Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household, home unto thee.

JOSHUA 2:18KJV
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Joshua 2:18 (KJV)

What does Joshua 2:18 mean?

Joshua 2:18 sets out what Rahab must do when the Israelites come into the land: mark her window with a scarlet cord and gather her family inside. The cord identifies her house, and the family members gathered there are included in the promise of safety.

The two men speaking are Israelite spies whom Rahab has helped. The window matters because Rahab used it to let them down from her house. Their instructions give her a specific way to identify the place where her family will be gathered.

The Hebrew behind Joshua 2:18

  • “line” — תִּקְוָה (tiqvah): Here the word means a cord. In this setting, the cord serves as a visible marker for Rahab’s house.
  • “household” — בַּיִת (bayit): This word can mean a house or a household. Here it refers to the people belonging to her father’s family, whom Rahab is to bring into her home.

Why Joshua 2:18 matters

  • The promise of safety reaches beyond Rahab herself. The spies name her father, mother, brothers, and all her father’s household, rather than limiting the promise to her alone.
  • The instructions attach the promise to a particular place. In Joshua 2:19, the spies explain that anyone who goes outside the house will be responsible for that choice, while the men take responsibility for those inside.
  • The cord also marks Rahab’s cooperation with the agreement. Joshua 2:21 says she bound the scarlet line in the window after the men departed.

Where else these words appear

“thread” Hebrew H2339 · used in 7 verses

  • Genesis 14:23 That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:
  • 1 Kings 7:15 For he cast two pillars of brass, of eighteen cubits high apiece: and a line of twelve cubits did compass either of them about.
  • Song of Solomon 4:3 Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely: thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks.

“window” Hebrew H2474 · used in 27 verses

  • Genesis 8:6 And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made:
  • 2 Kings 9:30 And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window.
  • Ezekiel 40:22 And their windows, and their arches, and their palm trees, were after the measure of the gate that looketh toward the east; and they went up unto it by seven steps; and the arches thereof were before them.

“line” Hebrew H8615 · used in 33 verses

  • Joshua 2:21 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.
  • Job 14:19 The waters wear the stones: thou washest away the things which grow out of the dust of the earth; and thou destroyest the hope of man.
  • Proverbs 23:18 For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.

“scarlet” Hebrew H8144 · used in 42 verses

  • Genesis 38:28 And it came to pass, when she travailed, that the one put out his hand: and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first.
  • Exodus 35:23 And every man, with whom was found blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair, and red skins of rams, and badgers' skins, brought them.
  • Exodus 39:29 And a girdle of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, of needlework; as the LORD commanded Moses.