But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. So she said, “Yes, the men did come to me, but I did not know where they had come from.
Parallel translations
- WEB The woman took the two men and hid them. Then she said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I didn’t know where they came from.
- KJV And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were:
- NKJV Then the woman took the two men and hid them. So she said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from.
- NASB But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them, and she said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from.
- NLT Rahab had hidden the two men, but she replied, “Yes, the men were here earlier, but I didn’t know where they were from.
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 hides the two men and tells the king's messengers that they had already left. She acts to protect the spies, aligning herself with Israel's cause.
Overview
Rahab's concealment of the spies is presented by Scripture as an act of faith (Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25). Her words to the king involve deception, and faithful interpreters have long discussed whether this was sin tolerated or commended; the text praises her faith and protective loyalty rather than endorsing falsehood as such. The narrative's focus is on her courageous trust that Israel's God would prevail.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- 2 Sam 17:19–20Then the man’s wife took a covering and spread it over the mouth of the well, scattering grain over it so nobody would know a thing.
- 2 Kgs 6:19And Elisha told them, “This is not the way, and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will take you to the man you are seeking.” And he led them to Samaria.
- 2 Sam 16:18–19“Not at all,” Hushai answered. “For the one chosen by the LORD, by the people, and by all the men of Israel—his I will be, and with him I will remain.
- Exod 1:19The midwives answered Pharaoh, “The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before a midwife arrives.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 2:4 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.