Joshua 2:6 (KJV)

What does Joshua 2:6 mean?

Joshua 2:6 tells the reader that Rahab had already taken steps to protect the two Israelite scouts being sought in Jericho. She had hidden them on the roof of her house beneath flax stalks she had arranged there, keeping the men out of sight.

The narrator gives the reader information that the king’s messengers do not have. After Rahab tells them in verse 5 that the men have left, verse 6 reveals where the men actually are. The arranged stalks provide a cover on the roof.

The Hebrew behind Joshua 2:6

• “stalks” — עֵץ (ʿets): The word can refer to wood or a woody stem. Together with “flax,” it points to the plant’s stems rather than finished cloth.
• “order” — עָרַךְ (ʿarakh): The word carries the sense of arranging or setting things out. It pictures the flax as material Rahab had laid out on the roof, rather than a pile mentioned only as a hiding place.

Why Joshua 2:6 matters

• The verse lets the reader understand Rahab’s reply to the king’s messengers. Her statement that the men had gone out, in verse 5, stands in contrast to the narrator’s account of their hiding place.
• The detail about flax gives the hiding place a concrete setting. Flax stems could be laid out as part of preparing the plant’s fibers for use in cloth.
• The roof becomes important again in verse 8. Rahab goes up to speak with the men there before they settle down for the night.