Why are Rahab and those with her in the house excepted from Jericho’s destruction?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

Josue says they are to live because she hid the messengers sent to Jericho. He later orders the two spies to bring her and her belongings out as they promised by oath, and the account records her household’s rescue.

Chapter breakdown

Jericho is tightly shut and fenced because of fear of Israel, and no one dares go out or enter. The Lord tells Josue he has given him Jericho, its king and all its valiant men. All the fighting men must circle the city once a day for six days. On the seventh day the priests must take seven jubilee trumpets, go before the covenant ark, and sound them as the people circle seven times. When the trumpet gives a longer, broken tune in their ears, all the people must give a great shout together. The walls will fall to the ground and each person will enter at the place opposite where he stands.

Josue, son of Nun, calls the priests to take the ark and assigns seven other priests the seven jubilee trumpets to march before it. He tells the people to circle armed before the Lord’s ark. After his words, the seven priests blow before the ark; the armed men go in front and the rest of the common people follow the ark, with trumpet sound on all sides. Josue has commanded no shouting, audible voice or word until the day he tells them to cry and shout. The ark circles once a day and returns to stay in camp. Josue rises before day; the priests take the ark and seven take the trumpets, walking and sounding ahead, with armed men before them and common people following. They circle once on the second day and return to camp. They do this for six days.

On the seventh day they rise early and circle seven times as ordered. During the seventh circuit the priests sound their trumpets and Josue tells all Israel to shout because the Lord has delivered the city. He declares the city and all in it an anathema to the Lord—under the ban stated here. Only Rahab, called a harlot, and all with her in the house are to live, because she hid the sent messengers. They must beware of touching forbidden things: doing so makes them guilty of transgression and brings sin and trouble upon all Israel’s camp. Gold and silver, and brass and iron vessels, are to be consecrated to the Lord and stored in his treasures.

All the people shout as the trumpets sound. When the voice and sound thunder in the multitude’s ears, the walls immediately fall. Each man goes up at the place opposite him, and they take the city. They kill the men and women, young and old, and slay oxen, sheep and asses with the sword. Josue tells the two spies to go into Rahab’s house and bring her and everything hers out, as they assured her by oath. The young men bring out Rahab, her parents, brethren, goods and kin and make them stay outside the camp.

They burn the city and all it contains, except gold, silver, and brass and iron vessels, which they consecrate to the Lord’s treasury. Josue saves Rahab, her father’s house and everything she has. They dwell among Israel until this present day, because she hid his messengers sent to spy out Jericho. At that time Josue pronounces a curse.

Josue curses before the Lord the man who raises up and rebuilds Jericho: may he lay its foundation in his firstborn and set up its gates in the last of his children. Challoner’s separate mystical explanation says Jericho signifies iniquity and the priests’ trumpets signify preaching God’s word. Its walls are thrown down when sinners are converted, and a dreadful curse falls on those who build them again. This interpretation belongs to the note. The account ends by saying the Lord is with Josue and his name is known throughout the land.

The story inside

The Lord gives the circling, trumpet and shout instructions, and Josue passes on the order of march and silence until his signal. The six daily circuits and seventh-day seven circuits are recorded, followed by Josue’s shout command, ban and exceptions. The walls fall and the city is taken; the account explicitly records killings of people and animals. Against that destruction it records Josue’s enforcement of the earlier oath through the two spies and the full rescue roster. The city is burned with specific metals reserved for the treasury. Rahab’s household dwells among Israel, with concealment again given as the reason. Josue’s rebuilding curse follows, and Challoner offers a separately attributed mystical reading. No imagined sound mechanism, siege equipment shortage or later fulfillment is added.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The march has exact counts and an order. Six days have one circuit each; the seventh has seven. Seven trumpet priests go before the ark, armed men lead and common people follow, and speech waits for Josue’s signal.
2
The ban includes two distinct exceptions. Rahab and her household live because she hid the messengers, and the oath is actually honored. Gold and silver and brass and iron vessels go to the Lord’s treasury rather than being burned.
3
The curse and its note must stay distinct. Josue pairs the foundation with the firstborn and the gates with the last child. Challoner separately interprets Jericho as iniquity and trumpet preaching as bringing sinners’ conversion, with a curse on rebuilding.

Test your recall

What reason does Josue give for sparing Rahab’s household, and which prior promise does he tell the spies to honor?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 22825–22848
Josue Chapter 6 After seven days’ processions, the priests sounding the trumpets, the walls of Jericho fall down: and the city is taken and destroyed. 6:1. Now Jericho was close shut up and fenced, for fear of the children of Israel, and no man durst go out or come in. 6:2. And the Lord said to Josue: Behold I have given into thy hands Jericho, and the king thereof, and all the valiant men. 6:3. Go round about the city all ye fighting men once a day: so shall ye do for six days. 6:4. And on the seventh day the priests shall take the seven trumpets, which are used in the jubilee, and shall go before the ark of the covenant: and you shall go about the city seven times, and the priests shall sound the trumpets. 6:5. And when the voice of the trumpet shall give a longer and broken tune, and shall sound in your ears, all the people shall shout together with a very great shout, and the walls of the city shall fall to the ground, and they shall enter in every one at the place against which they shall stand.
Lines 22850–22879
6:6. Then Josue, the son of Nun, called the priests, and said to them: Take the ark of the covenant: and let seven other priests take the seven trumpets of the jubilee, and march before the ark of the Lord. 6:7. And he said to the people: Go, and compass the city, armed, marching before the ark of the Lord. 6:8. And when Josue had ended his words, and the seven priests blew the seven trumpets before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, 6:9. And all the armed men went before, the rest of the common people followed the ark, and the sound of the trumpets was heard on all sides. 6:10. But Josue had commanded the people, saying: You shall not shout, nor shall your voice be heard, nor any word go out of your mouth: until the day come wherein I shall say to you: Cry, and shout. 6:11. So the ark of the Lord went about the city once a day, and returning into the camp, abode there. 6:12. And Josue rising before day, the priests took the ark of the Lord, 6:13. And seven of them seven trumpets, which are used in the jubilee: and they went before the ark of the Lord, walking and sounding the trumpets: and the armed men went before them, and the rest of the common people followed the ark, and they blew the trumpets. 6:14. And they went round about the city the second day once, and returned into the camp. So they did six days.
Lines 22881–22897
6:15. But the seventh day, rising up early, they went about the city, as it was ordered, seven times. 6:16. And when in the seventh going about the priests sounded with the trumpets, Josue said to all Israel: Shout: for the Lord hath delivered the city to you: 6:17. And let this city be an anathema, and all things that are in it, to the Lord. Let only Rahab, the harlot, live, with all that are with her in the house: for she hid the messengers whom we sent. 6:18. But beware ye lest you touch ought of those things that are forbidden, and you be guilty of transgression, and all the camp of Israel be under sin, and be troubled. 6:19. But whatsoever gold or silver there shall be, or vessels of brass and iron, let it be consecrated to the Lord, laid up in his treasures.
Lines 22899–22914
6:20. So all the people making a shout, and the trumpets sounding, when the voice and the sound thundered in the ears of the multitude, the walls forthwith fell down: and every man went up by the place that was over against him: and they took the city, 6:21. And killed all that were in it, man and woman, young and old. The oxen also, and the sheep, and the asses, they slew with the edge of the sword. 6:22. But Josue said to the two men that had been sent for spies: Go into the harlot’s house, and bring her out, and all things that are hers, as you assured her by oath. 6:23. And the young men went in, and brought out Rahab, and her parents, her brethren also, and all her goods, and her kindred, and made them to stay without the camp.
Lines 22916–22923
6:24. But they burned the city, and all things that were therein; except the gold and silver, and vessels of brass and iron, which they consecrated unto the treasury of the Lord. 6:25. But Josue 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, Josue made an imprecation, saying:
Lines 22925–22938
6:26. Cursed be the man before the Lord, that shall raise up and build the city of Jericho. In his firstborn may he lay the foundation thereof, and in the last of his children set up its gates. Cursed, etc.... Jericho, in the mystical sense, signifies iniquity: the sounding of the trumpets by the priests, the preaching of the word of God; by which the walls of Jericho are thrown down, when sinners are converted; and a dreadful curse will light on them who build them up again. 6:27. And the Lord was with Josue, and his name was noised throughout all the land.