Who Was Rahab the Harlot vs Rachab???

 

 

When Scripture references the Canaanite woman of Jericho RAHAB in the book of Joshua and in OT & NT, it includes the title: HARLOT to distinguish her name vs RACHAB, a different Israelite woman married to Salmon in the geneology of Christ.

In the Bible, Rahab and Rachab are two different women with similar stories, but different names and spellings:

• Rahab

  Also known as "the harlot", Rahab was a Canaanite prostitute in Jericho who hid two Israelite spies from the king. She was saved from the destruction of Jericho when the Israelites captured the city. 
• Rachab

  The name Rachab appears in the Gospel of Matthew. Rachab is mentioned as an ancestor of Jesus, and is the wife of Salmon and mother of Boaz. 

Rahab's story is an example of faith and good works. She recognized the power of the God of Israel, and asked for protection for herself and her family when Joshua's army came to Jericho. Rahab marked her home with a scarlet cord, and when the Israelites saw the cord, they honored their promise to her. 

In the New Testament, Jesus' ancestry is traced through both Mary and Joseph, and both are descendants of Rachab. 

In the New Testament, Rahab is referred to as “the harlot” in each of these passages. A different spelling of the name, Rachab (as transliterated in the King James translation of the Greek Ῥαχάβ) is mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew as one of the ancestors of Jesus (Matthew 1:5).

Matthew 1:5. KJV

And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse;

Jubilee Bible 2000 used: 

Joshua 2:1
¶ 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 

RAHAB, and lodged there.

2 And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, men of the sons of Israel have come here this night to spy out the land.

3 Then the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that have come unto thee, who have entered into thy house; for they are come to spy out all the land.

4 And the woman had taken the two men and hidden them and said thus, It is true that some men came unto me, but I did not know where they came from.

5 And at the time of shutting the gate, when it was dark, these men went out, and I do not know where the men went; pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them.

6 But she had brought them up to the roof of the house and hid them among the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof.

7 And the men pursued after them along the way to Jordan unto the fords; and as soon as those who pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate.

Joshua 6:17
¶ And the city shall be anathema unto the LORD, even it, and all the things that are in it; only 

RAHAB, the harlot, shall live, she and all that are with her in the house because she hid the messengers that we sent.

18 But keep yourselves from the anathema, that ye not touch nor take any thing of the anathema so that ye not make the camp of Israel anathema and trouble it.

19 For all the silver and gold and vessels of brass and iron are consecrated unto the LORD; they shall come into the treasury of the LORD.

20 Then the people shouted when the priests blew with the shofarot, and it came to pass when the people heard the voice of the shofar, that the people shouted with a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, each man straight before him and they took the city.

21 And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox and sheep and ass, with the edge of the sword.

22 But Joshua said unto the two men that had spied out the land, Go into the harlot’s house and bring the woman out of there with all that she has, as ye swore unto her.

23 And the young men that were spies went in and brought out Rehab and her father and her mother and her brethren and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred and put them outside in the camp of Israel.

24 And they burnt the city with fire and all that was in it; only the silver and the gold and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD.

**Rahab the harlot and her family lived outside the camp of Israel, so sounds like she was not Salmon’s wife!

Joshua 6:25
And Joshua gave RAHAB, the harlot, her life and also to her father’s household and to all that she had; and she dwells in Israel even unto this day because she hid the messengers, whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho. 

**What does it mean for Rahab and her Jericho/ Canaanite people to dwell in Israel!?  Well, since 2 verses earlier it says Rahab and her people dwelt outside the camp of Israel, then it logically means she and her people dwelt among Israel on the outside of Israel’s camp!

Hebrews 11:31
By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish together with the disobedient, having received the spies with peace. 

James 2:25
Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?

RACHAB is a different person from RAHAB THE HARLOT.  In fact, Rachab was an Israelite woman married to Salmon.  This passage does not include the title “THE HARLOT” to identify the person in the book of Joshua. 

Matthew 1:4-6

4 Aram begat Aminadab; Aminadab begat Naasson; Naasson begat Salmon;

5 Salmon begat Booz {Greek word for “Boaz”} of Rachab; Booz begat Obed of Ruth; Obed begat Jesse;

6 Jesse begat David the king; David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias;

Luke 3:32

who was the son of Jesse, who was the sonof Obed, who was the son of Booz, {Greek word for “Boaz”} who was the son of Salmon, who was the son of Naasson,

 

Deuteronomy 23:1-4

He that is wounded in the stones or is castrated shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD.

2 A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the LORD.

3 An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the LORD for ever,

4 because they did not meet you with bread and with water in the way when ye came forth out of Egypt and because they hired against thee Balaam, the son of Beor of Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee.

Ruth was an ISRAELITE

Deuteronomy 23:1-4

He that is wounded in the stones or is castrated shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD.

2 A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the LORD.

3 An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the LORD for ever,

4 because they did not meet you with bread and with water in the way when ye came forth out of Egypt and because they hired against thee Balaam, the son of Beor of Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee.

 ***Is God a LIAR?

In the Bible, Ruth's name appears 13-24 times in the book of RUTH depending on bible translation with one in the genealogy of Christ.

1.      RUTH 1:4 who took wives for themselves of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other RUTH; and they dwelt there about ten years.

2.     RUTH 1:14 And they lifted up their voice and wept again, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but RUTH cleaved unto her.

3.     RUTH 1:16 And RUTH said, Do not intreat me to leave thee or to return from following after thee, for wherever thou goest, I will go; and wherever thou shalt lodge, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people and thy God my God.’

**The word God is translated from Elohim which is the plural form of God.  It is used for Judges which the Israelites were being governed by at this time and which fits this passage.  Ruth is willing to leave her people/ tribe and Judges and go with Naomi’s.

4.     RUTH 1:22 So Naomi returned, and RUTH the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, with her, who returned out of the fields of Moab, and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.

5.     RUTH 2:2 And RUTH, the Moabitess, said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field and glean ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter.

6.     RUTH 2:8 Then said Boaz unto RUTH, Hear, my daughter, do not glean in another field, nor leave here; thou shalt cleave to my maidens.

7.     RUTH 2:21 And RUTH, the Moabitess, said, He also said unto me, Thou shalt cleave to my servants until they have finished all my harvest.

8.     RUTH 2:22 And Naomi replied unto RUTH her daughter-in-law, It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens that they not meet thee in any other field.

9.     RUTH 3:9 Then he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am RUTH, thy handmaid; spread therefore the edge of thy mantle over thy handmaid; for thou art a redeemer.

10. RUTH 4:5 Then Boaz replied, The day that thou dost receive the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must also receive RUTH, the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance.

11. RUTH 4:10 Moreover, I also take RUTH, the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, as my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance that the name of the dead not be cut off from among his brethren and from the gate of his place. Ye shall be witnesses of this today.

12. RUTH 4:13 So Boaz took RUTH, and she was his wife, and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son.

13. Matthew 1:5 Salmon begat Booz {Greek word for “Boaz”} of Rachab; Booz begat Obed of RUTH; Obed begat Jesse;

RUTH 1:15-16

15 So Naomi said, “Look, your sister-in-law is returning to her people and to her god (ELOHIM). Follow your sister-in-law back home!” 16 But Ruth replied,

“Stop urging me to abandon you!
For wherever you go, I will go.
Wherever you live, I will live.
Your people will become my people,
and your God (ELOHIM) will become my God (ELOHIM).

RUTH 1

1 During the time of the judges, there was a famine in the land of Judah. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah went to live as a resident foreigner in the region of Moab, along with his wife and two sons. 2 (Now the man’s name was Elimelech, his wife was Naomi, and his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were of the clan of Ephrath from Bethlehem in Judah.) They entered the region of Moab and settled there. 3 Sometime later Naomi’s husband Elimelech died, so she and her two sons were left alone. 4 Both her sons married Moabite women. (One was named Orpah and the other Ruth.) And they continued to live there about ten years. 5 Then Naomi’s two sons, Mahlon and Kilion, also died. So the woman was left all alone—bereaved of her two children as well as her husband! 6 So she decided to return home from the region of Moab, accompanied by her daughters-in-law, because while she was living in Moab she had heard that the Lord had shown concern for his people, reversing the famine by providing abundant crops.

7 Now as she and her two daughters-in-law began to leave the place where she had been living to return to the land of Judah, 8 Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Listen to me! Each of you should return to your mother’s home. May the Lord show you the same kind of devotion that you have shown to your deceased husbands and to me. 9 May the Lord enable each of you to find security in the home of a new husband.” Then she kissed them goodbye, and they wept loudly. 10 But they said to her, “No! We will return with you to your people.”

11 But Naomi replied, “Go back home, my daughters! There is no reason for you to return to Judah with me. I am no longer capable of giving birth to sons who might become your husbands! 12 Go back home, my daughters! For I am too old to get married again. Even if I thought that there was hope that I could get married tonight and conceive sons, 13 surely you would not want to wait until they were old enough to marry. Surely you would not remain unmarried all that time! No, my daughters, you must not return with me. For my intense suffering is too much for you to bear. For the Lord is afflicting me!”

14 Again they wept loudly. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung tightly to her.15 So Naomi said, “Look, your sister-in-law is returning to her people and to her god. Follow your sister-in-law back home!” 16 But Ruth replied,

“Stop urging me to abandon you!
For wherever you go, I will go.
Wherever you live, I will live.
Your people (AM) will become my people (AM),
and your God (ELOHIM) will become my God (ELOHIM).

17 Wherever you die, I will die—and there I will be buried.
May the Lord punish me severely if I do not keep my promise!
Only death will be able to separate me from you!”

18 When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped trying to dissuade her. 19 So the two of them journeyed together until they arrived in Bethlehem.

When they entered Bethlehem, the whole village was excited about their arrival. The women of the village said, “Can this be Naomi?” 20 But she replied to them,“Don’t call me ‘Naomi’! Call me ‘Mara’ because the Sovereign One has treated me very harshly. 21 I left here full, but the Lord has caused me to return empty-handed. Why do you call me ‘Naomi,’ seeing that the Lord has opposed me, and the Sovereign One has caused me to suffer?” 22 So Naomi returned, accompanied by her Moabite daughter-in-law Ruth, who came back with her from the region of Moab. (Now they arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.)

THE JUDGES (SAPAT, SHAPHAT)

1. to judge, govern, vindicate, punish

   1. (Qal)

      1. to act as law-giver or judge or governor (of God, man)

         1. to rule, govern, judge

      2. to decide controversy (of God, man)

      3. to execute judgment

         1. discriminating (of man)

         2. vindicating

         3. condemning and punishing

         4. at theophanic advent for final judgment

   2. (Niphal)

      1. to enter into controversy, plead, have controversy together

      2. to be judged

   3. (Poel) judge, opponent-at-law (participle)

Strong’s Definitions [?](Strong’s Definitions Legend)

שָׁפַט shâphaṭ, shaw-fat'; a primitive root; to judge, i.e. pronounce sentence (for or against); by implication, to vindicate or punish; by extenssion, to govern; passively, to litigate (literally or figuratively):— avenge, × that condemn, contend, defend, execute (judgment), (be a) judge(-ment), × needs, plead, reason, rule.

ELOHIM - GODS, JUDGES

1. 1. ds

2. (plural intensive - singular meaning)

   1. god, goddess

   2. godlike one

   3. works or special possessions of God

   4. the (true) God

   5. God

Strong’s Definitions [?](Strong’s Definitions Legend)

אֱלֹהִים ʼĕlôhîym, el-o-heem'; plural of H433; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative:—angels, ×exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), × (very) great, judges, × mighty.

Orpah returns to her people (Am) and her gods (Elohim).  

In other words, she returns to her tribe (Am) and her judges (Elohim).

AM - PEOPLE, TRIBE, NATION

1. 1. persons, members of one's people, compatriots, country-men

2. kinsman, kindred

Strong’s Definitions [?](Strong’s Definitions Legend)

עַם ʻam, am; from H6004; a people (as a congregated unit); specifically, a tribe (as those of Israel); hence (collectively) troops or attendants; figuratively, a flock:—folk, men, nation, people.

More resources on RUTH:

Ruth was not a Moabite https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1238539-ruth-was-not-a-moabite-sunday-night-lesson:

FYI, I do NOT agree with the Black Hebrew Israelites that they are the Israelites of the Bible.  I do agree with their work on Ruth!

Watch this incredible VIDEO teaching on Ruth was an Israelite. https://youtu.be/FodQ-iPyl5I

RUTH WAS AN ISRAELITE - VIDEO

 https://youtu.be/UWA0a0vgG_4?si=omNzetGyQ6CYqYKB

READ this great article on how RUTH WAS AN ISRAELITE 

https://trueisraelite.com/100-proof-ruth-was-an-israelite-biblical-truth-with-maps/true-israelite-basic/

A Biblical basis for ladies getting a man from the book of Ruth & a KING from Esther

https://tueseahkiong.blogspot.com/2020/04/biblical-basis-for-ladies-getting-man.html