Bible Strands
Joshua 2:8
Before the spies lay down for the night, Rahab went up on the roof
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Rahab acts while the king’s pursuers are still outside and the city gate is shut. She moves to the roof to approach the two Israelite spies before they settle for the night.
The words — The Hebrew טֶרֶם (terem) means "not yet," paired with יִשְׁכְּבוּ (yishkəvu) "they had lain down," marking the precise moment before the spies' rest. Her action עָלְתָה ('al'tah) "she went up" to the עַל־הַגָּג (al-haggag) "roof" initiates the encounter.
The thread — The rooftop as a place of concealment and revelation recurs in 2 Samuel 6:16 and Acts 12:13, where elevated spaces function as thresholds for divine or royal encounters.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition of a strategic intervention at a critical juncture. It requires the reader to note how timing and location enable a pivotal exchange of information.
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 before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the roof;