Rahab of Jericho

Rahab, (Heb. רחב rachav; i.e., "broad," "large") was, according to the book of Joshua, a woman who lived in the city of Jericho in the Promised Land and originally worked as a prostitute. In Jewish folklore, Rahab is the name of a sea-demon, a dragon of the waters, the ruler of the sea. Rahab is or was the angel of insolence and pride, responsible for shaking the waters and producing big waves; he is also responsible for the roaring of the sea. ... Legacy of Kain is a series of video games developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Eidos Interactive. ... Rahab is a video game character in the Legacy of Kain series. ... The Book of Joshua (Hebrew: Sefer Yhoshua ספר יהושע) is the sixth book in both the Hebrew Tanakh and the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. ... This article is about the city in the West Bank. ... Map of the Land of Israel as defined in the Bible The Promised Land (Hebrew: הארץ המובטחת, translit. ... Prostitution is the sale of sexual services (typically manual stimulation, oral sex, sexual intercourse, or anal sex) for cash or other kind of return, generally indiscriminately with many persons. ...

Introduction

In Jericho, a prostitute named Rahab assisted Israelite spies. The spies, in return for the information, promised to save her and her family during the planned military invasion as long as she fulfilled her part of the deal by keeping the details of the contact with them secret and leaving a sign on her residence that would be a marker for the advancing soldiers to avoid. She keeps her word by hiding the spies when the city guard came to her house looking for them; they kept their word by sparing her family after taking the city. When the people of Israel conquered Canaan she left prostitution, joined the Jewish people and became an honorable married woman. She is the subject of a discussion in one section of the Talmud. Map of Canaan For other uses, see Canaan (disambiguation). ... The Talmud (Hebrew: ) is a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, customs, and history. ...

In the Old Testament

According to the book of Joshua (Joshua 2:1-7), when the Hebrews were encamped at Shittim, in the "Arabah" or Jordan valley opposite Jericho, 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. When soldiers of the city guard came to look for them, she hid them under bundles of flax on the roof. 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 dangling a red cord out the window. This article is about the Hebrew people. ... This article is about the city in the West Bank. ... Joshua, Jehoshuah or Yehoshua. ... For other uses, see Flax (disambiguation). ...

The soldiers sent to capture the spies asked Rahab to bring out the spies (Joshua 2:3). This is in strict keeping with Eastern manners, which would not permit any man to enter a woman's house without her permission.

Rahab told the spies (Joshua 2:9-13):

I know that the LORD has given this land to you and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. We have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. When we heard of it, our hearts melted and everyone's courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below. Now then, please swear to me by the LORD that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and that you will save us from death.

The fact of her covering the spies with bundles of flax which lay on her house-roof (Joshua 2:6) is an 'undesigned coincidence' which strictly corroborates the narrative. 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". ^[1]

When the city of Jericho fell (Joshua 6:17-25), Rahab and her whole family were preserved according to the promise of the spies, and were incorporated among the Jewish people. (In antiquity, as well as the Middle Ages, a city that fell after a prolonged siege was commonly subjected to a massacre.)

Rahab is curious ethically: not only did she follow a profession that is deprecated in Judaic Law—although not totally condemned—but she has mixed allegiance: she betrays her own city (which may or may not be ruled by a tyrant); and she buys favorable treatment for her own family by doing so. By this act, she gains a place of honor in Scripture. Halakha (Hebrew: הלכה; also transliterated as Halakhah, Halacha, Halakhot and Halachah) is the collective corpus of Jewish religious law, including biblical law (the 613 mitzvot) and later talmudic and rabbinic law as well as customs and traditions. ...

Josephus refers to Rahab as an Innkeeper and makes no mention of her being a harlot and some scholars argue that we really don't know if she was a harlot or not. Her behavior and closeness to her father's family seem to indicate that she may not have been a Harlot.

In the New Testament

Rahab is also mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew as one of the ancestors of Jesus. This can be found in the Genealogy of Jesus in chapter 1. In the King James version of this genealogy, her name is spelled Rachab. She married Salmon of the tribe of Judah and was the mother of Boaz. Subsequent mentions are as an example of a person of faith (Hebrews 11:31) and good works (James 2:25). The Gospel of Matthew (literally, according to Matthew; Greek, Κατά Μαθθαίον or Κατά Ματθαίον, Kata Maththaion or Kata Matthaion) is a synoptic gospel in the New Testament, one of four canonical gospels. ... This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ... Lukes genealogy of Jesus, from the Book of Kells transcribed by Celtic monks circa 800 The genealogy of Jesus through either one or both of his earthly parents (Mary and Joseph) is given by two passages from the Gospels, Matthew 1:2–16 and Luke 3:23–38. ... Salmon is a person in the Hebrew Bible. ... The Tribe of Judah (Hebrew: יְהוּדָה, Praise; Standard Hebrew , Tiberian Hebrew ) is one of the Hebrew tribes, founded by Judah, son of Jacob(Israel). ... Boaz (Heb. ...

In other places

According to Jewish tradition, she was married to Joshua himself after the siege of Jericho.

Rahab identified her house with a scarlet cord. According to some, this was later adapted by prostitutes to become a red light that was placed at their windows to indicate the nature of their business to potential customers. A red-light district is a neighborhood where prostitution is a common part of everyday life. ...

Some have theorized that the Rahab described in Joshua is not the same person as the Rahab mentioned in Jesus's genealogy. This is based on linguistic and textual evidence.^[2] Jewish legends claim that Rahab of Jericho married Joshua Bin Nun, a descendant of Joseph. This can also be seen as an argument against her being the same Rahab in the Matthean genealogy - unless she married twice, to two different Israelite leaders of different tribes. This is possible, but not very likely (see Ginzberg, Legends of the Jews). Rahab who married Joshua was ancestress to Huldah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and other prophetesses and prophets. Rahab who married Salmon was ancestress to King David, all the kings of Judah, and Jesus. This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ... Joshua, Jehoshuah or Yehoshua. ... Joseph interprets the dream of the Pharaoh. ... Huldah was a prophetess mentioned briefly in the Second Book of Kings, Chapter 22. ... For other uses, see Jeremiah (disambiguation). ... Ezekiel, , IPA: , God will strengthen, from , chazaq, [ xazaq ], literally to fasten upon, figuratively strong, and , el, [ el ], literally strength, figuratively Almighty. He is a prophet and priest in the Bible who prophesied for 22 years sometime in the 500s BCE while in the form of visions exiled in... David and Goliath, by Caravaggio, c. ... Kingdom of Judah (Hebrew מַלְכוּת יְהוּדָה, Standard Hebrew Malḫut Yəhuda, Tiberian Hebrew Malḵûṯ Yəhûḏāh) in the times of the Hebrew Bible, was the nation formed from the territories of the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin after the Kingdom of Israel was divided, and was named after Judah... This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ...

Rahab is also the name of a sea-demon and, connected with this, a poetical name applied to Egypt in Psalm 87:4, Psalm 89:10 and Isaiah 51:9, signifying "the proud one." In Jewish folklore, Rahab is the name of a sea-demon, a dragon of the waters, the ruler of the sea. Rahab is or was the angel of insolence and pride, responsible for shaking the waters and producing big waves; he is also responsible for the roaring of the sea. ...

In fiction

• Burton, Ann. Rahab's Story. ISBN 0-451-21628-8; a fictionalized account of Rahab's early life and meeting with the Hebrew spies, Book 2 in Burton's "Women of the Bible" series.

• Rahab appears as a character in Robert A. Heinlein's 1984 novel Job: A Comedy of Justice.

• Rahab is depicted a virtuous soul in The Divine Comedy of Dante.

Ann Burton (1933-1989) is a Dutch jazz singer. ... Robert Anson Heinlein (July 7, 1907 – May 8, 1988) was one of the most popular, influential, and controversial authors of hard science fiction. ... Job: A Comedy of Justice is a novel by Robert A. Heinlein published in 1984. ... For other uses see The Divine Comedy (disambiguation), Dantes Inferno (disambiguation), and The Inferno (disambiguation) Dante shown holding a copy of The Divine Comedy, next to the entrance to Hell, the seven terraces of Mount Purgatory and the city of Florence, with the spheres of Heaven above, in Michelino...

See also

• Hooker with a heart of gold
• Red light district

This article does not cite any references or sources. ... A red-light district is a neighborhood where prostitution is a common part of everyday life. ...

External links

• Rahab at Ask Moses .com
• questions about Rahab's actual profession.

References

1. ^ Geikie's Hours with the Bible, ii., 390.
2. ^ R. K. Phillips, Rahab and Ruth, Who Were They?.

This entry incorporates text from the public domain Easton's Bible Dictionary, originally published in 1897. Eastons Bible Dictionary generally refers to the Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, by Matthew George Easton M.A., D.D. (1823-1894), published three years after Eastons death in 1897 by Thomas Nelson. ...