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Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

Joshua 2:7

‘ And the men pursued after them by the way to Jordan, to the fords, and as soon as they which pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate.'

Believing her words the pursuers left the city and made for the fords of the Jordan, using the regular road, ‘the Way to Jordan' (Judges 3:28; 2 Samuel 19:15), hoping to catch the men there, and the gate was shut after them. This may not have been the first time that night that the gate had been shut, for it may have been shut previously and they may have arranged for it to be opened in the king's name The mention of it is to demonstrate the fear in all their hearts. Even though the king's men were to come back they dared not leave the gates open.

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See also Joshua 2:7 in other biblical comments:

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    The sense is, that “they pursued along the way which leads to Jordan and across the fords;” probably those described in Judges 3:28....

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    2. THE SPIES AND RAHAB'S FAITH CHAPTER 2 _ 1. The spies sent forth (Joshua 2:1)_ 2. Rahab's faith and works (Joshua 2:2) 3. The escape of the spies and assurance given (Joshua 2:15) 4. The return...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    II. TWO HEBREW SPIES VISIT JERICHO AND EVADE CAPTURE. The narrative is inconsistent with Joshua 1:11, Within three days ye are to pass over Jordan. The events in ch. 2 must have taken longer than thre...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    _Rahab Hides the Spies Joshua 2:1-7_ And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into a harlot's house, named...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    _AND THE MEN PURSUED AFTER THEM THE WAY TO JORDAN UNTO THE FORDS: AND AS SOON AS THEY WHICH PURSUED AFTER THEM WERE GONE OUT, THEY SHUT THE GATE._ The men pursued after them the way to Jordan unto th...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    THE FORDS] Clearly, therefore, there were fords in the neighbourhood of Jericho. The account of the miraculous crossing in Joshua 3:4 cannot be based on ignorance of that fact. At the present time for...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    THE TWO SPIES AT JERICHO Joshua himself had been one of twelve sent by Moses on a similar errand, some thirty-eight years before (Numbers 13). The incident, natural in itself, acquires a special inter...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    COME IN, AND RECEIVE GOD’S PROMISES! JOSHUA _BRIAN ROWLANDS_ Maps to help you to study this book are on the Internet at www.easyenglish.info. CHAPTER 2 JOSHUA SENDS TWO MEN TO LOOK OVER THE LAN...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    וְ הָ אֲנָשִׁ֗ים רָדְפ֤וּ אַֽחֲרֵיהֶם֙ דֶּ֣רֶךְ...

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    CHAPTER VII. THE SPIES IN JERICHO. Joshua 2:1. IT was not long ere Joshua found an occasion not only for the exercise of that courage to which he had been so emphatically called both by God and the...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    A HEATHEN WOMAN'S ACT OF FAITH Joshua 2:1 “To view the land” was a hazardous undertaking. The physiognomy of the Hebrews would certainly betray them, and it did. The sacred writer does not commend Ra...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    Forty years before this time the spies had been sent out and had brought back to Moses their reports of the land. Of these, Joshua had been one of the two who had brought back a report revealing their...

  • Gary Hampton Commentaries

    The third thing Joshua did was to secretly send two spies to Jericho to survey the surrounding land and especially the city. These two found a woman of faith in a heathen city. Rahab was a harlot livi...

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    _Jordan, where they had probably come over, though perhaps in a boat, (Menochius) and where the messengers concluded they would have the best chance of finding them, as the Israelites were on the oppo...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    The apostle James had it in commission from the Holy Ghost, to tell the church, that the harlot Rahab was justified by works, but then it was, as he observed, the works of faith: meaning that her beli...

  • Introductory Lectures - Commentary by William Kelly

    The book of Joshua naturally follows the five books of Moses, and indeed is connected more manifestly with those that go before it than might appear to an ordinary reader. It opens not with a mere par...

  • John Calvin's Bible Commentary

    7._And the men pursued, _etc. Their great credulity shows that God had blinded them. Although Rahab had gained much by deluding them, a new course of anxiety intervenes; for the gates being shut, the...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    The second chapter contains the interesting history of Rahab. How beautiful. it is to see the grace of God setting up its way-marks from the beginning, that the eye of faith may know where to rest, wh...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    AND THE MEN PURSUED AFTER THEM,.... As they thought: THE WAY TO JORDAN; on the other side of which the people of Israel lay encamped, to which they supposed, according to Rahab's account, these two m...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    And the men pursued after them the way to Jordan unto the fords: and as soon as they which pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate. Ver. 7. _And the men pursued._] Not once searching the...

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    _Up to the roof_ In those countries the roofs of the houses were made quite flat, and it is probable it might be customary to lay the stalks of flax upon them that they might be dried by the heat of t...

  • KJV Original Language Details

    1 Rahab receiueth and concealeth the two spies sent from Shittim. 8 The couenant betweene her and them. 23 Their returne and relation. 1 AND Ioshua the sonne of Nun sent out of Shittim two men, to s...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    And the men, the king's messengers, PURSUED AFTER THEM, the spies, THE WAY TO JORDAN UNTO THE FORDS, where they were most likely to cross; AND AS SOON AS THEY WHICH PURSUED AFTER THEM WERE GONE OUT, t...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    The Spies at Rahab's House...

  • Leslie M. Grant's Commentary on the Bible

    THE SPIES RECEIVED AND HIDDEN BY RAHAB (vv. 1-24) Joshua then sent two spies to "view the land, especially Jericho"(v. 1).Twelve men had been sent before at the request of the people (Deuteronomy 1:...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    1-7 Faith in God's promises ought not to do away, but to encourage our diligence in the use of proper means. The providence of God directed the spies to the house of Rahab. God knew where there was o...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    FORDS, OR PASSAGES, i.e. the usual places where people used to pass over Jordan, whether by boats or bridges; or rather, because of the shallowness of the river, which a little after this swelled high...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Joshua 2:7 men H582 pursued H7291 (H8804) H310 road H1870 Jordan H3383 fords H4569 pursued H7291 ...

  • Sermon Bible Commentary

    Joshua 2:1. Spies are a part of the unhappy machinery of war. They are counted as necessary as the general, or as the boy who blows the bugle. It is with an army and in a war that Joshua is now to dis...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Rahab and the Jericho spies. CHARACTERS: Joshua, two spies, Rahab, king of Jericho. CONCLUSION: Let not God's people be afraid of their most powerful enemies, for their God can, when He pl...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Joshua 2:1. _Sent out two spies._ Many read, “Joshua had sent out.” Being a wary general he would lose no time in gaining every kind of information. _A harlot's house, named Rahab._ The word is render...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _Joshua _. .. _ sent out _. .. _ two men to spy._ THE SPIES DESPATCHED I. The position in which joshua and the Israelites were placed. It was a difficult task that had been performed by Moses; did no...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    JOSHUA—NOTE ON JOSHUA 2:7 The JORDAN River was generally impassable except by swimming or wading at shallow areas (or FORDS). One of the few places where the Jordan could be crossed was near Jericho ...

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    _THE MISSION OF THE TWO SPIES_ CRITICAL NOTES.— Joshua 2:1. Joshua sent] Or, as in the margin, had sent. It is probable that the spies had left the camp for Jericho one or two days before the giving...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION RAHAB AND THE SPIES.— JOSHUA 2:1 AND JOSHUA THE SON OF NUN SENT. Rather, as margin, _had_ sent (see note on Joshua 1:2). It might have been at the very time when the command was given

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    Now chapter two, Joshua sent out two men to spy out the land, actually to spy out Jericho, because Jericho was the first city that they were going to come to. Jericho is one of the oldest cities in th...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    Acts 5:23; Joshua 2:5; Judges 12:5; Judges 3:28...

  • Wells of Living Water Commentary

    PREPARING TO POSSESS THE LAND Joshua 2:1 INTRODUCTORY WORDS 1. The men who fell by the way. The closing verses of Joshua 1:1, give the story of Joshua's preparations to carry out God's instructions,...

  • Wesley's Explanatory Notes

    Fords — Or passages, that is, the places where people used to pass over Jordan, whether by boats or bridges. The gate — Of the city, to prevent the escape of the spies, if peradventure Rahab was mista...

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