Rahab
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Rahab (Template:IPAc-en; Template:Langx) was, according to the Hebrew Bible in Joshua 2:1-24, a Canaanite who resided within Jericho in the Promised Land and assisted the Israelites by hiding two men who had been sent to scout the city before their attack.
In the New Testament, she is lauded both as an example of a saint who lived by faith,<ref name=Hebrews>Template:Bibleverse</ref> and as someone "considered righteous" for her good works.<ref name=James>Template:Bibleverse</ref> According to biblical research, the author intended that she did not contribute to the fall of Jericho, but instead saved herself and her family from death at the hands of the Israelites.<ref>Sherwood, A. A leader's Misleading and a Prostitute's Proffession: A Re-examination of Joshua 2, JSOT, 31, 1, 2006, 43-61</ref><ref>Zakovitch, Y. Humor and Theology or the Successful Failure of Israelite Intelligence: A literary-Folkloric Approach to Joshua 2, Text and Tradition, S. Niditch (3d.), Atlanta, Georgia, 1990 75-98</ref>
The King James Version renders the name as Rachab after the Koine Greek spelling, which differs from the spelling for Rahab in the Epistle of James and the Epistle to the Hebrews. Most modern Bible translations render it as Rahab, ignoring the distinction.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Rahab's profession
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The Hebrew Template:Lang isshā zonā, used to describe Rahab in Template:Bibleverse, literally means "a prostitute woman".<ref name="Boling_144_145"/> While the Talmud holds to that interpretation, some sources in Rabbinic literature insist she was an innkeeper based on Targum Jonathan and other texts (Template:Langx<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>). Rahab's name is presumably the shortened form of a sentence name rāḥāb-N, "the god N has opened/widened (the womb?)".<ref>Noth, Martin, "Israelitischer Personennamen im Rahmen der gemeinsemitischen Namengebung", Beiträge zur Wissenschaft vom Alten und Neuen Testament III,10, 193.</ref> The Hebrew zonā may refer to secular or sacred prostitution; the latter was widely believed to have been an element of Canaanite religion, although recent scholarship has disputed this.<ref name="Boling_144_145">Boling, Robert G. (1981). Joshua, Vol. 6. Anchor Bible Series. pp 144-145.</ref> However, there was a separate word, qǝḏēšā, that allegedly designated ritual prostitutes.<ref name="Boling_144_145"/>
Josephus mentions that Rahab kept an inn but is silent as to whether merely renting out rooms was her only source of income.<ref>Josephus. The Antiquities of the Jews. 5.1.2. Hosted at Wikisource.</ref> It was not uncommon for both an inn and a brothel to operate within the same building; thus entering Rahab's quarters was not necessarily a deviation from Joshua's orders. Indeed, as Robert Boling notes, such an establishment might have represented an ideal location for spies to gather intelligence.<ref name="Boling_144_145"/> Several scholars have noted that the narrator in Joshua 2 may have intended to remind the readers of the "immemorial symbiosis between military service and bawdy house".<ref name="Boling_144_145"/>
In the New Testament, the Epistle of James and the Epistle to the Hebrews follow the tradition set by the translators of the Septuagint in using the Greek word Template:Lang pórnē, which is usually translated to English as "harlot, prostitute", to describe Rahab.<ref>James 2:25, 1881 Westcott-Hort New Testament.</ref><ref>Hebrews 11:31, 1881 Westcott-Hort New Testament.</ref><ref>Joshua 2, Greek Septuagint (LXX).</ref>
William L. Lyons observed that biblical interpreters have viewed Rahab as a model of hospitality, mercy, faith, patience, and repentance in her interaction with Joshua's spies. The harlot of Jericho became a paragon of virtue.<ref>Lyons, William L. (July 2008). "Rahab through the Ages: A Study of Christian Interpretation of Rahab". Society of Biblical Literature Forum.</ref>
In the Hebrew Bible
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According to the book of Joshua,<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref> 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. The soldiers sent to capture the spies asked Rahab to bring out the spies.<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref> Instead, she hid them under bundles of flax on the roof. 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".<ref>Geikie, John Cunningham (1881). Hours with the Bible, volume 2. London: S.W. Partridge & Co. p. 390.</ref>
Rahab told the spies: Template:Blockquote
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 hanging a red cord out the window. Some have claimed that the symbol of the red cord is related to the practice of the red-light district.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
When the city of Jericho fell,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Rahab and her whole family were preserved according to the promise of the spies and were incorporated among the Jewish people. According to some rabbinic authorities, Rahab was treated as a beautiful captive woman in order to bring her into a marital union with Israel.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> (In siege warfare of antiquity, a city that fell after a prolonged siege was commonly subjected to a massacre and sack, while others taken captive.)
Tikva Frymer-Kensky regards Rahab as "smart, proactive, tricky and unafraid to disobey and deceive her king". She also credits Rahab with being "one of Israel’s early saviors" due to "her allegiance to God and Israel".<ref name=":02">Template:Cite book</ref> As the first non-Israelite person, and in particular the first Canaanite woman, to ally with Israel, Rahab's convictions led her to protect the men sent by Joshua despite her background.<ref name=":02" />
Michael Coogan says the book of Joshua, more than any other book of the Bible, contains short etiological narratives that explain the origins of religious rituals, topographical features, genealogical relationships, and other aspects of ancient Israelite life, and that the legend of Rahab is such an example. The story of Rahab would therefore provide an answer as to how a Canaanite group became part of Israel in spite of the Deuteronomistic injunction to kill all Canaanites and not to intermarry with them.<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref><ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref><ref>Coogan, Michael (2009). A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament. Oxford University Press. pp. 162–164.</ref>
Some scholars see the parallels between Joshua 2 and Genesis 19, which narrates the fall of Sodom and Gomorrah. Like Sodom and Gomorrah, Jericho was presumed to be equally as wicked, with Rahab challenging Jericho's "oppressive establishment" by siding with Jericho's destroyers (i.e. the Israelites).<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Coincidentally, these cities were believed to lie among a major fault line extending 1,100 kilometers from the Red Sea to Turkey.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Rahab is identified in Christian theological interpretation as the first recorded convert in the Promised Land, whose faith in the God of Israel led to her rescue during the fall of Jericho (Template:Bibleverse; Template:Bibleverse). In Evangelical and Reformed traditions, she is viewed as a sign of divine grace extended to Gentiles and sinners. Matthew Henry wrote that “free grace wrought that which the terrors of the Lord did not work in the rest of her neighbors.”<ref>Henry, Matthew. Commentary on the Whole Bible. Zondervan, 1991.</ref> John Calvin described Rahab as offering “a singular proof of faith, having embraced the promise of God before she had seen anything accomplished.”<ref>Calvin, John. Commentaries on the Book of Joshua. Trans. Henry Beveridge, 1854.</ref> Christopher J. H. Wright notes that Rahab “stands as a prophetic sign that the blessings of Abraham would indeed extend to all nations.”<ref>Wright, Christopher J. H. The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible's Grand Narrative. IVP Academic, 2006, p. 268.</ref> Tremper Longman III writes that her story “demonstrates God's openness to those outside Israel who respond in faith.”<ref>Longman, Tremper III. Joshua, Judges, Ruth. NIV Application Commentary. Zondervan, 2001.</ref> Some commentators also compare Rahab to Gomer in the book of Hosea, both symbolizing God's redemptive love for the unfaithful.<ref>Kidner, Derek. The Message of Hosea. InterVarsity Press, 1981.</ref>
In rabbinic literature
[edit]In the midrash, Rahab is named as one of the four most beautiful women the world has ever known, along with Sarah, Abigail, and Esther. In the Babylonian Talmud, Rahab was so beautiful that the very mention of her name could cause arousal (Megillah 15a). Rahab is said to have converted at the age of 50, after practising prostitution for 40 years, and repented according to three sins, saying:
A similar tradition has Rahab declaring, "Pardon me by merit of the rope, the window, and the flaxen [the stalks of flax under which she concealed the spies]."
Because of this, rabbis interpret Biblical verses that talk about the citizens of Jericho "melting in fear", such as Template:Bibleverse and Template:Bibleverse, as describing their inability to maintain erections upon hearing Israelite military victories. Rahab knew this because "there was no minister or prince that did not pay a visit to Rahab the harlot".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The rabbis viewed Rahab as a worthy convert to Judaism, and attested that following her conversion, Rahab married Joshua,<ref>"Eccl. Rabbah 8:10:1"</ref> and their descendants included the prophets Jeremiah, Hilkiah, Seraiah, Mahseiah, Baruch, Ezekiel and the prophetess Hulda,<ref>Template:Cite Talmud</ref> although there is no report in the book of Joshua of the leader marrying anyone, or having any family life.<ref>"Joshua ben Nun". Jewish Virtual Library. Accessed 25 January 2021.</ref> Rahab often is mentioned alongside Jethro (Yitro) and Na'aman as "positive examples" of the converts who joined Israel,<ref>"Rahab". JewishEncyclopedia.com. Accessed 25 January 2021.</ref> and another midrash has Rahab acting as an advocate for all nations of the world.<ref>Assis, Elie (2004). "The Choice to Serve God and Assist His People: Rahab and Yael". Biblica. 85 (1): 82–90. Template:JSTOR</ref><ref>Baskin, Judith (1979). "The Rabbinic Transformations of Rahab the Harlot". Notre Dame English Journal. 11 (2): 141–157. Template:JSTOR</ref>
Some believe that the genealogies described in Template:Bibleverse and Template:Bibleverse served to dispel accusations that Jeremiah and Ezekiel were descendants of Rahab. At the time, the Israelites discriminated against these prophets for this alleged heritage.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In the New Testament
[edit]In the New Testament, Rahab (Greek Ῥαάβ) of the Book of Joshua is mentioned as an example of a person of faith<ref name=Hebrews /> and of good works.<ref name=James /> Rahab is referred to as "the harlot" in each of these passages.
The Epistle to the Hebrews includes her in its list of faithful figures: "By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies" (Template:Bibleverse). Reformed theologian John Calvin wrote that "Rahab’s faith was no common thing, to cast in her lot with the people of God and to put her life in danger to save the spies."<ref>John Calvin, Commentary on Hebrews, in Calvin's Commentaries, ed. Joseph Haroutunian (Westminster Press, 1960).</ref> D.A. Carson similarly notes that Rahab "shows how true belief transforms even the most unlikely lives."<ref>D.A. Carson, New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition, InterVarsity Press, 1994.</ref> Her inclusion highlights her trust in the God of Israel and her courageous actions during the conquest of Jericho.
A different spelling of the name, Rachab (as transliterated in the King James translation of the Greek Ῥαχάβ) is mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew as one of the ancestors of Jesus (Matthew 1:5). She married Salmon of the Tribe of Judah and was the mother of Boaz. Most other English Bibles transcribe her name as Rahab.
Some have conjectured that Jesus invoked the name of “Rahab” (רחב) by writing it in the sand when he protected the adulteress from stoning (John 8:6). Through this act he would have reminded the hypocritical Pharisees of the righteous prostitute in their own ancestry.
In fiction
[edit]- Rahab is depicted as a virtuous soul (in The Third Circle of Heaven) in Dante's Divine Comedy (Paradiso 9.112 ff.)
- Rahab is a figure in the mythos of William Blake. She is pictured as a harlot, akin to the whore of Babylon, and figures alongside Blake's character of Tirzah, as representing materialism, false religion, and fallen sexuality. Rahab's embrace of Urizen, who loosely represents fallen reason, is seen as the consolidation of error necessary to bring about the Final Judgment.
- The claim of Hugh Broughton, a controversial historian, that Rahab was already "a harlot at ten years of age" is used by Humbert Humbert to explain or perhaps justify his attraction to young girls in Nabokov's Lolita.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Fictional accounts of Rahab's life
- Afshar, Tessa. Pearl in the Sand (2010), Template:ISBN
- Burton, Anne. Rahab's Story (2005), Template:ISBN; Book 2 in Burton's "Women of the Bible" series.
- Havel, Carlene and Faucheux, Sharon. The Scarlet Cord (2014), Template:ISBN
- MacFarlane, Hannah. The Scarlet Cord (2009), Template:ISBN
- Morris, Gilbert. Daughter of Deliverance. Template:ISBN; Book 6 of "Lions of Judah" Series.
- Rivers, Francine. Unashamed: Rahab (2000), Template:ISBN; Book 2 in Rivers' "A Lineage of Grace" series.
- Slaughter, Frank G. The Scarlet Cord: A Novel of the Woman of Jericho (1956), Template:ISBN
- Smith, Jill Eileen. The Crimson Cord: Rahab's Story (2015). Template:ISBN; Book 1 in Smith's "Daughters of the Promised Land" series.
- Wolf, Joan. This Scarlet Cord: The Love Story of Rahab (2012), Template:ISBN
- Jennings, Jenifer. "Crimson Cord" (2017),Template:ISBN
- Craig, Naomi. "Rahab's Courage" (2021),
Television portrayals
- Rahab is portrayed by Myrna Fahey in the 1967 TV series The Time Tunnel in episode 20 entitled "The Walls of Jericho".
- Rahab is portrayed by Stephanie Leonidas in the 2013 TV miniseries The Bible
See also
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