Yehoshua 2:1-24

2:1

וַיִּשְׁלַח יְהוֹשֻֽׁעַ־בִּן־נוּן מִֽן־הַשִּׁטִּים שְׁנַֽיִם־אֲנָשִׁים מְרַגְּלִים חֶרֶשׁ לֵאמֹר לְכוּ רְאוּ אֶת־הָאָרֶץ וְאֶת־יְרִיחוֹ וַיֵּלְכוּ וַיָּבֹאוּ בֵּית־אִשָּׁה זוֹנָה וּשְׁמָהּ רָחָב וַיִּשְׁכְּבוּ־שָֽׁמָּה׃

And Yehoshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, and Yeriĥo. And they went, and came to the house of a harlot named Raĥav, and lodged there.

Rashi

וישלח יהושע וגו'. על כרחי אני צריך לומר שבתוך ימי אבל משה שלחם, שהרי לסוף ג' ימים שתמו ימי אבל משה עברו את הירדן, שמשם אנו למדים שמת משה בז' אדר כשאתה מונה ל"ג למפרע מיום שעלו מן הירדן בעשור לחדש הראשון, ועל כרחך משנשתלחו המרגלים לא עברו את הירדן עד יום החמישי, שנאמר: וישבו שם שלשת ימים עד שבו הרודפים בו בלילה, ויעברו ויבאו אל יהושע בן נון וישכם יהושע בבוקר ויסעו מהשטים, הרי יום ד', וילינו שם טרם יעברו, נמצא שלא עברו עד יום ה':

And Yehoshua sent. I am forced to say that it was during the mourning for Moshe that he sent them, since at the end of three days following the conclusion of the mourning for Moshe, they crossed the Jordan, and it was from this fact that we learned that Moshe died on the seventh day of Adar, by counting back thirty three days from the day they came up from the Jordan which was the tenth day of the first month.¹The month of Nissan. And you must say that from the time the spies were sent they did not cross the Jordan until the fifth day, as it is said: they remained there three days until the pursuers returned.²See verse 22. That same night they crossed [the Jordan] and came back to Yehoshua ben Nun. Yehoshua rose early that morning and they departed from Shittim.³See Chapter 3:1. That was the fourth day. They spent the night there before crossing. Therefore they did not cross the Jordan until the fifth day.

חרש. ברז, כך תרגם יונתן, אמר להם עשו עצמכם כחרשים, כדי שלא יסתירו דבריהם מפניכם דבר אחר: חרש חרס, הטעינו עצמיכם קדרות, כדי שתהיו נראין כקדרין:

Secret. In secret—this is the translation of Targum Yonason. He said to them: “Pretend to be deaf-mutes so they will not conceal their activities from you.” Another explanation: translate חֶרֶשׁ as חֶרֶשׂ or חֶרֶס, [חֶרֶס means pottery [in other words] “Load yourselves with pots in order to look like pottery salesmen.”

ראו את הארץ ואת יריחו. והלא יריחו בכלל היתה ולמה יצאת, אלא שהיתה קשה כנגד כולם, לפי שהיתה יושבת על הספר וכיוצא בו (שמואל ב ב ל): ויפקדו מעבדי דוד תשעה עשר איש ועשהאל, והלא עשהאל בכלל היה ולמה יצא, אלא שהיה קשה כנגד כולם, כיוצא בו (מלכים א יא א): והמלך שלמה אהב נשים נכריות רבות ואת בת פרעה, והלא בת פרעה בכלל היתה, ולמה יצאת, אלא שהיה מחבבה כנגד כולם, וכלפי חטא שהחטיאה אותו יותר מכולן, כך שנויה בספרי (עקב נב):

And view the land and Yericho. Wasn’t Yericho part of the land? Why then was it mentioned specifically? To indicate that it was as strong [fortified] as the entire land combined, because it was situated on the border. There are other such verses: Among the servants of David that were missing were nineteen men and Asaheil.⁴II Shmuel, 2:30. Wasn’t Asaheil included among the nineteen? [Why then was he mentioned specifically?] Because he was as strong as all of them. Another example: ‘And King Solomon was enamoured of many foreign wives and of Pharaoh’s daughter.’⁵I Kings, 11:1. Wasn’t Pharaoh’s daughter included among them? Why then was she mentioned specifically? Because he loved her as much as all of them. And also because of the sin involved since she caused him to sin more than all of them. This was taught in Sifre.⁶Bamidbar, 31:6.

אשה זונה. תרגם יהונתן: פונדקיתא, מוכרת מיני מזונות:

A lady innkeeper. According to Targum Yonasson, an innkeeper who sold various kinds of foodstuff.

2:2

וַיֵּאָמַר לְמֶלֶךְ יְרִיחוֹ לֵאמֹר הִנֵּה אֲנָשִׁים בָּאוּ הֵנָּה הַלַּיְלָה מִבְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לַחְפֹּר אֶת־הָאָֽרֶץ׃

And it was told the king of Yeriĥo, saying, Behold, there came men in here tonight of the children of Yisra᾽el to search out the country.

Rashi

לחפור. לרגל, כמו (איוב לט כט): משם חפר אוכל:

To scout. To search, and similarly it is said: ‘There he searched for food.’⁷Eyov, 39:29.

2:3

וַיִּשְׁלַח מֶלֶךְ יְרִיחוֹ אֶל־רָחָב לֵאמֹר הוֹצִיאִי הָאֲנָשִׁים הַבָּאִים אֵלַיִךְ אֲשֶׁר־בָּאוּ לְבֵיתֵךְ כִּי לַחְפֹּר אֶת־כׇּל־הָאָרֶץ בָּֽאוּ׃

And the king of Yeriĥo sent to Raĥav, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, who are entered into thy house: for they are come to search out all the country.

2:4

וַתִּקַּח הָאִשָּׁה אֶת־שְׁנֵי הָאֲנָשִׁים וַֽתִּצְפְּנוֹ וַתֹּאמֶר ׀ כֵּן בָּאוּ אֵלַי הָאֲנָשִׁים וְלֹא יָדַעְתִּי מֵאַיִן הֵֽמָּה׃

And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said thus, There came men to me, but I know not from where they were:

Rashi

ותצפנו. יש מקראות מדברים על הרבים כיחיד, לפי שמיהרה בהטמנתם, ובמקום צר, כאילו היה יחידי, ומדרש אגדת תנחומא (שלח א) יש: פנחס וכלב היו, ופנחס עמד לפניהם ולא ראוהו לפי שהיה כמלאך. דבר אחר: ותצפנו, כל אחד ואחד בפני עצמו, ודוגמתו מצינו (משלי כז ט): שמן וקטרת ישמח לב, ולא אמר ישמחו לב:

And she hid them.⁸The word וַתִּצְפְנוֹ is singular but the verse is said regarding the two men and should be plural. There are scriptural verses that speak of the plural as if it were singular. Since she was in a hurry to hide them and she hid them in a narrow place⁹She hid them in a place that normally would have sufficed for one person. it was as though they were one person. The Midrash of Rabbi Tanchuma states ‘That these two men were Pinchos and Caleiv, and Pinchos stood before them¹⁰Before the pursuers. but they did not see him because he was [invisible] like an angel.’¹¹Therefore there was no need to hide him and thus she actually hid only one man. Another interpretation: She hid each of them separately.¹²Therefore it is correct to say: she hid him. We find a similar verse: ‘Oil and incense gladden the heart’¹³Mishlei, 27:9. and it does not say יְשַׂמְחוּ לֵב, in the plural.

2:5

וַיְהִי הַשַּׁעַר לִסְגּוֹר בַּחֹשֶׁךְ וְהָאֲנָשִׁים יָצָאוּ לֹא יָדַעְתִּי אָנָה הָלְכוּ הָאֲנָשִׁים רִדְפוּ מַהֵר אַחֲרֵיהֶם כִּי תַשִּׂיגֽוּם׃

and it came to pass about the time of 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 you shall overtake them.

2:6

וְהִיא הֶעֱלָתַם הַגָּגָה וַֽתִּטְמְנֵם בְּפִשְׁתֵּי הָעֵץ הָעֲרֻכוֹת לָהּ עַל־הַגָּֽג׃

But she had brought them up to the roof of the house, and hid them in the stalks of flax, which she had arranged on the roof.

Rashi

בפשתי העץ. פשתים בגבעוליהן:

Stalks of flax. with their pods.

2:7

וְהָאֲנָשִׁים רָדְפוּ אַֽחֲרֵיהֶם דֶּרֶךְ הַיַּרְדֵּן עַל הַֽמַּעְבְּרוֹת וְהַשַּׁעַר סָגָרוּ אַחֲרֵי כַּאֲשֶׁר יָצְאוּ הָרֹדְפִים אַחֲרֵיהֶֽם׃

And the men pursued after them the way to the Yarden over the fords: and as soon as they who pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate.

Rashi

על המעברות. מקום מעבר המים, שהיו סבורים שחזרו לאחוריהם אל ערבות מואב, והירדן מפסיק בינתים:

To the fords. These were places for crossing the water,¹⁴There were a number of crossing places linking both sides of the Jordan. for the pursuers thought they had turned back to return to the plains of Moav and the Jordan was between them.

והשער סגרו. השוערים:

And the shut the gate. The gatekeepers shut the gate.¹⁵According to Metsudas Dovid this refers to the gate of the city. The pursuers suspected that the spies were still in the city and by shutting the gates, they would be locked in and they would be able to find them.

2:8

וְהֵמָּה טֶרֶם יִשְׁכָּבוּן וְהִיא עָלְתָה עֲלֵיהֶם עַל־הַגָּֽג׃

And before they were laid down, she came up to them upon the roof;

2:9

וַתֹּאמֶר אֶל־הָאֲנָשִׁים יָדַעְתִּי כִּֽי־נָתַן יְהֹוָה לָכֶם אֶת־הָאָרֶץ וְכִֽי־נָפְלָה אֵֽימַתְכֶם עָלֵינוּ וְכִי נָמֹגוּ כׇּל־יֹשְׁבֵי הָאָרֶץ מִפְּנֵיכֶֽם׃

and she said to the men, I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away because of you.

2:10

כִּי שָׁמַעְנוּ אֵת אֲשֶׁר־הוֹבִישׁ יְהֹוָה אֶת־מֵי יַם־סוּף מִפְּנֵיכֶם בְּצֵאתְכֶם מִמִּצְרָיִם וַאֲשֶׁר עֲשִׂיתֶם לִשְׁנֵי מַלְכֵי הָאֱמֹרִי אֲשֶׁר בְּעֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן לְסִיחֹן וּלְעוֹג אֲשֶׁר הֶחֱרַמְתֶּם אוֹתָֽם׃

For we have heard how the Lord dried up the waters of the Sea of Suf before you, when you came out of Miżrayim; and what you did to the two kings of the Emori, that were on the far side of the Yarden, Siĥon and ῾Og, whom you utterly destroyed.

2:11

וַנִּשְׁמַע וַיִּמַּס לְבָבֵנוּ וְלֹא־קָמָה עוֹד רוּחַ בְּאִישׁ מִפְּנֵיכֶם כִּי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם הוּא אֱלֹהִים בַּשָּׁמַיִם מִמַּעַל וְעַל־הָאָרֶץ מִתָּֽחַת׃

And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and on the earth beneath.

Rashi

ולא קמה עוד רוח באיש. אפילו לשכב עם אשה, אמרו אין לך כל שר ונגיד שלא בא אל רחב הזונה, ובת עשר שנים היתה כשיצאו ישראל ממצרים, וזנתה כל ארבעים שנה (זבחים קטז ב):

And there was no longer any spirit. [The men had no spirit (desire)] even to lie with a woman. It was said by the Sages: There was no prince or ruler who had not had [sexual] relationships with Rochav, the harlot. She was ten years old when the Bnei Yisroel went out of Egypt, and she engaged in harlotry for forty years.

2:12

וְעַתָּה הִשָּֽׁבְעוּ־נָא לִי בַּֽיהֹוָה כִּֽי־עָשִׂיתִי עִמָּכֶם חָסֶד וַעֲשִׂיתֶם גַּם־אַתֶּם עִם־בֵּית אָבִי חֶסֶד וּנְתַתֶּם לִי אוֹת אֱמֶֽת׃

Now therefore, I pray you, swear to me by the Lord, since I have shown you kindness, that you will also show kindness to my father’s house, and give me a true token:

Rashi

אות אמת. שתעשו כשתבאו ותכבשו את העיר, שתכירו האות ותחיוני:

A true sign. You create the sign, so that when you come and capture the city, you will recognize the sign and keep me alive.

2:13

וְהַחֲיִתֶם אֶת־אָבִי וְאֶת־אִמִּי וְאֶת־אַחַי וְאֶת־[אַחְיוֹתַי] (אחותי) וְאֵת כׇּל־אֲשֶׁר לָהֶם וְהִצַּלְתֶּם אֶת־נַפְשֹׁתֵינוּ מִמָּֽוֶת׃

and that you will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brothers, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.

2:14

וַיֹּאמְרוּ לָהּ הָאֲנָשִׁים נַפְשֵׁנוּ תַחְתֵּיכֶם לָמוּת אִם לֹא תַגִּידוּ אֶת־דְּבָרֵנוּ זֶה וְהָיָה בְּתֵת־יְהֹוָה לָנוּ אֶת־הָאָרֶץ וְעָשִׂינוּ עִמָּךְ חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶֽת׃

And the men answered her, Our life for yours, if only you do not tell of this our business. And it shall be, when the Lord has given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee.