John Calvin Commentary Joshua 2:14

"And the men said unto her, Our life for yours, if ye utter not this our business; and it shall be, when Jehovah giveth us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee." — Joshua 2:14 (ASV)

Our life for yours, etc. They invoke death upon themselves if they do not faithfully commit themselves to saving Rahab. For the interpretation adopted by some, "We will pledge our lives," seems far-fetched or too restricted, since their intention was simply to bind themselves before God. They offer themselves, therefore, as a kind of atoning sacrifice, if any harm comes to Rahab through their negligence.

The expression, for yours, should undoubtedly be extended to her parents, brothers, and sisters. They therefore make their own lives liable in such a way that their blood may be required of them if Rahab's family does not remain safe.

And in this lies the sanctity of an oath: that even if its violation escapes punishment from men, yet God, having been called upon as a witness, will hold them accountable for their treachery. In Hebrew, "to do mercy and truth" is equivalent to acting with humanity faithfully, sincerely, and steadfastly.

A condition, however, is added: that Rahab must not divulge what they have said. This was added not because of distrust, as is usually explained, but only to make Rahab more cautious for her own sake. The warning, therefore, was given in good faith and stemmed from pure goodwill, for there was a danger that Rahab might betray herself by revealing it.

In short, they show how important it is that the matter should remain, so to speak, secret, lest she, by carelessly speaking of the agreement, might expose herself to capital punishment. In this, they show that they were sincerely concerned for her safety, since they caution her so early against doing anything that might make it impossible for them to help her.

In their further distinct stipulation that no one should go out of the house, or else they would be held blameless, we can draw the important lesson that in making oaths, seriousness should be carefully observed, so that we do not profane God's name by making empty promises about anything.

Rahab's advice to turn aside into the mountains and remain there quietly for three days shows that there is no conflict between faith and taking precautions against obvious dangers. There is no doubt that the messengers crept off to the mountains in great fear, and yet the confidence they had gained from God's remarkable intervention on their behalf directed their steps and did not allow them to lose their presence of mind.

Some have raised the question: if it is criminal to climb over walls, could it be lawful to leave the city by a window? But it should be observed, first, that city walls were not sacred everywhere, because not every city had a Romulus who could use the climbing of a wall as a pretext for slaying his brother.

And secondly, that law, as Cicero reminds us, was to be tempered by equity, since someone who climbed a wall to repel an enemy would be more deserving of reward than punishment.

The purpose of the law is to keep the citizens secure through the protection of the walls. Therefore, someone who climbed over the walls—not from contempt, insolence, or fraud, nor in a riotous manner, but under the duress of necessity—could not justly be charged with a capital offense on that account.

If it is objected that such an act sets a bad example, I admit it; but when the aim is to save one's life from injury, violence, or robbery—provided it is done without offense or harm to anyone—necessity excuses it.

It cannot be charged against Paul as a crime that when his life was in danger at Damascus, he was let down in a basket, since he was divinely permitted to escape, without commotion, from the violence and cruelty of wicked men.