet cord in the window.
  • NLT “I accept your terms,” she replied. And she sent them on their way, leaving the scarlet rope hanging from the window.

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

Rahab agrees to the terms, sends the spies away, and ties the scarlet cord in her window. She acts at once in obedient faith.

Overview

Rahab's immediate compliance, especially tying the scarlet cord, shows the genuineness of her trust. She does not wait until the army arrives but acts in faith right away, displaying confidence in the promise. Her obedience, the fruit of faith, secures her household's deliverance and seals her place among the people of God.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 3

  • Josh 2:18Behold, when we come into the land, tie this line of scarlet thread in the window which you used to let us down. Gather to yourself into the house your father, your mother, your brothers, and all your father’s household.
  • Matt 7:24“Everyone therefore who hears these words of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man, who built his house on a rock.
  • John 2:5His mother said to the servants, “Whatever he says to you, do it.”

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (5)

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 2:21YouTube · 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 2:21 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.