Original Word: רָחָב
Part of Speech: Proper Name Feminine
Transliteration: Rachab
Pronunciation: rah-KHAB
Phonetic Spelling: (raw-khawb')
KJV: Rahab
NASB: Rahab
Word Origin: [the same as H7342 (רָחָב - broad)]

1. proud
2. Rachab, a Canaanitess

Rahab

The same as rachab; proud; Rachab, a Canaanitess -- Rahab.

see HEBREW rachab

Word Origin
from rachab
Definition
a harlot in Jericho
NASB Translation
Rahab (5).

II. רָחָב proper name, feminine harlot in Jericho; — Joshua 2:1,3; Joshua 6:17,23,25 (all J E); Ρααβ (so Hebrews 3:11; James 2:25, but Matthew 1:5 Ραχαβ).

Person and Setting

Rahab first appears in the conquest narrative when Joshua dispatches two spies “to explore the land” (Joshua 2:1). A resident of Jericho, she lived “in a house on the wall” (Joshua 2:15), suggesting both strategic location and liminality—neither fully inside nor outside the city. Her occupation, noted five times (Joshua 2:1, 2:3, 6:17, 6:22, 6:25), underscores the unlikely choice God makes in elevating a marginalized Gentile woman to a place of honor in Israel’s story.

Confession of Faith

Rahab’s pivotal confession stands at the center of the narrative:

“I know that the LORD has given you this land... for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below” (Joshua 2:9-11).

This testimony reveals:

• Knowledge of God’s mighty acts—the Red Sea (Exodus 14) and victories over Sihon and Og (Numbers 21).
• Recognition of YHWH’s universal sovereignty (“heaven above… earth below”).
• Personal appropriation: “for we have heard… I know.”

The Israelites hear in Rahab’s words the same covenant name (YHWH) that Moses proclaimed. Her confession mirrors Deuteronomy 4:39 and anticipates the Shema of Deuteronomy 6:4, situating a Canaanite within Israel’s theological center.

The Scarlet Cord

Rahab binds a scarlet cord in her window as the agreed sign (Joshua 2:18-21). The cord functions on several levels:

1. Identification—distinguishing Rahab’s household from Jericho’s doomed population.
2. Covenant token—paralleling the Passover blood that marked protected houses in Egypt (Exodus 12:13).
3. Eschatological anticipation—foreshadowing the blood of Christ, “a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28).

Rescue and Incorporation

Joshua 6 records the fulfillment of the promise: “Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, her father’s household, and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies—and she lives among the Israelites to this day” (Joshua 6:25). The phrase “to this day” indicates the editor’s witness that Rahab’s family continued faithfully within Israel, providing historical validation of her integration.

Genealogical Legacy

Although the Hebrew text mentions Rahab only in Joshua, later revelation discloses her remarkable lineage:

• Matthew 1:5—“Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab.”
• Ruth 4:21-22 and 1 Chronicles 2:11 consolidate the line leading to David.
• By extension, Rahab belongs to the genealogy of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:1-16).

Thus a Canaanite woman becomes a foremother of Israel’s king and Israel’s Messiah, embodying the Abrahamic promise that “all nations” will be blessed (Genesis 12:3).

Canonical Witness

Two New Testament writers draw doctrinal significance from Rahab:

• Hebrews 11:31 places her among the heroes of faith: “By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies in peace, did not perish with those who were disobedient.”
• James 2:25 cites her as evidence that genuine faith produces works: “Was not even Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another route?”

Faith (belief in revelation) and works (practical obedience) converge in her story, illustrating the unity of Paul’s doctrine of faith and James’s emphasis on active righteousness.

Theological Themes

1. Sovereign grace—God chooses an unlikely vessel, underscoring that salvation is not bound by ethnicity, status, or past sin.
2. Covenant loyalty—Rahab’s chesed (“kindness,” Joshua 2:12) toward the spies parallels the LORD’s chesed toward Israel, demonstrating that covenant faithfulness is reciprocal.
3. Judgment and salvation—Jericho’s destruction highlights divine holiness; Rahab’s deliverance displays divine mercy.
4. Mission—Rahab’s conversion prefigures the inclusion of the nations, later explicit in passages such as Isaiah 56:6-8 and Acts 10.

Historical and Archaeological Notes

Jericho’s walls, long debated in excavations, provide a plausible setting for Rahab’s house. A common feature in Late Bronze Age fortifications was casemate walls—double walls with internal chambers used as dwellings or storerooms—allowing residence “in the wall.” While archaeological conclusions vary, the biblical description aligns with known engineering practices of the period.

Practical Ministry Applications

• Evangelism: God often prepares hearts in unexpected places; gospel witnesses may find responsive listeners among society’s marginalized.
• Hospitality: Rahab risked her life to shelter God’s servants, modeling costly love (compare 3 John 5-8).
• Discipleship: Like Rahab’s family gathered under the scarlet cord, believers invite households into covenant safety through faithful testimony.
• Hope for the repentant: Past sin does not preclude future fruitfulness (see 1 Corinthians 6:11).

Summary

Rahab’s fivefold appearance in Joshua captures a turning point where a Canaanite prostitute becomes a paradigm of faith, a participant in Israel, and an ancestor of Messiah. Her account weaves together themes of judgment and mercy, faith and works, and Israel and the nations, bearing lasting relevance for doctrine, mission, and Christian living.

רָ֠חָב רָחָ֖ב רָחָ֣ב רָחָ֨ב רחב rā·ḥāḇ raChav racho rāḥāḇInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts