Rahab

After the death of Moses, Joshua became the new leader of the people of Israel. His mission was to bring him into the promised land, Canaan. However, this mission was made difficult by the fact that the country was already inhabited by another people. It is then that the Biblical character of Rahab is presented to us. Who is Rahab in the Bible? Read on to discover the story of Rahab in the Old Testament and what the New Testament  reveals about the life of this woman!

Rahab in the Old Testament

Rahab the Prostitute

Rahab was a woman from Jericho that the Bible presents as having been a prostitute. It is at her home that the spies sent by Joshua take refuge and when the guards come to look for them, Rahab does not betray them. Indeed, it is written: "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.” (Joshua 2:4)

Rahab spared by the Israelites

In recognition of the courageous act that enabled them to carry out their mission successfully, the spies promise to save Rahab and her family when they return to destroy the city. Indeed, they tell her, “… unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you have brought your father and mother, your brothers and all your family into your house.” (Joshua 2:18). As a result, Rahab and her family are saved and continue to live in Jericho after the Israelites come to settle there.

Rahab in the New Testament

Rahab in the lineage of Christ

From chapter 1 of the gospel of Matthew, the name of Rahab is mentioned. The one who was known as the prostitute of Jericho is now named in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. On this, it is written: “Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse,” (Matthew 1:5)

Rahab, a woman of faith

Rahab knew how to walk by faith and not by sight. Indeed, the book of Hebrews testifies to her faith, saying: “By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.” (Hebrews 11:31)