Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Joshua 6:23
And the young men that were spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred, and left them without the camp of Israel.
23. the young men ] Vulg. juvenes. Comp. Gen 22:3, “And Abraham rose up early and took two of his young men with him;” Jdg 8:20, “And he said unto Jether his firstborn, Up, and slay them. But the youth drew not his sword.”
all her kindred ] Heb. families.
without the camp of Israel ] Comp. Lev 24:14; Num 31:19. As heathen, they were unclean, and must therefore remain a specified time, probably seven days, “without the camp.”
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The part of the wall adjoining Rahabs house had not fallen along with the rest. Rahab and all that she had, i. e., the persons belonging to her household, were brought out and left without the camp of Israel. These words literally made to rest outside the camp of Israel – indicate that being still in their paganism, they were separated from the camp of the Lord. This was only for a time. They desired, and eventually obtained, admission to the covenant of the chosen people of God Jos 6:25.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 23. Brought out Rahab, and her father, c.] Rahab having been faithful to her vow of secrecy, the Israelites were bound by the oath of the spies, who acted as their representatives in this business, to preserve her and her family alive.
And left them without the camp] They were considered as persons unclean, and consequently left without the camp (see Le 13:46; Nu 12:14). When they had abjured heathenism, were purified, and the males had received circumcision, they were doubtless admitted into the camp, and became incorporated with Israel.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Till they were cleansed from the impurities of their Gentile state, and instructed in the Jewish religion, and solemnly admitted into that church in the usual way, to which Rahabs good counsel and example had doubtless very much prepared them; and this stupendous work of God confirmed their purposes.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
23. they brought out all herkindred, and left them without the camp of Israela temporaryexclusion, in order that they might be cleansed from the defilementof their native idolatries and gradually trained for admission intothe society of God’s people.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And the young men that were spies went in, and brought out Rahab,…. Not only went into the city, but into Rahab’s house, which they knew again by the scarlet thread hung out at the window of it. But here a difficulty occurs, how they could be said to go into her house, when it was built on the town wall, Jos 2:15; and that was now fallen down flat. Abarbinel thinks that when the spies went round the city, they saw the scarlet thread in the window of her house, and set their eyes on the house, or wistly observed it; and marked it in such manner, that after the fall of the wall they went to the place of her house, and brought her out, though her house was broken down, and no wall standing: but then they could not be said properly to go into her house, and bring her out. Kimchi is of opinion that not all the wall of the city fell, but what was over against the camp of Israel; and that the house of Rahab was on the wall on the other side: but it seems by the account of it as if the whole wall fell; and the apostle says, “the walls of Jericho fell down”, Heb 11:30; all of them; and so the Septuagint version of Jos 6:20.
“and the whole wall, or all the wall fell round about:”
and I see not why it may not be thought that the whole wall fell, excepting that small part alone which Rahab’s house stood; and that standing alone would make the miracle the greater, and show the divine approbation of saving Rahab and her family: besides, if the wall sunk down in its place all around into the earth, as the Jews understand the phrase; [See comments on Jos 6:5]; the house might continue on it firm and unmoved, going down with it to the surface of the earth, where it may be supposed the top of the wall was; and so they might go in and take her out, and preserve her from being destroyed with the rest of the inhabitants; and not only her,
but her father and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had; all other relations that were with her, particularly her sisters, which are in her request, Jos 2:13; with all that appertained to her brethren and sisters, which is there expressed also:
and they brought out all her kindred; before mentioned, or if there were any other of her relations she had taken into her house for safety; or “all her families” e, for her father’s household might be branched out into various families, and become numerous, and so be an emblem of the number of Gentile sinners saved by Christ the antitype of Joshua:
and left them without the camp of Israel; until they, became proselytes, and embraced the religion of Israel, as Kimchi remarks. However, being Gentiles, some external rites and ceremonies were to be performed upon them, as well as a declaration at least of their renouncing idolatry was required of them, before they could be admitted into the camp of Israel; and which was required even of a proselyte of the gate, or of one that was only a sojourner among them.
e “omnes familias ejus”, Pagninus, Montanus, Tigurine version.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
23. And the young men that were spies went in, etc God, doubtless, wished those to be safe, whose minds he thus inclined to embrace deliverance. Had it been otherwise, they would have rejected it not less proudly, and with no less scorn than the two sons-in-law of Lot. But a still better provision is made for them, when, by being placed without the camp, they receive a strict injunction to abandon their former course of life. (67) For had they been immediately admitted and allowed to mix indiscriminately with the people, the thought of their impurity might never, perhaps, have occurred to them, and they might thus have continued to indulge in it. Now when they are placed apart, that they may not, by their infection, taint the flock, they are impressed with a feeling of shame, which may urge them to serious conversion.
It cannot be meant that they were thus set apart for safety, lest any one in the crowd might have risen up violently against them: for they would have been received by all with the greatest favor and gladness, whereas they might have been attacked in a solitary place more easily, and even with impunity. Their impurity, therefore, was brought visibly before them, that they might not while polluted come rashly forward into the holy meeting, but rather might be accustomed by this rudimentary training to change their mode of life. For it is added shortly after, that they dwelt in the midst of the people; in other words, having been purged from their defilement’s, they began to be regarded in the very same light as if they had originally belonged to the race of Abraham. In short, the meaning is, that after they had made a confession of their previous impurity, they were admitted indiscriminately along with others. By this admission, Rahab gained one of the noblest fruits of her faith.
(67) French, “ Car combien qu’il y ait en cela de la severite, toutes fois c’est un bon moyen par lequel ils sont appelez a renoncer a leur vie precedente;” “For though there is severity in this, it is, however a good method of calling upon them to renounce their previous life.” — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(23) And left them.Literally, caused them to rest.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
23. And her brethren This term must be understood to include the sisters spoken of in Jos 2:13.
All that she had This expression seems most naturally to include goods, and not kindred only. The neuter gender in the Septuagint and Vulgate supports this interpretation, and why should we deny that they were permitted to save all their portable possessions? We suppose that the spies had with them a large company of assistants, to carry her household furniture to the camp. It was honourable on the part of Joshua that she should suffer no loss, and that her faith should be profitable for the life that now is.
All her kindred Hebrews, all her families; that is, all who were related to Rahab, and also their families. God honours the family institution which he has ordained. He saves by families not only in the Old Dispensation, as in this case, and Noah, and many others, but also in the New, as in the case of whole households admitted to baptism.
Left them without the camp They were not prepared ceremonially to dwell among the Hebrews. It was not lawful for uncircumcised men, nor for females who had not publicly espoused the Jewish faith, to enter the camp, which was regarded as sacred because of the ark. This separation for a season would induce them to lay aside all their pagan habits, which an immediate reception might have confirmed.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘ And the young men, the spies, went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father and her mother, and her brothers, and all that she had. All her kindred also they brought out, and they set them outside the camp of Israel.’
As they had sworn to do the two spies ensured the safety of Rahab and all her wider family who had gathered in her house. We note, however, that ‘they set them outside the camp of Israel’ in a camp of their own. They could not enter the camp for they were ‘devoted’ and were idolaters, and thus defiling (compare Lev 13:46; Num 5:3; Num 31:13; Num 31:19). Thus they must be kept separate until they had undergone some cleansing ritual, including the renunciation of idolatry, and, if necessary, circumcision (although they may have already been circumcised) and incorporation into the congregation of Israel. This was presumably required of them (see Jos 6:25).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Ver. 23. And left them without the camp They were brought out of the house, because that was to be burned with the rest of the city; but being unclean they could not be received into the camp, as being a holy place, till they had abjured paganism, embraced the religion of the true God, and been admitted into the body of the republic of Israel by circumcision, and perhaps by baptism; though we cannot say whether the use of this latter ceremony be so ancient.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Jos 6:23 And the young men that were spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred, and left them without the camp of Israel.
Ver. 23. And left them without the camp. ] Lest it should be defiled by them, till they were proselyted. See Num 31:19 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
and. Note the Figure of speech Potysyndeton in verses: Jos 6:23-25. App-6.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
out Rahab: Jos 2:18, Gen 12:2, Gen 18:24, Gen 19:29, Act 27:24, Heb 11:7
kindred: Heb. families
left them: Num 5:2, Num 5:3, Num 31:19, Act 10:28, 1Co 5:12, Eph 2:12
Reciprocal: Gen 19:12 – Hast Gen 42:9 – Ye are spies Jos 6:17 – because
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
6:23 And the young men that were spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred, and left them {n} without the camp of Israel.
(n) For it was not lawful for strangers to dwell among the Israelites, till they were purged.