Rahab was a woman of Jericho
who hid the two Israelite spies
sent by Joshua.
Her name means “broad” or “wide.”
Though she was a Canaanite
and described as a prostitute,
she came to fear the Lord
and acted in faith.
Rahab is remembered for
her courageous protection of the spies
and for being brought into the people of God;
she became an ancestor of
King David and of Jesus Christ.
Rahab stands as a powerful example of God’s grace reaching an unlikely person and of faith that takes decisive action. Living in a city doomed to destruction, she recognized that the God of Israel was the true God and chose to align herself with His people. By hiding the spies and helping them escape, she risked her life. In return, she and her family were spared when Jericho fell. The New Testament holds her up as a model of living faith and includes her in the genealogy of the Messiah. Her story shows that God welcomes those who turn to Him in faith, regardless of their background or past.
- Rahab had heard what the Lord had done at the Red Sea and against the kings east of the Jordan, and her heart melted in fear of the true God.
- She hid the spies under stalks of flax on her roof and misled the king’s men in order to protect them.
- She asked for — and received — a sure sign that she and her family would be spared when the city was taken.
- The scarlet cord hung in her window became the sign of her deliverance, a vivid picture of safety under God’s provision.
- Hebrews 11 includes her in the Hall of Faith, stating that by faith she did not perish with those who were disobedient.
- James points to her as an example of faith completed by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way.
- Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus deliberately includes her, showing that the line of the Messiah runs through a Gentile woman with a troubled past.
- Reception of the Spies (Joshua 2) – Two spies sent by Joshua lodge at her house; she hides them from the king of Jericho’s men.
- Confession of Faith (Joshua 2) – Declares that the Lord has given the land to Israel and that the Lord their God is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.
- The Agreement (Joshua 2) – Bargains for the safety of her father’s household; is told to gather them into her house and hang a scarlet cord in the window.
- The Escape (Joshua 2) – Lowers the spies by a rope through the window and advises them how to avoid capture.
- Deliverance at Jericho (Joshua 6) – When the city falls, the spies bring out Rahab and her entire family, as promised; she is given a place among the people of Israel.
- Place in the Line of Messiah (Matthew 1) – Becomes the wife of Salmon and the mother of Boaz, placing her in the direct ancestry of David and of Jesus.
- Joshua 2:9-11 – “I know that the Lord has given you the land… for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.”
- Joshua 2:18-21 – The instruction about the scarlet cord and her agreement.
- Joshua 6:25 – “But Rahab the prostitute and her father’s household and all who belonged to her, Joshua saved alive. And she has lived in Israel to this day.”
- Hebrews 11:31 – “By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.”
- James 2:25 – “And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?”
- Matthew 1:5 – “and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab…”
- The two spies sent by Joshua
- Joshua
- Salmon (her husband, according to Matthew’s genealogy)
- Boaz (her son)
- Ruth (her daughter-in-law)
- David (descendant)
- Jesus (descendant through the line of David)
Rahab’s life is a striking testimony to the reach of God’s grace and the power of genuine faith. A Canaanite woman with a sinful past, she recognized the true God, risked everything to align herself with His people, and was brought from destruction into safety and belonging. The scarlet cord in her window became a sign of deliverance, and her name was written into the very genealogy of the Messiah. In Rahab we see that no one is beyond the reach of God’s mercy, and that faith which acts in courage is never forgotten by Him.
Entry compiled for the JESUSaves.com Bible Glossary. Optimized for wiki.js Visual Editor.