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Joshua 2:3

Old Testament Historical ASV (1901)

What does Joshua 2:3 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, that are entered into thy house; for they are come to search out all the land.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, that are entered into thy house; for they are come to search out all the land.
Joshua 2:3 — American Standard Version

Context — Joshua 2

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
1And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men as spies secretly, saying, Go, view the land, and Jericho. And they went and came into the house of a harlot whose name was Rahab, and lay there.
2And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, there came men in hither to-night of the children of Israel to search out the land.
3And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, that are entered into thy house; for they are come to search out all the land.
4And the woman took the two men, and hid them; and she said, Yea, the men came unto me, but I knew not whence they were:
5and it came to pass about the time of the shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out; whither the men went I know not: pursue after them quickly; for ye will overtake them.
6But she had brought them up to the roof, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof.
← Joshua 2:2Joshua 2:4 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, etc.] Not merely because she kept a public house, or being a prostitute had often strangers in it, and so conjectured that the men he had notice of might be there; but he sent upon certain information that they were seen to go in there, as it follows: saying, bring forth the men that are come to thee; not to commit lewdness with her, though this is the sense some Jewish commentators give; but this neither agrees with the character of the men Joshua had chosen for this purpose, nor answers any end of the king to suggest; nor can it be thought that Rahab would so openly and freely own this, as in (<060204>Joshua 2:4): but what is meant by the phrase is…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Probably Israel had but one friend in all Jericho: and God directed them to her! Thus what seems to be most accidental, is often over - ruled, to serve the great ends of providence. And those that acknowledge God in their ways, he will guide them with his eye. Joshua 2:4”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“2:3 Jericho’s king assumed Rahab was both loyal to the city and unaware of the men’s mission.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Bring: Jos 10:23; Gen 38:24; Lev 24:14; Job 21:30; Joh 19:4; Act 12:4, Act 12:6 to search: Gen 42:9-12, Gen 42:31; Sa2 10:3; Ch1 19:3 Joshua 2:4”
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Related study paths

Read Joshua 2 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification