Two spies are sent to Jericho, who are received and concealed by Rahab.
Two discoueres sent into Hiericho are hid, and concealed by Rahab: 8. and vpon promise of like safetie to her whole samilie, 21. she helpeth them secretly away.
1And Josue, the son of Nun, sent from Setim two men, to spy secretly: and said to them: Go, and view the land, and the city of Jericho. They went, and entered into the house of a woman that was a harlot, named Rahab, and lodged with her.Ma Giosuè figliuolo di Nun mandò segretamente da Setim due esploratori, e disse loro: Andate, considerate il paese, e la città di Gerico. E questi andarono, ed entrarono in casa di una donna di mala vita, per nome Rahab, e si riposarono presso di lei.THERFORE Iosue the sonne of Nun sent from Setim two men, to spie in secrete: and said to them: Goe, and view the Land, and the citie of Iericho. Who going entred into the house of a woman a harlot, named Rahab, and rested with her.Misit igitur Josue filius Nun de Setim duos viros exploratores in abscondito: et dixit eis: Ite, et considerate terram, urbemque Jericho. Qui pergentes ingressi sunt domum mulieris meretricis, nomine Rahab, et quieverunt apud eam. 2And it was told the king of Jericho, and was said: Behold there are men come in hither, by night, of the children of Israel, to spy the land.E fu recata la nuova al re di Gerico, e gli fu detto: Son capitati qua di notte tempo certi uomini d'Israele per osservare il paese.And it was told the king of Iericho, and said: Behold there are men come in hither by night of the children of Israel, to spie the Land.Nuntiatumque est regi Jericho, et dictum: Ecce viri ingressi sunt huc per noctem de filiis Israël, ut explorarent terram. 3And the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying: Bring forth the men that came to thee, and are entered into thy house: for they are spies, and are come to view all the land.E il re di Gerico mandò a dire a Rahab: Conduci fuori quegli uomini che sono venuti da te, e sono dentro la tua casa: perocché sono spioni venuti a osservare tutto il paese.And the king of Iericho sent to Rahab, saying: Bring forth the men, that came to thee, and are entred into thy house: for they be spies, and are come to view al the Land.Misitque rex Jericho ad Rahab, dicens: Educ viros, qui venerunt ad te, et ingressi sunt domum tuam: exploratores quippe sunt, et omnem terram considerare venerunt. 4And the woman taking the men, hid them, and said: I confess they came to me, but I knew not whence they were:Ma la donna prese costoro, e li nascose, e disse: Confesso che venner da me; ma io non sapeva, donde fossero:And the woman taking the men, hid them, and said: I confesse they came to me, but I knew not whence they were:Tollensque mulier viros, abscondit, et ait: Fateor, venerunt ad me, sed nesciebam unde essent:
5And at the time of shutting the gate in the dark, they also went out together. I know not whither they are gone: pursue after them quickly, and you will overtake them.E allorché si chiudeva la porta essendo notte eglino in quel punto usciron fuori, e non so dove se n'andassero: tenete lor dietro senza perder tempo, e li raggiungerete.and when the gate was a shutting in the darke, and they withal went out, I know not whither they be gone: pursew quickly, and you shal ouertake them.cumque porta clauderetur in tenebris, et illi pariter exierunt; nescio quo abierunt: persequimini cito, et comprehendetis eos. 6But she made the men go up to the top of her house, and covered them with the stalks of flax, which was there.Or ella fece salir coloro sul solaio della sua casa, e li coperse sotto le stoppie del lino che eran ivi.But she made the men to goe vp into the roofe of her house, and couered them with the stalke of flaxe, which was there.Ipsa autem fecit ascendere viros in solarium domus suæ, operuitque eos stipula lini, quæ ibi erat. 7Now they that were sent, pursued after them, by the way that leadeth to the fords of the Jordan: and as soon as they were gone out, the gate was presently shut.E que' che furono spediti in cerca presero la strada che mena al guado del Giordano: e quando furono usciti, subito fu richiusa la porta.And they that were sent, folowed them, the way that leadeth to the ford of Iordan: and they being gone out the gate for with was shutte.Hi autem, qui missi fuerant, secuti sunt eos per viam, quæ ducit ad vadum Jordanis: illisque egressis statim porta clausa est. 8The men that were hid were not yet asleep, when behold the woman went up to them, and said:E quelli che erano nascosti, non aveano ancora preso sonno, quando la donna salì a trovargli, e disse loro:Neither were they yet a sleepe that lay hidde, and behold the woman went vp to them, and said:Necdum obdormierant qui latebant, et ecce mulier ascendit ad eos, et ait: 9I know that the Lord hath given this land to you: for the dread of you is fallen upon us, and all the inhabitants of the land have lost all strength.Io so che il Signore ha dato a voi il dominio di questa terra: perocché voi siete divenuti terribili a noi, e tutti gli abitanti del paese sono sbigottiti.I know that the Lord hath geuen this Land to you: for your terrour is fallen vpon vs, and al the inhabitantes of the Land are become fainte.Novi quod Dominus tradiderit vobis terram: etenim irruit in nos terror vester, et elanguerunt omnes habitatores terræ.
10We have heard that the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea, at your going in, when you came out of Egypt: and what things you did to the two kings of the Amorrhites, that were beyond the Jordan, Sehon and Og whom you slew.Abbiamo udito, come il Signore ha asciugate le acque del mare Rosso nel vostro passaggio, allorché usciste dall'Egitto: e in qual maniera abbiate trattati i due re degli Amorrhei che eran di là dal Giordano, Sehon, e Og, i quali voi metteste a morte.We haue heard that the Lord dried vp the water of the Redsea at your entring, when you came out of Aegypt: and what thinges you did to the two kinges of the Amorrheites, that were beyond Iordan: Sehon and Og, whom you slew.Audivimus quod siccaverit Dominus aquas maris Rubri ad vestrum introitum, quando egressi estis ex Ægypto: et quæ feceritis duobus Amorrhæorum regibus, qui erant trans Jordanem, Sehon et Og, quos interfecistis. 11And at the hearing these things, we were affrighted, and our heart fainted away, neither did there remain any spirit in us, at your coming in: for the Lord your God he is God in heaven above, and in the earth beneath.E udite tali cose ci siamo impauriti, e il nostro cuore si è infiacchito, e non è rimaso a noi spirito alla vostra venuta: perocché il Signore Dio vostro egli è Dio lassù in cielo, e quaggiù in terra.And hearing these thinges we greatly feared, and our hart fainted, neither did there remaine spirite in vs at your entring in: for the Lord your God he is God in heauen aboue, & in the earth beneth.Et hæc audientes pertimuimus, et elanguit cor nostrum, nec remansit in nobis spiritus ad introitum vestrum: Dominus enim Deus vester ipse est Deus in cælo sursum et in terra deorsum. 12Now, therefore, swear ye to me by the Lord, that as I have shewed mercy to you, so you also will shew mercy to my father’s house: and give me a true token.Ora adunque giurate a me pel Signore, che siccome io ho usata misericordia con voi, così voi la userete verso la casa del padre mio; e mi darete un segno di sicurezza;Now therfore sweare to me by the Lord, that as I haue done mercie with you, so you also doe with my fathers house: and you geue me a true signe,Nunc ergo jurate mihi per Dominum, ut quomodo ego misericordiam feci vobiscum, ita et vos faciatis cum domo patris mei: detisque mihi verum signum, 13That you will save my father and mother, my brethren and sisters, and all things that are theirs, and deliver our souls from death.Onde salviate il padre mio, e la madre, e i fratelli miei, e le sorelle, e tutto quello che a questi appartiene, e ci liberiate dalla morte.that you saue my father and mother, my brethren and sisters, and al thinges that he theirs, and deliuer our soules from death.ut salvetis patrem meum et matrem, et fratres ac sorores meas, et omnia quæ illorum sunt, et eruatis animas nostras a morte.
14They answered her: Be our lives for you unto death, only if thou betray us not. And when the Lord shall have delivered us the land, we will shew thee mercy and truth.E quelli le risposero: A spese della nostra vita salveremo le vostre, se tu non ci tradisci: e quando il Signore ci avrà fatti padroni del paese, useremo fedelmente misericordia verso di te.Who answered her: Be our liues for you vnto death, only if thou betray vs not. And when our Lord shal haue deliuered vs the land, we wil doe in thee mercie and truthQui responderunt ei: Anima nostra sit pro vobis in mortem, si tamen non prodideris nos: cumque tradiderit nobis Dominus terram, faciemus in te misericordiam et veritatem. 15Then she let them down with a cord out of a window: for her house joined close to the wall.Ella adunque li calò con una fune dalla finestra: perocché la casa di lei era attaccata alla muraglia:She therfore did let them downe by a corde out of a window: for her house ioyned fast to the wall.Demisit ergo eos per funem de fenestra: domus enim ejus hærebat muro. 16And she said to them: Get ye up to the mountains, lest perhaps they meet you as they return: and there lie ye hid three days, till they come back, and so you shall go on your way.E disse loro: Andate in su verso il monte, affinchè quelli nel ritorno non s'imbattano in voi: e ivi state nascosti per tre giorni, fino che sieno qua ritornati; e allora ripiglierete la vostra strada.And she said to them: Goe vp to the mountaines, lest perhaps they meete you returning: and there lie hid three daies, til they returne, and so you shal goe on your way.Dixitque ad eos: Ad montana conscendite, ne forte occurrant vobis revertentes: ibique latitate tribus diebus, donec redeant, et sic ibitis per viam vestram. 17And they said to her: We shall be blameless of this oath, which thou hast made us swear,E quelli dissero: Noi osserveremo puntualmente il giuramento, che tu hai richiesto da noi;Who said to her. We shal be quitte from this oath, wherwith thou hast sworne vs:Qui dixerunt ad eam: Innoxii erimus a juramento hoc, quo adjurasti nos: 18If, when we come into the land, this scarlet cord be a sign, and thou tie it in the window, by which thou hast let us down: and gather together thy father and mother, and brethren, and all thy kindred into thy house.Purché quando noi entreremo nel paese, tu prenda per segnale questa cordicella di color di scarlatto, e la leghi alla finestra, per la quale ci hai calati, e raduni in casa tua il padre tuo, e la madre, e i fratelli, e tutta la tua parentela.if we entring the Land, there be this purple corde a signe, and thou tie it in the window, by the which thou hast let vs downe: and gather thy father and mother, and brethren and al thy kindred into thy house.si ingredientibus nobis terram, signum fuerit funiculus iste coccineus, et ligaveris eum in fenestra, per quam demisisti nos: et patrem tuum ac matrem, fratresque et omnem cognationem tuam congregaveris in domum tuam.
19Whosoever shall go out of the door of thy house, his blood shall be upon his own head, and we shall be quit. But the blood of all that shall be with thee in the house, shall light upon our head, if any man touch them.Se alcun di questi esce dalla porta della tua casa, il sangue di lui sarà sopra la sua testa, e noi non vi avrem colpa: ma di tutti quelli che saranno in casa tua il sangue cadrà sopra le nostre teste, se alcuno li toccherà.He that shal goe forth of the doore of thy house, his bloud shal be vpon his head, and we shal be quitte. But the bloud of al, that shal be with thee in the house, shal redound vpon our head, if any man touch them.Qui ostium domus tuæ egressus fuerit, sanguis ipsius erit in caput ejus, et nos erimus alieni. Cunctorum autem sanguis, qui tecum in domo fuerint, redundabit in caput nostrum, si eos aliquis tetigerit. 20But if thou wilt betray us, and utter this word abroad, we shall be quit of this oath, which thou hast made us swear.Che se tu pensassi a tradirci, e divolgassi quello che noi diciamo, noi saremo sciolti dal giuramento che hai esatto da noi.But if thou wilt betray vs, and vtter this talke abroade, we shal be quitte from this oath, wherwith thou hast adiured vs.Quod si nos prodere volueris, et sermonem istum proferre in medium, erimus mundi ab hoc juramento, quo adjurasti nos. 21And she answered: As you have spoken, so be it done: and sending them on their way, she hung the scarlet cord in the window.Ed ella rispose: Secondo quello che avete detto, così sia fatto: e licenziandoli, affinchè se n'andassero, appiccò la cordicella di color di scarlatto alla finestra.And she answered: As you haue spoken, so be it done, and dismissing them to goe, she hong the purple corde in the window.Et illa respondit: Sicut locuti estis, ita fiat: dimittensque eos ut pergerent, appendit funiculum coccineum in fenestra. 22But they went and came to the mountains, and stayed there three days, till they that pursued them were returned. For having sought them through all the way, they found them not.E quelli partiti giunsero al monte, e vi stettero fermi tre giorni, fino a tanto che fossero tornati (a casa loro) quelli che ne andavano in traccia: perocché questi dopo aver cercato per tutta la strada non li trovarono.But they walking came to the mountaines, and •aried there three dayes, til they returned that pursewed them: for seeking euerie way, they found them not.Illi vero ambulantes pervenerunt ad montana, et manserunt ibi tres dies, donec reverterentur qui fuerant persecuti: quærentes enim per omnem viam, non repererunt eos. 23And when they were gone back into the city, the spies returned, and came down from the mountain: and passing over the Jordan, they came to Josue, the son of Nun, and told him all that befel them,Ed essendo questi già entrati nella città, gli esploratori scesi dal monte se ne ritornarono, e passato il Giordano giunsero dov'era Giosuè figliuolo di Nun; e gli raccontarono tutto quello che era loro avvenuto:Who being entred into the citie, the discouerers returned, and came downe from the mountaine: and passing ouer Iordan, they came to Iosue the sonne of Nun, and told him al thinges that had chanced to them,Quibus urbem ingressis, reversi sunt, et descenderunt exploratores de monte: et, transmisso Jordane, venerunt ad Josue filium Nun, narraveruntque ei omnia quæ acciderant sibi, 24And said: the Lord hath delivered all this land into our hands, and all the inhabitants thereof are overthrown with fear.E dissero: Il Signore ha dato in nostro potere tutto quel paese, e tutti i suoi abitanti sono abbattuti dallo spavento.and said: Our Lord hath deliuered al this land into our handes, and al the inhabitantes therof are ouerthrowen with feare.atque dixerunt: Tradidit Dominus omnem terram hanc in manus nostras, et timore prostrati sunt cuncti habitatores ejus.
2:1
Year of the World 2553.
Salien
Sent, or as many translate, "had sent," as if Josue had dismissed the spies immediately after the mourning of Moses was ended, (Calmet) on the 1st of Nisan. On the second day they examined the city, and were obliged to flee in the night. But they only returned to their brethren on the 6th. On the following day Josue gave orders to make all necessary preparations for their departure, and crossed the Jordan on the 10th of the month. (Salien, B.C. 1469.)
Josephus
Setim was about eight or nine miles from the river, "or sixty stadia." (Josephus, [Antiquities?] 5:1.)
Haydock
Two men. Septuagint intimate that they were young. See Josue 6:23. (Haydock)
Calmet
The Rabbins assert, without reason, that Caleb and Phinees were chosen, and that they pretended that they were deaf, (eross) a word which the Vulgate translates, secretly. (Calmet)
Haydock
Jericho. Josue had himself examined the country some time before. But there might have been many changes, and he might not know the present disposition of the people of Jericho. (Haydock)
Haydock
This city was built in a delightful plain, surrounded by mountains, (Calmet) except on the east side, Josue 4:13. (Haydock)
Harlot. Hebrew zona may also signify an "innkeeper," as such places were under the direction of women, who were commonly of a very loose character. Hence the Greeks deemed it a dishonour to enter into a public house. Isocrates says, that "even an honest servant will not dare to enter into an ale-house, to eat or drink." (Athen. Dipn. 13.)
Haydock
Rahab might have been formerly addicted to pleasure, as the Scripture and the Fathers agree; (Hebrews 11:31., and James 2:25.) (Calmet) though she might at this time be very discreet, being awakened by the account of the miracles which God had wrought in favour of his people, who, she knew, were approaching to take possession of the country. The spies might, therefore, take shelter in her house with the least suspicion, and without danger of injuring their character. (Haydock)
The woman was not very old, as she was afterwards married to Salmon. (St. Matthew 1:5.)
Salien
With her. They spent the first night in her house, entering the city in the dusk of the evening, so that they had not time to make any observations till the following day. (Salien)
Others think that they were suspected by the people of the town almost immediately, and denounced to the king. Hence they were forced to flee that same night, without having accomplished their design, and were only informed by Rahab of the dismay which had seized the inhabitants, ver. 11.
2:2
Calmet
By night. Hebrew, "this night." (Calmet)
2:3
Calmet
House. She spoke to them through a window. The messengers did not enter into her house; whence Serarius infers, that Rahab was a person consecrated to some impure deity, and therefore held in some estimation among the people of Jericho, as this was a city of the moon, in whose honour such consecrations were generally made. But these arguments are not very convincing. (Calmet)
2:4
Haydock
Hid, or "had hidden," as (ver. 6,) she had made the men retire before she spoke to the messengers, and probably before they came to demand them. As soon as she was informed of their design, she took all prudent precautions both for her own and their safety, as she could not have escaped death, if she had been discovered affording shelter to the enemies of her country. She felt herself authorized by God on this occasion, to abandon those upon whom he had declared war, and who could have derived no benefit from the spies being betrayed to them. (Haydock)
2:5
Haydock
At the time, not precisely, as otherwise the men who shut the gates must have seen them, but about that time, (Calmet) Rahab pretends that the spies had left her house, and had directed their course towards the gate, so that she made no doubt but they might easily overtake them. (Haydock)
Worthington
Notwithstanding this officious lie, which is a venial sin, St. Paul and St. James testify that she was justified by her faith in God, and by good works towards these men. See St. Augustine, contra Mend. 17. and note on James 2:25. (Worthington)
Calmet
Rahab might suppose that an officious lie was not a sin, (Menochius) as many great and learned men seemed to have maintained this doctrine. See Grotius, Jur. 3:1. 9.; Origen, contra Cels. 4:p. 171.; St. Chrysostom, hom. 53, Genesis. She was so far from intending to do an injury to any one, that she consulted the welfare both of her guests and of her countrymen, who, if they had detected the spies and committed murder, would have thus brought greater destruction upon themselves, as they could not escape the wrath of God. (Calmet)
2:6
There. The roofs were flat in that country, and consequently very proper to dry flax, or "cotton," as Masius understands.
2:7
Haydock
Jordan, where they had probably come over, though perhaps in a boat, (Menochius) and where the messengers concluded they would have the best chance of finding them, as the Israelites were on the opposite side of the river. (Haydock)
Menochius
As soon as they were gone out of the city, the guards shut the gate, that if the spies should still be lurking within, they might be hindered from making their escape. (Menochius)
2:8
Haydock
Asleep. It seems as if the spies had been ignorant of the danger to which they had been just exposed, and had gone to the roof of the house with a design to pass the night in greater security. Rahab perceives, however, that it would be extremely rash for them to continue with her any longer, and therefore she gives them the best advice, to secure their safety by fleeing in the dead of the night, and without further delay. (Haydock)
2:9
Strength. Hebrew, "they faint or melt away," deprived both of strength and counsel.
2:11
Haydock
Beneath. This is the confession of a true convert, (Calmet) inspired by God. (Haydock)
Menochius
For St. Paul commends her faith. (Hebrews 11:31.) (Menochius)
Calmet
The pagans confined the power of their idols to certain districts; the power of the true God is infinite. (Calmet)
2:12
Haydock
True token, such a one as, when I shew it to the Israelites, they may preserve me and mine. She is not content with a verbal promise, she requires something permanent and sensible, as a mark of their mutual engagements, (Calmet) a token of their sincerity. They afterwards appointed a piece of scarlet to be hung out of the house, where those were to be collected who should be entitled to protection. Rahab was bound not to divulge their secret, nor to betray them. If she had instructed others of her fellow-citizens to hang out the same mark, she would have forfeited all her privileges, ver. 20. (Haydock)
2:14
Death. We are willing to die instead of you, if we do not fulfil our promises.
Truth, a real and effectual mercy.
2:16
Calmet
Days; the remainder of this night, and the day and night following. It is probable that they would travel only in the night time. (Calmet)
Haydock
If they had gone by the high road, they might easily have been discovered by the messengers, who would be on their return. (Haydock)
Calmet
But retiring to the mountains south of Jericho, till they had re-entered the city, the spies made their escape. (Calmet)
2:18
Calmet
By which window or cord. (Calmet)
Menochius
The cord was left as a signal. (Menochius)
2:24
Haydock
Fear, as Rahab had testified. They might also have been witnesses of the people's consternation, which gave them the most assured hopes of victory, as the Lord had given this sign, among others, that he would be with them, Deuteronomy 28:10. (Haydock)
2:4
Notwithstanding this officious lie, (which is a venial sinne) S. Paul, Heb. 11. and S. Iames (c. 2.) testifie, that she was iustified by her faith in God, and by good workes towards these men. S. Aug. cont. M•udac. •. 17. See Annot. Iac. 2. v. 25.
2:1
St Athanasius of Alexandria † AD 373 Arian Persecution Under Constantine 1
There was one Eustathius , Bishop of Antioch, a Confessor, and sound in the Faith. This man, because he was very zealous for the truth, and hated the Arian heresy, and would not receive those who adopted its tenets, is falsely accused before the Emperor Constantine, and a charge invented against him, that he had insulted his mother
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 87.5
… it exhibited the emblem, and the shadow hath passed away. Whence then are “very excellent things spoken of thee, thou city of God”? Listen whence: “I will think upon Rahab and Babylon, with them that know Me” ( ver. 4 ). In that city, the Prophet, in the person of God, says, “I will think upon Rahab and Babylon.” Rahab belongs not to the Jewish people;
2:9
St Ephrem the Syrian † AD 373 Ephraim Syrus: The Pearl. Seven Hymns on the Faith 7.1
The sound form of our faith is from Abraham, and our repentance is from Nineveh and the house of Rahab,
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 Concerning Virgins 2.4
… How can one be a virgin who loves adulterers? How a virgin if she seeks for a lover? It is preferable to have a virgin mind than a virgin body. Each is good if each be possible; if it be not possible, let me be chaste, not to man but to God. Rahab, too, was a harlot, but after she believed in God, she found salvation.
2:10
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Epistle to the Hebrews 27
… Whereupon the end also followed; for when all perished, she alone was preserved. She did not say to herself, I shall be with my many friends. She did not say, Can I possibly be wiser than these judicious men who do not believe,—and shall I believe? She said no such thing, but believed what had taken place,
2:11
St Cyril of Jerusalem † AD 386 The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril 2.9
… for if she who had been openly and publicly a harlot was saved by repentance, is not she who on some one occasion before receiving grace committed fornication to be saved by repentance and fasting? For inquire how she was saved: this only she said: For your God is God in heaven and upon earth
2:15
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 A Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles 20
… v. 19 ) that thou mayest learn the energetic ( ἀρετὴν ) character of the man, how he shines even without miracles. “Then the disciples took him by night,” that the affair might not be suspected, “and let him down by the wall in a basket.”
2:18
St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 The Epistles of Cyprian 75.4
… and whosoever shall go out of the doors of thine house into the street, his blood shall be upon him.”
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 Exposition of the Christian Faith 5.10
127. A harlot saw this; and she who in the destruction of the city lost all hope of any means of safety, because her faith had conquered, bound a scarlet thread in her window, and thus uplifted a sign of her faith and the banner of the Lord’s Passion;
St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 52.3
… So, too, with a mystic reference to the shedding of blood, it was a scarlet cord which the harlot Rahab (a type of the church) hung in her window to preserve her house in the destruction of Jericho.
2:19
St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 On the Unity of the Church 8
… and it shall come to pass, whosoever shall go abroad beyond the door of thine house, his blood shall be upon his own head?”
2:1
1. 'Therefore Joshua the son of Nun sent' (Septuagint Nave, but corrupted: for by the affinity of the Greek letter nu with zeta, Noun was corrupted into Naue) 'from Setim two men as spies.' — These words are to be connected to verse 9, chapter 1, and placed before verse 10. For there is here a hysteron proteron, as I said there; for Joshua, being aroused and strengthened by God to invade Chanaan, immediately did this, and sent spies into Jericho near the Jordan, to subdue it first. Wherefore: 'He sent therefore,' that is, he had sent therefore, namely before he commanded the Hebrews to prepare themselves to cross the Jordan after three days, chapter 1, verse 10. For the perfect past tense is put for the pluperfect. Mystically St. Augustine, sermon 106 On the Seasons: 'Jesus,' he says, 'sends two spies, because the true Jesus was about to give two precepts of love. For indeed what else does the true Jesus send to us, except that we love God, and love our neighbor. Therefore Jesus said: Prepare food for yourselves, and be ready for the third day. For just as then with food prepared on the third day they came to the Jordan river: so also now in the Catholic Church, having taken up the spiritual food of faith, hope and charity, one arrives at the mystery of the Trinity, and at the sacrament of Baptism.' 'From Setim.' — Setim was in the plains of Moab near the Jordan and Mount Nebo, where Moses had died a month before, Deuteronomy xxxiv. In Setim the people fornicated with the daughters of Moab and Midian, and there Phinees pierced an Israelite fornicating with a Midianite woman with a dagger, Numbers xxv. And in this place are mentioned the trees of Setim, whose wood is the lightest of all, most brilliant and most beautiful, and which does not suffer decay; whence from them all the boards of the ark, the tabernacle and the temple were made. 'Two.' — The Rabbis say, or rather fabricate, that these two were Phinees and Caleb; but who would believe that Phinees, already designated by God as High Priest, and Caleb, grave in authority and years, were chosen for such great danger? Especially since the Septuagint corrected at Rome calls them neaniskous, that is, young men, and thus they are called chapter vi, verse 23, in the Hebrew. 'In secret.' — Hebrew cheres, that is, quietly, secretly; thus the Chaldean: both lest the enemies of Jericho should imprison and kill them, and lest their own Hebrews should know it, who, just as 38 years before they had murmured on account of the spies sent, so now they could easily murmur again. Add that in difficult matters, especially military ones, the greatest success often consists in the strictest secrecy. For easily does a secret matter emanate from citizens to enemies. Thus Cajetan, Masius and Serarius. The Rabbis interpret cheres as dumb or deaf, or a potter, as if he commanded the spies to pretend to be deaf and dumb, as being ignorant of the language of the Canaanites; or, as others say, potters, and that they carried earthen vessels, as if about to sell them in Jericho. But these are the commentaries and fables of the Rabbis. It would be more likely that they would say they pretended to be rustics. For thus spies are accustomed to proceed as rustics, who freely enter cities, and cover their machinations by the pretense of rusticity. For the root charas through shin signifies not only to be silent and to become deaf, but also to plow and to make: but cheres through sin signifies a potsherd and an earthen vessel. 'Consider the land,' — not only Chanaan, but the region near the Jordan, which I intend to invade immediately after crossing the Jordan, whether namely it is fortified, whether the inhabitants are warlike, whether they are animated and prepared to wage war with us, etc. Thus Emperor Leo prescribes to his military commander in the Tactics, chapter xiii, number 2: 'You will diligently inquire through scouts and spies the condition of the enemies, who should note how great their multitude is, what their formation: and thus you will prepare yourself against them, so that you may not be suddenly and unexpectedly invaded by them.' And chapter xx, number 178: 'If you wish to do anything secretly against the enemies, or to move camp, or to do anything else, entrust this plan to no one except to one of the prefects: for at such times there are very many who will betray your plans to the enemies out of desire for reward.' And in the same chapter, number 216: 'Since a good hunter catches wolves and foxes by cunning, so also you will catch the spies of enemies by skill. For if you place guards outside your rampart, and then order that they hold every unknown person and interrogate them, and do not release them before the prefects have mentioned their name and from which contubernium they are, and their tessera of that contubernium, and you have investigated who are those who cannot do these things, you will easily find their spies.' Vegetius also, with diligence, in book III of his work On Military Matters, final chapter, suggests this method of detecting spies: 'When a spy of the enemy wanders secretly in the camp,' he says, 'let all be ordered to return to their tents during the day, and immediately the spy is detected,' because he does not have a tent. 'And the city of Jericho.' — That is to say, Spy out especially and before all other places the city of Jericho. He commands this because Jericho was in that region the principal city, very near to the Jordan and most fortified. Similar phrases are found in III Kings xi, 1: 'King Solomon loved foreign women and (that is, but especially) the daughter of Pharaoh.' Ps. xvii, 2: 'He delivered him from the hand of his enemies, and from the hand of Saul,' namely from his chief and most fierce persecutor. II Kings ii, 30: 'There were lacking of the servants of David nineteen men, except Azael,' the foremost of all. Mark xvi, verse 7: 'Tell the disciples, and (that is, especially) Peter.' Furthermore, Jericho was formerly a great city, populous (whence also it had its own king, as is evident from the following verse), situated in a level and most fertile region. There balsam, which is a most fragrant liquid, is produced in the greatest excellence, nowhere else. It abounds in rose gardens, honey reeds, palm groves, whence also the city was called the City of Palms: so that it seemed to be the paradise of the world. It is distant, according to Josephus, book V of the Jewish War, chapter iv, from the Jordan sixty stadia, that is, seven and a half Italian miles, which make two and a half Gallic leagues of one hour: it is distant from Jerusalem one hundred and fifty stadia, that is, eighteen and a half Italian miles, which make six and a quarter Gallic leagues. In Jericho Elisaeus lodged and dwelt, IV Kings ii. There Christ called Zacchaeus from the sycamore tree, Luke xix. Jericho was named either from iareach, that is, Moon, because the plain which surrounds Jericho has the form of the rising moon: thus Arias Montanus; or from ravach, that is, to dilate, because it is situated in the widest plain; or from marcach, that is, odor, because it exhales the most sweet odor of balsam, honey, roses, etc. Thus Josephus, Masius, Pagninus. Symbolically, Jericho is a type of the world, which is unstable and changes like the moon; and it is very wide, and exhibits fragrant delights to its lovers, but such as immediately vanish like odors and vapors. Whence Jesus called Zacchaeus from it to himself, teaching to despise worldly things, and to seek heavenly things as being most excellent, and lasting forever. Thus St. Gregory, Rupertus and others. 'Who going' (either by swimming, or by fording, as is hinted in verse 7, or crossing the Jordan by boat). 'Entered into the house of a woman that was a harlot, named Rahab.' — For harlot the Hebrew is zona, which signifies both an innkeeper or tavern-keeper, as the Chaldean and the Rabbis translate it, and a harlot. The Septuagint translates it as a harlot, and since St. Paul calls her such in Hebrews xi, 30, it is possible that Rahab was both an innkeeper and a harlot. For often women without husbands, who work in public inns, run the risk of fornication, or at least are suspected of it: although our Serarius in Tobias vi, chapter i, Question III, contends at length that in that age there were no inns in use, nor public lodgings. Therefore it is certain that Rahab was a harlot, uncertain whether she was also an innkeeper. With prudent counsel indeed, and by the guidance of God, these spies went to the house of Rahab, where they lay hidden most secretly, as it was near the gate and adjoining the wall of the city. It was therefore for them most convenient both for resting and hiding, and equally for escaping, if the situation required it. Thus Arias, Vatablus, Masius and others. 'Named Rahab.' — Rahab in Hebrew is the same as dilation, or she dilated herself, as this woman did, when married to Salmon, of David, Solomon, all the kings, and of Christ himself, she became the mother, of whom more will be said shortly. Moreover, Torniellus says that Rahab at this time was fourteen or fifteen years old, as also her husband Salmon: for under the age of one hundred they begot Booz, the great-grandfather of David, as will appear at the end of the book of Ruth; but this is difficult to believe: wherefore I shall examine this in chapter vi, 25. St. Jerome notes in chapter I of Matthew, in the genealogy of Christ, that only women infamous for infidelity or lust are named, namely Ruth, Thamar and Rahab, so that he, he says, who came on account of sinners, being born of sinners, might blot out all the sins of all. Thus also St. Ambrose, Chrysostom, Euthymius and others. And Rahab received the spies of the Hebrews, illuminated and impelled by God, as it were the procurators of divine counsel in subduing a faithful people in Canaan. For she understood that God in this matter wished to use her works, and therefore wished that she herself would receive them, hide them and direct them: wherefore she ought to obey God, and betray her impious fellow-citizens and her fatherland to the people of God, and, so to speak, deliver them up, just as Abraham ought to obey God commanding him to sacrifice his Isaac.
2:3
3. 'And the king of Jericho sent to Rahab.' — 'The king,' that is, a petty king, leader, prince of the city of Jericho. For at that time individual cities had their own kings, that is, rulers and leaders. Whence in chapter xii, 9, thirty kings of thirty cities are named, whom Joshua conquered. The king therefore thought these two strangers to be Hebrews and spies: for in time of war all are suspected to fearful men; their foreign clothing, language and customs increased the suspicion.
2:4
4. 'And the woman took the men and hid them.' — From the Hebrew clearly, with Vatablus, thus you should translate: Now the woman had received those two men, and had hidden him (that is, each of them separately, says Arias); and Rahab had hidden them before the royal messengers came to seek them. When she heard the neighbors whispering, she conjectured that those two strangers coming to her were spies, or by some other sign, or certainly by probable suspicion, that the coming of these two would be reported to the king. Wherefore, conjecturing this betrayal, and fearing the inquiry and search of her house, she prudently prevented it, and hid the spies: and perhaps when the royal messengers came for the search, she herself was still occupied in hiding the spies; and this Our author insinuates, when he translates: 'And the woman took the men, and hid them.' Moreover the Rabbis, what is in the Hebrew, 'hid him,' in the singular, thus explain it, namely that Rahab hid only one, namely Caleb; for Phinehas answered him: 'I am a priest; but priests, being like Angels, if they wish, are visible; if they do not wish, they cannot be seen.' And so they think that only Caleb, not however Phinehas, was hidden by Rahab; but these commentaries of the Rabbis are wont to be the fabrications of those fabulists. More probably Philo, not that celebrated one, but an obscure writer of Biblical antiquities (yet a Hebrew), says these spies were two sons of Caleb, namely Cenez and Seeniamian. Whence he has this, I do not know.
2:5
5. 'I know not whither they went.' — The crafty woman lies. Calvin here censures her for this, but in such a way that it was mixed with the virtue of hospitality, and was not reckoned to her as a fault. But this is an error that is blasphemous against God. For it makes God as if blind, who allows his eyes to be covered and veiled, so that he does not see a vice; or as a partner and accomplice in evils, who does not judge vices to be vices, nor count them as vices. Yet this lie was not pernicious, but dutiful, and therefore venial, especially in a rude and pagan woman, who persuaded herself that this lie in this case was lawful, indeed honorable, as being necessary to save her guests. Nor is this surprising, since formerly Plato, Origen, St. Jerome, Chrysostom, Theodoret, Theophylactus, Cassian, and many others, both Christian and Gentile, held that a lie is sometimes lawful, and should be used like hellebore, as I have shown in the lie of the midwives, Exodus i. Furthermore, Abulensis here, Question XXX, holds that Rahab was moved by God to commit a venial sin, namely this dutiful lie. For God, he says, can move a man to sin venially, on account of a great good that follows from it, and lest he fall into greater sins. In a similar way, he says, if someone seeks another for unjust death, and another can preserve his life by a simple lie, he ought to preserve it, and if he refuses to lie, the other will unjustly perish. But these things are false and paradoxical. For God cannot be the author of any sin, since he is supreme purity, truth and holiness. Again, it is not lawful to lie, even if the salvation of the whole world should follow from it. For we are not to do evil that good may come, says the Apostle, nor is a lie necessary to save another's life; for in such a case one can use amphibology: and if it were necessary, still it would not be lawful to lie, because a lie is intrinsically evil and a sin, which it is not lawful to commit in any case. You will say: This lie was to the destruction of her own people, whom she betrayed to the Hebrews as enemies; therefore it was pernicious. I answer, that this lie was indeed harmful to the Canaanites and the inhabitants of Jericho; yet because Rahab by a certain instinct of God knew for certain that they were proscribed by God on account of their crimes and devoted to destruction, and thus given over to the Hebrews with their possessions, she ought not, nor could she without wickedness, defend the unjust cause of the inhabitants of Jericho, and oppose the just and pious cause and war of the Hebrews, and resist God himself. Nay, rather, in order to obey God, with steadfast faith and piety, she most bravely and most holily exposed herself to the peril of death, so that the Apostle rightly praises her, Hebrews xi, 31, and St. James asserts that she was justified by these works, cap. ii, vers. 25. Wherefore she herself, enlightened and touched by God, turned herself to God from her lust through repentance and the purpose of chastity, and became a Hebrew and holy, and thus by this generous act of hospitality, whereby she opened the way into Canaan to the Hebrews, she ennobled herself, and so bound the Hebrews to her, that on account of this her beneficence Salmon, a prince of the tribe of Judah, took her as his wife, and from her were born all the princes and kings of Judah, and finally Christ himself, as is evident from Matthew 1, where she is named, and placed before other women in the genealogy of Christ: because namely she was a foreigner and a harlot, and because she had well deserved of the people of God. For although she was a foreigner, yet being now converted to Judaism, she could be taken as a wife by a Jewish prince. For such marriages are not forbidden in Deuteronomy vii, 3, but only of foreigners persisting in idolatry, as is evident from the same verse 4. The Hebrews relate that Rahab by this faith and piety merited that eight Prophets and Priests should be born from her line, namely Jeremiah, Hilkiah, Seraiah, Maaseiah, Baruch the son of Neriah, Hanamel, Shallum, Ezekiel and Huldah. Hanamel was the son of Shallum, the cousin of Jeremiah. Again, they count nine gentile women, who marrying Hebrew husbands, or adhering to the Hebrews, were converted by them and bore faithful and great offspring, namely Hagar the Egyptian, the wife of Abraham; Asenath, the wife of Joseph; Zipporah the Midianite, the wife of Moses; Shiphrah and Puah the midwives, who saved the infants of the Hebrews from the slaughter of Pharaoh, Exodus i, 15; the daughter of Pharaoh, Rahab, Ruth and Jael. Furthermore, St. Augustine, in the book Against Lying, cap. xv: 'That which is written, that God dealt well with the Hebrew midwives, and with Rahab the harlot of Jericho, was not done because they lied, but because they were merciful to the men of God. Therefore in them the deceit was not rewarded, but the benevolence: the kindness of mind, not the wickedness of the liar.'
2:6
6. 'Upon the roof.' — Hebr. gag, that is, a roof, as the Chaldean and Septuagint translate it, which in Judaea was flat, so that one could walk, lie down, and sit upon it. See what is said at Deut. xxii, 8. It is called a roof because it is exposed to the sun. Tropologically Origen, hom. 3 in Joshua: 'These things,' he says, 'place those who receive them in higher places, and establish them in the lofty and exalted sacraments of faith. For no one who is sent by Jesus is found below and lying on the ground, but remains in higher places.' 'And covered them with stalks of flax.' — Hebr. in the linens of wood, but the Hebrews call wooden linens the linens of wood, or those which become woody, namely linens, which consist of an entire stalk, which the Latin interpreter clearly expressed in Latin, translating it as stalks of flax. For the Hebrews attribute the name of wood also to plants, such as rushes, hyssop, flax, which gradually harden and become woody by means of their stalk, as is evident in III Kings iv, 33. Therefore Masius rashly criticizes our Interpreter here. For the Chaldean and Josephus favor him, who translate bundles of flax. And Pagninus, translating culms of flax, and the Zurich version, translating little stalks of flax. This verse explains verse 4. Serarius proves this more fully here in Question XXV.
2:9
'Have melted:' — Hebr. namoggu, that is, like wax they have been liquefied, dissolved and wasted away: for great fear liquefies, enervates and dissolves all strength, and all the powers of soul and body. The Chaldean: they have been broken; Vatablus: they have been dismayed by fear of you, that is, seized with panic terror as if they were melting away. The Septuagint, vers. 11, translates exestemen, that is, we have been astounded, we have been made ecstatic, we have been seized outside ourselves and have failed, we have been moved out of our minds. For fear makes men devoid of counsel, moved in mind, and as if mad.
2:10
10. 'Whom you have slain.' — Hebr. hecharamthem, that is, you have made anathema, you have anathematized, that is, as it were an anathema, that is a victim to God and to divine justice and vengeance consecrated, you have sacrificed and slain. See what is said at Levit. cap. xxvii, vers. 28.
2:11
11. 'The Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath,' as if to say, Your God alone is the true God, who rules heaven and earth with eternal dominion, and everywhere works what he wills. For the Hebr. is Elohim, which word signifies God as the governor of all things. The sense is, as if to say, Since the true God fights for you, neither the Canaanites nor anyone else can resist him and you, or bar you from the possession of this land, as the fear injected into them by God sufficiently shows, which made them, otherwise most brave, unwarlike and enervated. The Chaldean translates, 'and that the Lord your God is God, whose divinity is in heaven above, and dominates over the earth beneath.' This is what Moses says in Deuter. xxxiii, 26: 'The ascender of heaven thy helper. His magnificence runneth through the clouds, his dwelling is above, and beneath are the everlasting arms; he shall cast out the enemy from before thy face, and shall say: Be thou consumed;' where I have said more about this matter. Rahab therefore, partly from miracles and prodigies, partly from God's illumination, knew that the idols of the Canaanites were false and fictitious gods, and that the God of the Hebrews alone was the true God (for the Hebr. is Jehova), and therefore believed in him, hoped in him, loved him, and repenting of her sins begged forgiveness from him, and thus was justified, as the Apostle teaches, Hebr. cap. xi, vers. 31, and James cap. ii, 25.
2:14
14. 'Our soul shall be for you unto death,' — that is, let our soul perish, that is, let us perish, may God destroy us, or may the earth open beneath us, if the Hebrews harm you. For they swear, as Rahab had requested, with an execratory oath, as is evident from vers. 17. For they knew that Joshua and the Hebrews would ratify this, indeed they would give thanks to her for such hospitality, by which the way into the promised land was opened, and would render her greater benefits. They likewise knew the law of God commanding all Canaanites to be slain, not to be understood of her who had so kindly received the Hebrews and opened the way to them into Canaan for so many victories. For this epieikeia dictated to them; the Chaldean translates, our souls are delivered for your souls. Clearly Vatablus: 'We devote our souls to death for you, we shall prove ourselves faithful and true to you;' which he explains thus, as if to say, 'We shall save you even if we must die.' But the former explanation is more genuine. 'We will deal with thee with mercy and truth.' — 'Truth,' that is, equity and fidelity, as Vatablus translates it, namely the duty of returning duty, and the faith of salvation which we have given you, by actually performing it. For truth is of justice, as it is of speech, so that the good which we have truly promised, we truly perform, concerning which John says in the Gospel, cap. viii: 'He (the devil) in truth, that is, in faith and obedience promised to God, did not stand.' And in III Epistle: 'Thou walkest in truth.' And elsewhere: 'The Lord shall look upon truth.' And: 'All the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth.'
2:15
15. 'So she let them down by a rope through the window.' — Just as Paul was let down from a window at Damascus in a basket, of which these spies were the type and figure, Acts ix, 25. 'For her house was built upon the wall of the city.' — The Septuagint: 'Because her house was in the wall, and she herself dwelt in the wall.' Which also happens at Rome and elsewhere, where there is the greatest peace: for in time of war this is dangerous; for through houses adhering to the wall, spies and even the enemies themselves can enter and leave the city securely.
2:16
16. 'Get you up to the mountains,' — as it were to remote and out-of-the-way places. Mystically Origen: He commanded the Apostles, he says, to preach heavenly things, as if to say: Do not walk through valleys, avoid things humble and abject, teach things exalted and sublime. 'We shall be innocent from this oath by which thou hast bound us' (thus thou didst make us swear, or to which thou didst compel us. Thus Pagninus and Vatablus).
2:18
18. 'When we enter into the land, this scarlet cord shall be a sign.' — Thus read the Hebrew, Chaldean, Septuagint and Roman texts, without negation; the Complutensian editors however and others read with negation: The sign shall not be. The sense therefore is, as if to say: We shall not be innocent, and we shall free our faith from this oath by which we swore to preserve thee and thine, if thou shalt bind this cord to the window, so that by it as a sign all the Hebrews may distinguish thy house from others, and may know it to be the one which we swore we would preserve. Thus Vatablus. But because the Hebrew nekiim, that is, innocent, rather signifies those exempt and released from the obligation of an oath, or, as is commonly said, released from obligation, as is evident from verses 17 and 20: hence from the Hebrew the sense here appears to be, as if to say: We shall be free and released from our oath, if thou dost not keep two things which we justly require. For we require first, that thou give us this cord as a sign that thy house is thine; secondly, that thou gather all thy kinsmen into thy house, and thus we may know they are thine, not strangers; if thou dost not keep these two things, we shall be released from our oath: but if thou dost keep them, we shall consider ourselves bound by it, and shall keep it faithfully. Whence the Complutensian editors and others, as I said, read by negation: We shall be innocent, etc., if this cord shall not be a sign. 'This scarlet cord' (Hebrew: rope). — 'This,' namely which here presents itself to our eyes. Others: 'This,' namely by which thou didst let us down through the wall, so that the same rope, thicker, by which the spies were freed from the hand of the Canaanites, might also free Rahab, their liberatrix, from the hand of the Hebrews. The spies give the sign of the rope, which Rahab had requested in verse 12, and which they ought to have given before being let down from the wall, but it did not occur to them then because of danger with their minds troubled, when all were intent on flight from danger through the secure letting down from the window. 'Scarlet.' — By the providence of God this was done, so that through it, being red, the blood of Christ might be represented. Whence St. Ambrose, book V On Faith, chapter v, holds that Rahab wished to signify by this scarlet cord the passion of Christ, by whose faith and merits she was freed from death of soul and body. Hear him, book V On Faith, chapter iv, near the end: 'The harlot saw this, and she who despaired of remedies of salvation in the destruction of the city, because faith had conquered, raising up the signs of faith and the standards of the Lord's Passion, bound scarlet in the window, so that the appearance of mystical blood, which would redeem the world, might flourish. Thus outside the name of Jesus was for those fighting unto victory, inside the appearance of the Lord's Passion for those in peril unto salvation. Whence because Rahab understood the heavenly mystery, the Lord says in the psalm: I will be mindful of Rahab and Babylon knowing me.' So also St. Augustine in Psalm lxxxvi: 'I will be mindful,' he says, 'of Rahab. Who is this? That harlot in Jericho, the harlot who received the messengers, and sent them out another way, who presumed on the promise, who feared God, to whom it was said that she should put scarlet through the window, that is, that she should have on her forehead the sign of the blood of Christ. She was saved there, and signified the Church of the Gentiles. Whence the Lord said to the proud Pharisees: Amen I say to you, the publicans and harlots shall go into the kingdom of heaven before you. They go before, because they use force. They press forward by believing, and faith is yielded to, nor can anyone resist, because those who use force seize it.' So also St. Jerome, epistle 2 to Nepotian, teaches in many ways that scarlet is the symbol of the blood of Christ, as much as of burning charity, with which Rahab burned. And Origen here, homily 4: 'The blood of Christ,' he says, 'is the sign of redemption in the house of Rahab, that is in the Church.' 'And all thy kindred,' — namely not only parents, but uncles, aunts, cousins, indeed also relations by marriage, namely the wives of kinsmen and the husbands of kinswomen; for these by their wives and husbands belonged to Rahab, and were reckoned her kinsmen. Abulensis denies this, Question LV, because in verse 13, Rahab asked only her brothers and sisters to be freed. But wrongly, for by the name of brothers and sisters, nephews and kinsmen are understood among the Hebrews; for those whom she called brothers there, she calls kinsmen here.
2:19
'His blood shall be upon his own head.' — 'Blood,' that is, the guilt of his blood shed shall recoil upon himself, as if to say, He himself shall perish by his own fault, not by ours, because he did not keep the covenant. 20. 'Clean,' — that is, free and released from the obligation of the oath. 21. 'And letting them down,' — namely bidding them farewell, for example saying: 'Go in peace,' or 'Peace be with you;' for she had already let them down by a rope through the wall: here therefore having let them down she bids them farewell.
2:22
22. 'They came to the mountains, and remained there three days,' — not complete days, but partial or incomplete ones. For on the third day of the month Nisan or March, sent by Joshua they reconnoitred Jericho, and lodged with Rahab; but when their arrival was immediately reported to the king, and he ordered them to be sought out, Rahab that same night let them down through the wall: let down and dismissed they hid in the mountains for three days, namely the fourth, fifth and sixth of Nisan, but incomplete; for on the sixth day at evening they returned to Joshua. Wherefore it does not seem true, what Josephus writes, that they spent the whole following day after their entry into Jericho in reconnoitring Jericho, for thus they would have been betrayed and captured, and they understood enough from Rahab concerning the fear and condition of the city, so that such a reconnaissance would not have been necessary, especially in such danger, with all eyes fixed upon them. For on account of the proximity of the Hebrews all the inhabitants of Jericho were dismayed, and as if lifeless, as Rahab says: wherefore they shut their city and guarded it most strictly, examining and scrutinizing each one entering exactly, and reporting foreigners by name, and their names to the king, as is customary to be done every day at evening in cities which fear a nearby enemy. If anyone is unwilling to be constrained by these narrow limits of time, and prefers to take three complete days of hiding, let him say that the scouts were sent by Joshua, and came to Jericho, not on the third day of Nisan, after the thirty days of mourning for the death of Moses were completed; but before they were completed on the first day of Nisan, so that on the second day they reconnoitred Jericho, on the third day they returned, and hid in the mountains three complete days, and on the sixth day they returned to Joshua. Thus from Lyran and Masius Salianus.
2:24
24. 'And prostrate with fear.' — Heb. melted with fear. See the remarks on verse 9.
Allegorical and tropological interpretation of Rahab Allegorically St. Augustine, Origen, Rupert: Rahab, they say, represents the Church of the Gentiles: First, because as Rupert says, cap. x, she was formerly a brothel of demons and a den of idols, but from being unfaithful and unchaste through the reception of the Hebrew scouts she became faithful and chaste: so the gentile nations, idolatrous and impure, through the reception of the Apostles, became Christian and holy. Secondly, as Rahab through the scarlet cord, so the Church through the blood of Christ was saved. Thirdly, Rahab saved all her relatives, and thus, as it appears, she brought all to the faith and worship of the true God of the Hebrews; whence also Rahab in Hebrew means dilation: so the Church dilated itself through all nations. Fourthly, outside the house of Rahab all were slain: so outside the Church all perish, and salvation is granted to none. Fifthly, Rahab was justified by faith and hospitality, so also the Church by faith and charity. Tropologically, Rahab is every sinful woman and penitent like Mary Magdalene, who through Joshua and the scouts, that is, through Jesus and apostolic men, from being lustful becomes chaste and holy, and is therefore preserved from the destruction of hell, indeed she even saves others, while she persuades them to penance and purity by her word and example.
Machine translation from the Latin, not reviewed.
2:1
Abel (Hebrew 'Abhēl 'meadow'; possibly Aramaic from Canaanite 'Abil 'channel')
… Camp of the Israelites before crossing the Jordan (Num. 25:1; 33:49; Josh. 2:1; 3:1; Mic. 6:5); today Tell Kefrein, 11 km east of the Jordan, in the direction of Jericho (according to a few, Wadi es-Sejale, 5 km farther south).
… It was called Abel (v.) S. "in the plains of Moab" (ibid. 33, 49; Septuagint Βέλων cod. B, βελοκτίμ cod. A). From there the spies were sent to Jericho, which stood opposite; from there, after a prolonged stay, Israel set out to cross the Jordan (Ios. 2, 1; 3, 1; Vulg. Setim). …
2:2
… In reward she obtained the oath that she would be spared together with her family on the day of the occupation; she fulfilled the agreed condition (a red cord at the window) and the promise was kept (Josh. 2:2-21; 6:17-25). Converted to the Israelite religion, she married Salmon of the tribe of Judah and had as her son Boaz, the future husband of Ruth (Ruth 4:21; Matt. 1:5). Her faith was praised …
2:3
… delivered (Ps. 129:1; Ecclus. 51:9). The f. personified like death (Job 28:22; Is. 5:14; Ecclus. 14:12-19), is poetically depicted as an insatiable monster with enormous jaws (Is. 5:14; Hab. 2:5; Ps. 141:7; Prov. 1:12; 27:20; 30:16), with a vast belly (Ios. 2:3; Ecclus. 51:5). The fruit of the power of the f.-death is destruction (Os. 13:14 = I Cor. 15:54): v. ABADDON. …
2:10
… recent (the "Amorites", v.) ca. the year 2000. Sometimes, however, the Old Testament distinguishes between Canaanites and Amorites, calling Amorites not only the pre-Israelite inhabitants of Transjordan (cf. Num. 21, 13, 31; Deut. 3, 8; 4, 47 ff.; 31, 4; Ios. 2, 10; 9, 10; 12, 2; 13, 10; Iudc. 10, 8), but also a part of the inhabitants of Palestine proper, that is, those dwelling in the mountain (Deut. 1, 7.19.20.44: people dwelling in the south …
… The miraculous crossing of the Red Sea is a historical fact such that it cannot be suppressed without shaking the whole edifice of the Old Testament (Ex. 14; 15:4; 22; Num. 33:8; Deut. 11:14; Josh. 2:10; 4:24; 24:7; Ps. 105 [106]:8; Id. 11:16; Neh. 9:11; Wis. 10:8; 1 Macc. 4:9; Acts 7:36).
… Since the king had refused passage to the Hebrews, they decided to open the way by arms: in a few actions S. was overwhelmed, was killed, and his territories remained an Israelite conquest (Num. 21:21 ff.; 32:33; Deut. 1:4; 2:24 ff.; 3:2-6; 4:46; 29:7; 31:4; cf. Josh. 2:10 etc.).
2:15
… It comprises the story of J. from Josh. 2:15-16 to Josh. 10: it contains 23 illustrations, which have much in common with the mosaics of St. Mary Major, with legends in Greek in cursive majuscule. …
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · Vulgata Clementina · original Douay-Rheims (Douay 1609-10), transcription by EEBO-TCP (CC0) · La Sacra Bibbia, tradotta dalla Volgata da Antonio Martini (1769-1781) (LaParola (laparola.net), Martini OSIS text, Public domain (LaParola's electronic edition marks it 'Dominio pubblico')). Public domain.