Rahab (/ˈreɪhæb/;Hebrew:רָחָב) was a prostitute fromJericho during theIsraelite conquest of Canaan. In theBook of Joshua of theHebrew Bible, she is accredited with aiding theIsraelites by hiding two spies who had been sent byJoshua to scout the city before the Israelite assault. Her actions led to thefall of Jericho, during which Israelite fighters killed every Canaanite inhabitant of the city.
In theNew Testament, she is lauded both as an example of a saint who lived by faith,[1] and as someone "considered righteous" for her good works.[2] According to biblical research, the narrative's author intended that she did not contribute to the fall of Jericho, but instead saved herself and her loved ones from certain death.[3][4]
TheKing James Version renders the name asRachab after the spelling inKoine Greek, which differs from the spelling for Rahab in theEpistle of James and theEpistle to the Hebrews. Most modernBible translations render it asRahab, ignoring the distinction.[5]
The Hebrew termאשה זונהisshā zonā, used to describe Rahab inJoshua 2:1,[6] literally means "aprostitute woman".[7] While theTalmud holds to that interpretation, some sources inRabbinic literature insist she was aninnkeeper, based onTargum Jonathan and other texts (Jewish Babylonian Aramaic:פֻנדְקֵיתָא,romanized: pundǝqeṯā.[8]) Rahab's name is presumably the shortened form of a sentence-namerāḥāb-N ("the godN has opened/widened [the womb?])".[9] The Hebrew termzonā may refer to secular orsacred prostitution; the latter was widely believed to have been an element ofCanaanite religion, although recent scholarship has disputed this.[7] However, there was a separate word,qǝḏēšā, that allegedly designated ritual prostitutes.[7]
Josephus mentions that Rahab kept aninn but is silent as to whether merely renting out rooms was her only source ofincome.[10] It was not uncommon for both an inn and abrothel to operate within the same building; thus, entering Rahab's quarters was not necessarily a deviation from Joshua's orders. Indeed, as Robert Boling notes, such an establishment might have represented an ideal location forspies to gather intelligence.[7] Several scholars have noted that the narrator in Joshua 2 may have intended to remind the readers of the "immemorial symbiosis betweenmilitary service and bawdy house".[7]
In theNew Testament, theEpistle of James and theEpistle to the Hebrews follow the tradition set by the translators of theSeptuagint in using the Greek wordπόρνηpórnē, which is usually translated to English as "harlot, prostitute", to describe Rahab.[11][12][13]
William L. Lyons observed that biblical interpreters have viewed Rahab as a model of hospitality, mercy, faith, patience, and repentance in her interaction with Joshua's spies. The harlot of Jericho became a paragon of virtue.[14]
According to the book of Joshua,[15] when theHebrews were encamped atShittim in theArabah orJordan Valley oppositeJericho, ready to cross the river,Joshua, as a final preparation, sent out two spies to investigate the military strength of Jericho. The spies stayed in Rahab's house, which was built into the city wall. The soldiers sent to capture the spies asked Rahab to bring out the spies.[16] Instead, she hid them under bundles offlax on the roof. It was the time of the barley harvest, and flax and barley are ripe at the same time in the Jordan valley, so that "the bundles of flax stalks might have been expected to be drying just then".[17]
Rahab told the spies:
She said to the men, “I know thatGOD has given the country to you, because dread of you has fallen upon us, and all the inhabitants of the land are quaking before you. For we have heard how GOD dried up the waters of theSea of Reeds for you whenyou left Egypt, and what you did toSihon andOg, the twoAmorite kings across the Jordan, whom you doomed. When we heard about it, we lost heart, and no one had any more spirit left because of you; forthe ETERNAL your God is the only God in heaven above and on earth below. Now, since I have shown loyalty to you, swear to me by GOD that you in turn will show loyalty to my family. Provide me with a reliable sign that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and save us from death.”
— Joshua 2:9–13[18]
After escaping, the spies promised to spare Rahab and her family after taking the city, even if there should be a massacre, if she would mark her house by hanging a red cord out the window. Some have claimed that the symbol of the red cord is related to the practice of thered-light district.[19]
When the city of Jericho fell,[20] Rahab and her whole family were preserved according to the promise of the spies and were counted among the Israelites. According to some rabbinic authorities, Rahab was treated as abeautiful captive woman in order to bring her into a marital union with Israel.[21] (In siege warfare of antiquity, a city that fell after a prolonged siege was commonly subjected to a massacre and sack, while others were taken captive.)
Tikva Frymer-Kensky regards Rahab as "smart, proactive, tricky and unafraid to disobey and deceive her king". She also credits Rahab with being "one of Israel’s early saviors" due to "her allegiance to God and Israel".[22] As the first non-Israelite person, and in particular the firstCanaanite woman, to ally with Israel, Rahab's convictions led her to protect the men sent by Joshua despite her background.[22]
Michael Coogan says the book of Joshua, more than any other book of the Bible, contains shortetiological narratives that explain the origins of religious rituals, topographical features, genealogical relationships, and other aspects of ancient Israelite life, and that the legend of Rahab is such an example. The story of Rahab, as faithful, was counted as an Israelite, and not part of the Deuteronomistic injunction to kill all Canaanites and not to intermarry with them.[23][24][25]
Some scholars see the parallels between Joshua 2 and Genesis 19, which narrates the fall ofSodom and Gomorrah. Like Sodom and Gomorrah, Jericho was presumed to be equally as wicked, with Rahab challenging Jericho's "oppressive establishment" by siding with Jericho's destroyers (i.e. the Israelites).[26] Coincidentally, these cities were believed to lie among a major fault line extending 1,100 kilometers from the Red Sea to Turkey.[27]
In themidrash, Rahab is named as one of the four most beautiful women the world has ever known, along withSarah,Abigail, andEsther. In theBabylonian Talmud, Rahab was so beautiful that the very mention of her name could cause arousal (Megillah 15a). Rahab is said to have converted at the age of 50, after practising prostitution for 40 years, and repented according to three sins, saying:
Master of the Universe! I have sinned with three things [with my eye, my thigh, and my stomach]. By the merit of three things pardon me: the rope, the window, and the wall [pardon me for engaging in harlotry because I endangered myself when I lowered the rope for the spies from the window in the wall]." (Babylonian Talmud, Zevahim 116a–b).
A similar tradition has Rahab declaring, "Pardon me by merit of the rope, the window, and the flaxen [the stalks of flax under which she concealed the spies]."
Because of this, rabbis interpret Biblical verses that talk about the citizens of Jericho "melting in fear", such asJoshua 2:9–11 andJoshua 5:1, as describing their inability to maintain erections upon hearing Israelite military victories. Rahab knew this because "there was no minister or prince that did not pay a visit to Rahab the harlot".[28]
The rabbis viewed Rahab as a worthy convert, and attested that following her conversion, Rahab marriedJoshua,[29] and their descendants included the prophetsJeremiah,Hilkiah,Seraiah, Mahseiah,Baruch,Ezekiel and the prophetessHulda,[30] although there is no report in the book of Joshua of the leader marrying anyone, or having any family life.[31] Rahab often is mentioned alongsideJethro (Yitro) andNa'aman as "positive examples" of the converts who joined Israel,[32] and another midrash has Rahab acting as an advocate for all nations of the world.[33][34]
Some believe that the genealogies described inJeremiah 1:1 andEzekiel 1:3 served to dispel accusations that Jeremiah and Ezekiel were descendants of Rahab. At the time, the Israelites discriminated against these prophets for this alleged heritage.[35]
In the New Testament, Rahab (GreekῬαάβ) of the Book of Joshua is mentioned as an example of a person of faith[1] and of good works.[2] Rahab is referred to as "the harlot" in each of these passages.
A different spelling of the name,Rachab (as transliterated in the King James translation of the GreekῬαχάβ) is mentioned in theGospel of Matthew as one of the ancestors ofJesus (Matthew 1:5). She marriedSalmon of theTribe of Judah and was the mother ofBoaz. Most otherEnglish Bibles transcribe her name asRahab.
Some have conjectured that Jesus invoked the name of "Rahab" (רחב) by writing it in the sand when he protected the adulteress from stoning (John 8:6). Through this act he would have reminded the hypocritical Pharisees of the righteous prostitute in their own ancestry.
Fictional accounts of Rahab's life
Television portrayals
hostess JLAtg, LJLA. TgJ Jos2:1 :וְעָלוּ לְבֵית אִיתְתָא פֻנדְקֵיתָא וֻשמַה רָחָב. TgJ 1K3:16 :תַרתֵין נְשִין פֻנדְקָאָן/פֻנדְקָוָן/פונדקין/ לִמדָן קֳדָם מַלכָא. TgTosPr Judges.11:1 :וכד הות איתתא דרחימא גברא דלא הוה משבטהא נפקא מבית אינשה בלא אחסנתא והוו אינשי קרן יתה פונדקיתא when there was a woman who loved a man who was not of her tribe, she would leave her family without property rights; and people would call her "hostess" [MT זוֹנָה].
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Easton, Matthew George (1897). "Rahab".Easton's Bible Dictionary (New and revised ed.). T. Nelson and Sons.| International | |
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