#524: Why a Sex Worker?
וַיִּשְׁלַ֣ח יְהוֹשֻֽׁעַ־בִּן־נ֠וּן מִֽן־הַשִּׁטִּ֞ים שְׁנַֽיִם־אֲנָשִׁ֤ים מְרַגְּלִים֙ חֶ֣רֶשׁ לֵאמֹ֔ר לְכ֛וּ רְא֥וּ אֶת־הָאָ֖רֶץ וְאֶת־יְרִיח֑וֹ וַיֵּ֨לְכ֜וּ וַ֠יָּבֹ֠אוּ בֵּית־אִשָּׁ֥ה זוֹנָ֛ה וּשְׁמָ֥הּ רָחָ֖ב וַיִּשְׁכְּבוּ־שָֽׁמָּה׃
Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two men from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, reconnoiter the region of Jericho.” So they set out, and they came to the house of a certain prostitute named Rahab and lodged there.
•••
Joshua sends two spies into Jericho to do undercover reconnaissance. The first thing the agents do is visit the home of a certain sex worker named Rahab. But why? Why do Israelite spies go straight to this prostitute’s home-why not at least stop for a falafel or a beer? Malbim ( bio) offers two explanations.
AND THEY CAME TO THE HOUSE OF A CERTAIN PROSTITUTE NAMED RAHAB: (2) The prostitute’s name was Rahab (the name means And because Rahab was well known among the Canaanite power brokers, she would learn all their hidden plans and secrets; the Israelite spies were able to learn from her everything that was going on in Canaan. Therefore, they did not bother to go anywhere else and spent the night there. wide-EG), and this teaches us that she was widely known by name among the elite of Canaan, as is written in the Talmud ( B. Megillah 15a)…
