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Friday, July 18th, 2025
the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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Read the Bible

Contemporary English Version

Joshua 2:15

Rahab's house was built into the town wall, and one of the windows in her house faced outside the wall. She gave the spies a rope, showed them the window, and said, "Use this rope to let yourselves down to the ground outside the wall.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Armies;   Hospitality;   House;   Kindness;   Reconnoissance;   Treaty;   Walls, of the Cities;   Window;   Thompson Chain Reference - Bible Stories for Children;   Children;   Home;   Pleasant Sunday Afternoons;   Religion;   Stories for Children;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Houses;   Walls;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Rahab;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Window;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Jericho;   Window;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Architecture in the Biblical Period;   Joshua, the Book of;   Window;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - City;   Hoshea;   House;   Jericho;   Joshua;   Rahab;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Basket;   House;   Window ;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Jericho;   Rahab, Rachab ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Jericho;   Rahab;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Handicraft;   Rahab;   Shittim;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Handicraft;   Jer'icho;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Cord;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Conquest of Canaan;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - City;   Cord;   House;   Jericho;   Pentateuch, the Samaritan;   Rope;   Town;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Jericho;   Rahab;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then she let them down by a rope through the window, since she lived in a house that was built into the wall of the city.
Hebrew Names Version
Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house was on the side of the wall, and she lived on the wall.
King James Version
Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall.
Lexham English Bible
Then she lowered them with a rope through the window, as her house was on the outer side of the wall, and she was residing in the wall.
English Standard Version
Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was built into the city wall, so that she lived in the wall.
New Century Version
The house Rahab lived in was built on the city wall, so she used a rope to let the men down through a window.
New English Translation
Then Rahab let them down by a rope through the window. (Her house was built as part of the city wall; she lived in the wall.)
Amplified Bible
Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was built into the city wall, so that she was living on the wall.
New American Standard Bible
Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on the city wall, so that she was living on the wall.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then she let them downe by a corde thorowe the windowe: for her house was vpon the towne wall, and she dwelt vpon the wall.
Legacy Standard Bible
Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on the city wall, so that she was living on the wall.
Complete Jewish Bible
Then she lowered them by a rope through the window; since her house abutted the city wall, indeed was actually built into it.
Darby Translation
And she let them down by a cord through the window; for her house was upon the city-wall, and she dwelt upon the wall.
Easy-to-Read Version
Rahab's house was built into the city wall, so she used a rope to let the men down through a window.
George Lamsa Translation
Then she let them down by a rope through the window; for her house was joined to the city wall, and she dwelt upon the wall.
Good News Translation
Rahab lived in a house built into the city wall, so she let the men down from the window by a rope.
Literal Translation
Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was in the side of the wall, and she lived in the wall.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then let she them downe thorow the wyndowe by a coarde: for hir house was in the wall of the cite, and in the wall was hir dwellynge.
American Standard Version
Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house was upon the side of the wall, and she dwelt upon the wall.
Bible in Basic English
Then she let them down from the window by a cord, for the house where she was living was on the town wall.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And then she let them downe by a corde through a wyndow: for her house was vpon the towne wall, & she dwelt vpon the towne wall.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Then she let them down by a cord through the window; for her house was upon the side of the wall, and she dwelt upon the wall.
King James Version (1611)
Then shee let them downe by a coard thorow the window: for her house was vpon the towne wall, and she dwelt vpon the wall.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And she let them down by the window;
English Revised Version
Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall.
Berean Standard Bible
Then Rahab let them down by a rope through the window, since the house where she lived was built into the wall of the city.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor sche let hem doun fro the wyndow bi a corde; for hir hows cleuyde to the wal.
Young's Literal Translation
And she causeth them to go down by a rope through the window, for her house [is] in the side of the wall, and in the wall she [is] dwelling;
Update Bible Version
Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house was on the side of the wall, and she dwelt on the wall.
Webster's Bible Translation
Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house [was] upon the town-wall, and she dwelt upon the wall.
World English Bible
Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house was on the side of the wall, and she lived on the wall.
New King James Version
Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on the city wall; she dwelt on the wall.
New Living Translation
Then, since Rahab's house was built into the town wall, she let them down by a rope through the window.
New Life Bible
Then she let them down by a rope through the window. She lived in her house that was built on top of the city wall.
New Revised Standard
Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on the outer side of the city wall and she resided within the wall itself.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And she let them down with a cord through the window, - for, her house, was within the wall of the rampart, and, within the rampart, she was dwelling.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Then she let them down with a cord out of a window: for her house joined close to the wall.
Revised Standard Version
Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was built into the city wall, so that she dwelt in the wall.
THE MESSAGE
She lowered them down out a window with a rope because her house was on the city wall to the outside. She told them, "Run for the hills so your pursuers won't find you. Hide out for three days and give your pursuers time to return. Then get on your way."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on the city wall, so that she was living on the wall.

Contextual Overview

8 Rahab went back up to her roof. The spies were still awake, so she told them: 9 I know that the Lord has given Israel this land. Everyone shakes with fear because of you. 10 We heard how the Lord dried up the Red Sea so you could leave Egypt. And we heard how you destroyed Sihon and Og, those two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River. 11 We know that the Lord your God rules heaven and earth, and we've lost our courage and our will to fight. 12 Please promise me in the Lord 's name that you will be as kind to my family as I have been to you. Do something to show 13 that you won't let your people kill my father and mother and my brothers and sisters and their families. 14 "Rahab," the spies answered, "if you keep quiet about what we're doing, we promise to be kind to you when the Lord gives us this land. We pray that the Lord will kill us if we don't keep our promise!" 15 Rahab's house was built into the town wall, and one of the windows in her house faced outside the wall. She gave the spies a rope, showed them the window, and said, "Use this rope to let yourselves down to the ground outside the wall. 16 Then hide in the hills. The men who are looking for you won't be able to find you there. They'll give up and come back after a few days, and you can be on your way." 17The spies said: You made us promise to let you and your family live. We will keep our promise, but you can't tell anyone why we were here. You must tie this red rope on your window when we attack, and your father and mother, your brothers, and everyone else in your family must be here with you. We'll take the blame if anyone who stays in this house gets hurt. But anyone who leaves your house will be killed, and it won't be our fault.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

she let them: 1 Samuel 19:12-17, Acts 9:25, 2 Corinthians 11:33

for her house: Joshua 6:20

Reciprocal: Acts 17:10 - the brethren

Cross-References

Genesis 2:2

The Seventh Day

By the seventh day God had finished his work, and so he rested.
Genesis 2:8
The Lord made a garden in a place called Eden, which was in the east, and he put the man there.
Job 31:33
Many have attempted to hide their sins from others— but I refused.
Psalms 128:2
Your fields will produce, and you will be happy and all will go well.
Ephesians 4:28
If you are a thief, quit stealing. Be honest and work hard, so you will have something to give to people in need.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then she let them down by a cord through the window,.... Which must be large, and the cord strong, as well as she herself a masculine woman, to let down two men by it, unless she employed any of her servants in the affair; though this being so great a secrecy, it is probable she trusted none of her domestics with it as little as possible: in like manner the Apostle Paul was let down by the wall of Damascus in a basket, Acts 9:25; Jarchi supposes it was the same cord and window, by means of and in at which her gallants used to come and go:

for her house [was] upon the town wall; in a suitable and convenient place to receive her guests and gallants: and it is observed, that harlots have had their houses on or under walls: Martial speaks of harlots whom he calls l Summoenianae, whores that plied under the walls and in the suburbs of cities:

and she dwelt upon the wall; that part of the house in which she particularly dwelt was built on or over the wall, and the rest towards the city was for the entertainment of persons that resorted to her house.

l Epigram. l. 3. Ep. 62.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Upon the town wall - The town wall probably formed the back wall of the house, and the window opened therefore into the country. (Compare Paul’s escape, 2 Corinthians 11:33).

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Joshua 2:15. Then she let them down by a cord c. — The natural place of this verse is after the first clause of Joshua 2:21 for it is certain that she did not let them down in the basket till all those circumstances marked from Joshua 2:16-20 inclusive had taken place.

She dwelt upon the wall. — That is, either the wall of the city made a part of her house or her house was built close to the wall, so that the top or battlements of it were above the wall with a window that looked out to the country. As the city gates were now shut there was no way for the spies to escape but through this window; and in order to this she let them down through the window in a basket suspended by a cord, till they reached the ground on the outside of the wall.


 
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