Joshua 6:25 · Bible study
Joshua 6:25 Commentary: Rahab Saved and Dwelling in Israel
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why does Rahab, a Canaanite prostitute, dwell in Israel 'to this day'? Explore God's mercy within judgment and her place in Christ's genealogy.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Joshua spares Rahab and her family, and she lives among Israel as a result of her faith.
- Key words: hecheyah (let live), vatteishev (dwelt), hechbi'ah (hid), ki (because).
- Main debate: Does ‘to this day’ mean Rahab was still alive when the book was written, or does it refer to her descendants dwelling in Israel?
- Theological theme: God’s mercy extends to the most unlikely, and faith leads to full inclusion among God’s people.
- Best use: As an example of salvation by grace through faith, and as a foreshadowing of Gentile inclusion in Christ.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
And Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her father’s household and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent to spy out Jericho. So she has lived among the Israelites to this day.
WEB World English Bible 2000
But Rahab the prostitute, her father’s household, and all that she had, Joshua saved alive. She lives in the middle of Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
KJV King James Version 1769
And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father’s household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
But Rahab the harlot, and her father’s household, and all that she had, did Joshua save alive; and she dwelt in the midst of Israel unto this day, because she hid the messengers, whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
and Rahab the harlot, and the house of her father, and all whom she hath, hath Joshua kept alive; and she dwelleth in the midst of Israel unto this day, for she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And Joshua saved alive Rahab the harlot, and her father's household, and all that she had, and she dwelt in the midst of Israel to this day; because she hid the messengers whom Joshua had sent to spy out Jericho.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
But Joshua saved Rahab the harlot, and her father's house, and all she had, and they dwelt in the midst of Israel until this present day: because she hid the messengers whom he had sent to spy out Jericho. At that time, Joshua made an imprecation, saying:
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Mas Josué salvó la vida á Rahab la ramera, y á la casa de su padre, y á todo lo que ella tenía: y habitó ella entre los Israelitas hasta hoy; por cuanto escondió los mensajeros que Josué envió á reconocer á Jericó.
Mas Josué salvou a vida a Raabe a prostituta, e à casa de seu pai, e a tudo o que ela tinha: e habitou ela entre os israelitas até hoje; porquanto escondeu os mensageiros que Josué enviou a reconhecer a Jericó.
Josué laissa la vie à Rahab la prostituée, à la maison de son père, et à tous ceux qui lui appartenaient; elle a habité au milieu d’ Israël jusqu’ à ce jour, parce qu’ elle avait caché les messagers que Josué avait envoyés pour explorer Jéricho.
Rahab aber, die Hure, samt dem Hause ihres Vaters und alles, was sie hatte, ließ Josua leben. Und sie wohnt in Israel bis auf diesen Tag, darum daß sie die Boten verborgen hatte, die Josua auszukundschaften gesandt hatte gen Jericho.
Dus liet Jozua de hoer Rachab leven, en het huisgezin haars vaders, en al wat zij had; en zij heeft gewoond in het midden van Israel tot op dezen dag, omdat zij de boden verborgen had, die Jozua gezonden had, om Jericho te verspieden.
Ma a Rahab, la meretrice, alla famiglia di suo padre e a tutti i suoi Giosuè lasciò la vita; ed ella ha dimorato in mezzo ad Israele fino al dì d’oggi, perché avea nascosto i messi che Giosuè avea mandati ad esplorar Gerico.
Rachabę także wszetecznicę, i dom ojca jej, i wszystko, co było jej, Jozue żywo zostawił, i mieszkała w pośrodku Izraela aż do teraźniejszego dnia, dla tego, iż utaiła posłów, które był posłał Jozue ku przeszpiegowaniu Jerycha.
В то время Иисус поклялся и сказал: проклят пред Господом тот, кто восставит и построит город сей Иерихон; на первенце своем он положит основание его и на младшем своем поставит врата его. [Так и сделал Азан, родом из Вефиля: он на Авироне, первенце своем, основал его и на меньшем, спасенном, поставил ворота его.]
約書亞 卻把 妓女 喇合與 她父 家，並 她 所有的，都救活了；因為 她隱藏了 約書亞 所 打發 窺探 耶利哥 的使者，她就住 在以色列 中，直到 今日。
But Joshua kept Rahab, the loose woman, and her father's family and all she had, from death, and so she got a living-place among the children of Israel to this day; because she kept safe the men whom Joshua had sent to make a search through the land.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Joshua 6:25
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that Joshua 6:25 records the fulfillment of the spies’ oath and showcases God’s mercy reaching beyond the covenant community. The phrase ‘dwelleth in Israel even unto this day’ is widely read as evidence that the book was composed soon after the events (Barnes, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown, Clarke). But opinion divides on what ‘to this day’ means exactly. Adam Clarke and Barnes take it as a marker of near-contemporary writing, while the Cambridge Bible suggests it refers to her family line continuing in Israel rather than Rahab still being alive. Gill presents both possibilities, personal survival or posterity, and notes that Josephus claims Joshua gave her fields and honor. All commentators highlight the reason for her salvation: ‘because she hid the messengers.’ Her inclusion, despite being a prostitute and a Canaanite, becomes a sign of God’s gracious acceptance of those who align themselves with His people. The saving of her entire household further underscores that faith can bring blessing to an entire family.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Rahab personally alive at writing: The phrase 'to this day' can mean the person herself still lived, which supports early composition (Clarke, Barnes).
- Rahab's posterity dwelling in Israel: The phrase may refer to her family line continuing to live among Israel, not necessarily her own survival (Cambridge Bible).
What is clear: Rahab was saved from destruction because of her faith expressed through hiding the spies, and she and her family were integrated into the community of Israel.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of 'to this day' | The phrase indicates that the event was still remembered and relevant at the time of writing. | Some commentators (Clarke, Barnes) take it to mean Rahab was personally still alive; others (Cambridge Bible) argue it refers to her family line continuing in Israel. |
| Rahab's marital partner | Rahab married an Israelite prince and is included in the genealogy of Christ. | Gill notes that some Jewish interpreters (like Kimchi) suggest Joshua married her, but the text and Matthew 1:5 indicate she married Salmon. |
| Scope of the herem exception | Rahab and her household were spared because of her faith and action. | Wesley suggests the herem had a general exception for any Canaanite who sincerely renounced idolatry; other commentators stress this was a unique promise tied to the spies' oath. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Jericho was the first city conquered in Canaan, placed under a ban (herem): all inhabitants and possessions were to be destroyed as an offering to Yahweh (Joshua 6:17, 21). The story of Rahab interrupts this total destruction. She had hidden the spies (Joshua 2:6) and confessed that Israel’s God is God in heaven above and on earth below (Joshua 2:11). The spies swore to save her and her family. After the walls fell, the young men retrieved her father’s household and ‘set them outside of the camp of Israel’ (Joshua 6:23). According to Lange, this was because as Canaanites they were considered unclean, analogous to laws in Leviticus 24:14 and Numbers 31:19.
Verse 25 then declares that Joshua saved them alive and that she dwells ‘in the midst of Israel to this day.’ The phrase ‘to this day’ appears elsewhere in Joshua (4:9; 10:27) as a formula anchoring events in the audience’s memory. Her dwelling ‘in the midst’ signals full integration into the community, not mere tolerance. Later, Matthew’s genealogy shows that Rahab married Salmon of the tribe of Judah and became the mother of Boaz (Matthew 1:5). The Gibeonites (Joshua 11:19) and the family spared in Judges 1:24, 25 demonstrate other exceptions to the ban, suggesting that the herem was not absolute where people turned toward Israel’s God. Rahab’s story was a living memorial that God’s mercy could reach even the most unlikely outsider.
Textual Notes
The consulted commentaries note no significant textual variants for Joshua 6:25. The Hebrew text is consistent across major manuscripts and versions.
Reception History
Rahab’s story has been read throughout church history as a sign of God’s grace extending beyond ethnic Israel. The genealogy of Matthew (1:5) includes her, and the writer James (2:25) holds her up as an example of faith working through action. In Jewish tradition, Josephus records that Joshua granted Rahab fields and honor (Gill, citing Josephus). Early Christian interpreters often saw her scarlet cord as a type of Christ’s blood and viewed her salvation as a promise that Gentiles would be grafted into God’s people. Her presence in the lineage of David and Jesus continues to remind Christians that no background disqualifies a person from God’s redemptive plan.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God’s grace singles out the most unlikely person, a Canaanite prostitute with no claim on the covenant.
- Faith brings deliverance not only for oneself but for one’s whole household.
- Salvation leads to inclusion and legacy: she dwells in Israel, and her line leads to Christ.
Five-point outline
- The promise kept: the spies’ oath is honored after the victory.
- Rahab’s past does not bar her from God’s future, her reputation is recorded without shame.
- The herem has exceptions for those who turn to God with genuine faith.
- Family is swept into salvation through one person’s courageous action.
- The narrative looks forward to Gentile inclusion, fulfilled in Christ’s genealogy.
Illustration hooks
- A former gang member who now leads a community after-school program, the past is real, but grace rewrites the future.
- A refugee family sponsored by a church: their escape, like Rahab’s, came because someone took a risk to help them.
- An unexpected ancestor in a family tree, a convict or a person of different ethnicity, that changes how you see your own inheritance.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Was it fair for Rahab to be saved while everyone else in Jericho died?
- Does this story mean I can escape judgment if I show enough faith?
- How does Rahab’s rescue relate to being saved by grace today?
Leading a Discussion
This verse closes the story of Rahab, a woman who stepped out in faith. Her rescue from Jericho’s destruction is a powerful picture of salvation. It also raises challenging questions about God’s judgment and mercy. Use these questions to guide your group.
Discussion questions
- Why does the text repeat ‘Rahab the prostitute’? What does that tell us about how God sees those with a difficult past?
- The phrase ‘to this day’ suggests the writer is looking back. Why is it important that the story was recorded soon after the events?
- Rahab saved her whole family. What does that imply about the role of faith within a household in the Old Testament?
- How does Rahab’s inclusion in Israel prefigure the New Testament message that salvation is for all nations? (See Acts 2:21)
- Compare the Gibeonites (Joshua 11:19) with Rahab. What do these exceptions teach about God’s willingness to spare those who seek Him?
- What does Rahab’s place in Matthew’s genealogy (Matthew 1:5) add to your understanding of this verse?
- How does this story challenge or encourage your own view of who can be saved?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Joshua 2:6 | But she had brought them up to the roof, and hidden them under the stalks of flax which she had laid in order on the roof. |
| Joshua 4:9 | Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests who bore the ark of the covenant stood; and they are there to this day. |
| Joshua 11:19 | There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon. They took all in battle. |
| Joshua 11:20 | For it was of Yahweh to harden their hearts, to come against Israel in battle, that he might utterly destroy them, that they might have no favor, but that he might destroy them, as Yahweh commanded Moses. |
| Judges 1:24 | The watchers saw a man come out of the city, and they said to him, “Please show us the entrance into the city, and we will deal kindly with you.” |
| Judges 1:25 | He showed them the entrance into the city, and they struck the city with the edge of the sword; but they let the man and all his family go. |
| Matthew 1:5 | Salmon became the father of Boaz by Rahab. Boaz became the father of Obed by Ruth. Obed became the father of Jesse. |
| Acts 2:21 | It will be that whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke cites the line about someone dwelling in Israel to this day as evidence the book was written during the events it records, likely by Joshua himself. He acknowledges that later marginal notes may have crept into the text, giving a superficial appearance of later authorship to those who do not look closely.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes observes that the phrase "even unto this day" suggests the account was written soon after the events it describes. This detail, he notes, points to a relatively early composition of the narrative.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible notes that the phrase "she dwelleth in Israel" does not mean Rahab was still alive when Joshua was written, but that her family line remained among the people. Her marriage into the tribe of Judah and her place in Christ's genealogy foreshadowed the later welcome of Gentiles into God's people.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
So Ioshua saued Rahab the harlot, and her fathers houshold, and all that shee had; and shee dwelt in Israel euen vnto this day, because shee had hid the messengers, which Ioshua sent to spie out Iericho.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill clarifies that saved alive means Rahab's life was spared, not that Joshua married her, as some Jewish writers claimed. He also explains unto this day could mean Rahab was still living when Joshua wrote, supporting his authorship, or refers to her lasting legacy through her descendant the Messiah.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB points out that the phrase “unto this day” about Rahab shows the book was written soon after the events, since such a reference would lose its force if much time had passed. The curse on Jericho’s rebuilder is also highlighted as a contemporary note.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry emphasizes the clear distinction between what is devoted to destruction and what is consecrated to the Lord. The entire city and its inhabitants were accursed, but the precious metals were set apart for God's treasury, and Rahab's family alone was preserved alive because of her faithful act in hiding the spies.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley points out that the command to destroy the Canaanites contained an exception. He suggests that if any Canaanite sincerely repented and submitted to Israel, they could be spared from judgment.