American Standard Version
Joshua 2:4
4And the woman took the two men, and hid them; and she said, Yea, the men came unto me, but I knew not whence they were:
Joshua 2:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were:
- New International Version (NIV)But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from.
- English Standard Version (ESV)But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. And she said, "True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then the woman took the two men and hid them. So she said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from.
Context of Joshua 2:4
2And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, there came men in hither to-night of the children of Israel to search out the land. 3And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, that are entered into thy house; for they are come to search out all the land. And the woman took the two men, and hid them; and she said, Yea, the men came unto me, but I knew not whence they were: 5and it came to pass about the time of the shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out; whither the men went I know not: pursue after them quickly; for ye will overtake them. 6But she had brought them up to the roof, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof.
Read all of Joshua 2Joshua 2:4 word by word
וַתִּקַּ֧ח הָֽאִשָּׁ֛ה אֶת־שְׁנֵ֥י הָאֲנָשִׁ֖ים וַֽתִּצְפְּנ֑וֹ וַתֹּ֣אמֶר׀ כֵּ֗ן בָּ֤אוּ אֵלַי֙ הָֽאֲנָשִׁ֔ים וְלֹ֥א יָדַ֖עְתִּי מֵאַ֥יִן הֵֽמָּה׃Read the interlinear
Cross-references for Joshua 2:4
- Exodus 1:19And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwife come unto them.
- 2 Samuel 16:18And Hushai said unto Absalom, Nay; but whom Jehovah, and this people, and all the men of Israel have chosen, his will I be, and with him will I abide.
- 2 Samuel 17:19And the woman took and spread the covering over the well’s mouth, and strewed bruised grain thereon; and nothing was known.
- 2 Kings 6:19And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. And he led them to Samaria.
Commentaries on Joshua 2:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4And hid them - Probably she secreted them for the time being in some private corner, till she had the opportunity of concealing them on the house-top in the manner mentioned Joshua 2:6.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4I wist not whence they were - Rahab acted as she did from the belief in God‘s declared word, and conviction that resistance to His will would be both vain and wicked Joshua 2:9-11. Thus, she manifested a faith both sound and practical, and is praised accordingly Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25. The falsehood to which she had recourse may be excused by the pressure of circumstances and by her own antecedents, but cannot be defended.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4-5It is not necessary to either approve or condemn Rahab’s lie to the king’s messengers. She may not have known the ethical standards that God later gave to Israel. Another possibility is that saving a human life was a higher moral value than telling the truth in that situation.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 4-64-6. the woman took the two men, and hid them--literally, "him," that is, each of them in separate places, of course previous to the appearance of the royal messengers and in anticipation of a speedy search after her guests. According to Eastern manners, which pay an almost superstitious respect to a woman's apartment, the royal messengers did not demand admittance to search but asked her to bring the foreigners out.Read the comment
Topics related to Joshua 2:4
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Joshua 2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
American Standard Version — 1901 — Public Domain
Commentaries