From the Edge of Jericho to the Heart of Israel: The Story of Rachav

A Courageous Act in the Shadow of War

Before the Jewish people entered the Land of Israel, Yehoshua bin Nun secretly sent two spies to scout out the land. They arrived in the city of Jericho and found refuge in the house of a woman named Rachav.

When the king of Jericho heard that foreign men had entered the city, he suspected they were Israelite spies. Before the king’s messengers arrived, Rachav hid the two men on her rooftop. She told the officials:

“The men did come to me, but I did not know where they were from” (Yehoshua 2:4).

After failing to find the spies, the king’s men continued near the Jordan River crossings.

Rachav then returned to the hidden men and revealed what she and the people of the land had heard:

“We know that the Lord has given you the land… For we heard how the Lord dried up the waters of the Red Sea for you when you left Egypt, and what you did to the kings of the Amorites, Sichon and Og… Our hearts melted… for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below” (Yehoshua 2:9–11).

She begged the spies to spare her family when Israel conquered the city. They agreed on the condition that she tie a scarlet cord in her window and gather all her family into her home. When Jericho fell, the spies honored their promise, and Rachav and her family were saved. The verse concludes:

“And she dwelt among Israel to this day” (Yehoshua 6:25).

A Life Transformed and a Legacy Secured

According to the Talmud (Megillah 14b), eight prophets who were also kohanim descended from Rachav, including Yirmiyahu, Baruch, Serayah, and Chilkiyahu. Rabbi Yehudah adds: “Even Chuldah the prophetess was among her descendants.”

The Sages also list her among the four most beautiful women in the world, alongside Sarah, Avigayil, and Esther (Megillah 15a) and among the righteous converts such as Ruth, Tziporah, and Bat Pharaoh (Midrash Talpiot).

The Talmud (Pesachim 116b) states that when the Jews entered the Land, Rachav was fifty years old. She converted and married Yehoshua. The Jerusalem Talmud (Berachot 2:8) teaches that when the Jewish people fulfill God’s will, He searches the world for righteous non-Jews to bring close, like Yitro and Rachav.

Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov says in Tanna Devei Eliyahu Zuta:

“Why was she called Rachav? Because she was ‘broad’ in merit. She repented, and from her came seven kings and eight prophets.”

“Is It Believable That This Could Be Told?”

Rabbi Yerucham Levovitz of Mir wrote movingly about Rachav’s greatness in Chochmah u’Mussar. He asks: How could someone who heard the same news as everyone else—of the splitting of the sea, of Israel’s victories—react so differently? While others resisted, Rachav internalized what she heard, recognized the truth, and acted on it.

Because she was so kind to the spies, she merited to marry a man who carried the entire nation, Yehoshua, the one chosen by God to succeed Moshe. Rabbi Yerucham writes in awe:

“Is it believable that a woman who had been a harlot for 40 years should merit such greatness?”

And beyond this, she merited descendants who became prophets and leaders in Israel. “Because she recognized the truth with a complete heart and risked her life to save messengers of Israel, she earned unimaginable reward.”

Rabbi Yerucham concludes with a timeless message:

“From this we can understand how great is the merit of one who feels the pain of the Jewish people, who acts for the sake of the community. As the sages teach: ‘One who performs a single mitzvah (Divine commandment) tilts the scale for himself and for the entire world toward merit.’”

Rachav’s story is a testament to the transformative power of faith, courage, and sincere kindness. Her name lives on not as a sinner, but as a righteous woman whose heart opened to truth.