Bible Strands
Joshua 2:21
“Let it be as you say,” she replied, and she sent them away. And when they had gone, she tied the scarlet cord in the window.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Rahab addresses the two Israelite spies at her Jericho window, confirming their conditional oath regarding her family's safety. She speaks immediately after their warning and before they depart for the hill country.
The words — וַ/תִּקְשֹׁ֛ר (va./tik.Shor) translates literally to "and she bound," describing the physical act of securing the cord. כֶּן\־ (ken-) means "so" or "thus," marking her exact agreement to their stipulated terms.
The thread — The scarlet cord functions as the deliverance sign in Joshua 2:18, while the sequence of hearing a command and immediately acting on it parallels Matthew 7:24 and John 2:5.
Why it lands — The verse records Rahab's verbal agreement and the immediate tying of the cord, requiring the reader to note that compliance with the stated terms precedes any promised outcome.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And she said, According unto your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window.
Cross-references
- Joshua 2:18 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 and brothers and all your family into your house.
- Matthew 7:24 Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
- John 2:5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.”