Ordinary Gloss on Joshua

E
Allegory
Isa. 49
Ibid. 54
3 Kings 3
Ps. 18
Gen. 9
Gen. 27
F
G

Erunt ei. But harlots and publicans who believed were baptized. Why then did the harlot receive the scouts of Joshua, before she was snatched from the destruction of the hostile nation? Raab Rahab is interpreted as "breadth," for this is the church of Christ, which is collected from sinners as if from harlotry, and says: "The place is too narrow for me; make a place for me where I may dwell." These are the needy ones whom she has nourished, to whom it is said: "Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch out your curtains." This is the harlot to whom Solomon, who came to make peace between those who are in heaven and those who are on the earth, ordered the living infant to be returned. But the one who had the dead infant a reference to the two women claiming the same child before Solomon is the synagogue, or those who have declined into heresy. But this harlot receives the scouts of Jesus, and having received them, she places them in the higher things, namely, in the secrets of faith. For no one sent by Jesus is found dwelling below or lying on the ground, but remains in the higher things. This very woman remains in the higher things, but the son who was received from the harlot appears, for he says: "I know that the Lord has delivered this land to you," etc. You see how she who was once a private and unclean harlot is now filled with the Holy Spirit: she confesses regarding the past, she believes regarding the present, she prophesies regarding the future. Thus Rahab expands and perceives; she went out to the very end of their land. But also, she is interpreted as "breadth" because she took on the form of the Gentile in her appearance, and Canaan, the child servant, is subjected to her by the Father, and to his brother Shem, in the form of those who are saved from circumcision. In which is the wondrous kindness and providence of God, who, wishing to provide a remedy and salvation to the sinner Ham, made him a servant to his brothers, just as Esau was to his brother Jacob: not so that he might perish, but so that he might acquire salvation by obeying those who are better. For it profits the wicked much who do not know how to rule themselves, since they do not entrust themselves to themselves, but are servants of the holy and subject to those who are better. You also see much kindness of the Lord, by which He hides from the ears of the crowd, and covers with verbal thorns, lest the wicked and ungrateful servant should become a contemner, if he understood the goodness in the mercy of his Lord.

Consider the world.

And it was announced to the king of Jericho and the city of Jericho. Who, going in, entered the house of the harlot woman. Which refers to the church gathered from the nations, who were publicly fornicating with idols in the desire of the flesh. Whence: "Harlots shall precede you into the kingdom of heaven." And it was said: "Behold, men have entered here by night from the children of Israel to scout the land." And the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying: "Bring out the men who have come to you, and have entered your house; for they are scouts, and have come to observe the whole land." Taking faithfully keeping them with her. Which woman hid the men, or: I admit they came to me, but I did not know where they were from. And when the gate was closing in the darkness, and they were departing, I do not know where they went. Pursue them quickly, and you will capture them. But she made the men ascend to the solarium of her house or an attic; or places for drying flax. and covered them with the stalks of flax that were there. But those who were sent pursued them along the road that leads to the fords of the Jordan, and when they had gone out, the gate was immediately closed. The scouts had not yet fallen asleep, and behold, the woman went up to them, and said: "I know that the Lord has delivered the land to you. For the terror of you has fallen upon us, and all the inhabitants of the land have grown weak; we have heard that the Lord has dried up..."

Ni. DE LYRA

a so that he might not be recognized, as in 1 Kings 21. But the Hebrews say that they feigned themselves to be deaf and mute so that they would not be recognized by the enemies through the Hebrew language. Whence where we have: "Scouts in secret," in Hebrew it is held: "Scouts, namely, pretending to be deaf, as was said." b C "They entered the house of the woman." Some Hebrew expositors say that she was a tavern keeper, but because in truth she was a harlot, the scouts nevertheless entered her house not to fornicate with her, but to hide in the house, because such women are more apt to receive men in the evening.

Achis so that he might not be recognized, as in 1 Kings 21. But the Hebrews say that they feigned themselves to be deaf and mute so that they would not be recognized by the enemies through the Hebrew language. Whence where we have: "Scouts in secret," in Hebrew it is held: "Scouts, namely, pretending to be deaf, as was said." b C "They entered the house of the woman." Some Hebrew expositors say that she was a tavern keeper, but because in truth she was a harlot, the scouts nevertheless entered her house not to fornicate with her, but to hide in the house, because such women are more apt to receive men in the evening. Others, however, say that she had been a harlot before, but was not then, yet the name had remained with her, just as in Mark 13 it is said that Jesus reclined in the house of Simon the leper, not that he was then a leper, but that he had been before, from which leprosy he had already been healed by Christ, yet the name of leper had remained with him. But either statement seems unreasonable, because this woman was later joined in marriage to Salmon himself, as in Matthew 1, who was a prince of the nobler tribe, namely Judah. Therefore, it is not credible that he would have taken as a wife such a woman who was actually infamous, or had been. And therefore, the Chaldean translation, where we have "harlot woman," has: "Woman, the hostess." Thus the Hebrews also say. For the Hebrew name that is placed here is equivocal, to designate both a harlot and a seller of victuals, which is proper for hostesses. The Hebrews say, however, that both meanings befit Rahab herself, because in act she was a hostess, and with this she had been a fornicator at some time, or at least had been, according to some, as was said above and disapproved of as acting toward prostitution. The literal text is clear: d C "Taking, which woman." He says the scouts are hidden. For this woman, having heard the miracles which God had done for the children of Israel, believed Him to be God, and through this she perceived the promise which He had made to them concerning the land to be taken, and therefore, thinking of her own spiritual and corporal salvation and that of her kin, she saved the scouts so that through them she might be saved with her own. And this is what it says: "And the woman taking the men, hid them." And the manner which is described through this. In Hebrew, it is held thus: "She took two men and hid them." Which is explained by the Hebrews in three ways. In one way: that he puts the singular here for the plural, just as in Exodus 8, "There came a very grievous fly," meaning a multitude of flies. In another way: that the woman, hurrying to hide them, put them in such a small place that it did not seem sufficient except for one. And to figure this, he says: "She hid him." Just as in Latin there are figurative locutions, so also in Hebrew. In a third way it is explained: that some Hebrews say that these two men were Caleb and Phinehas. They also say that this Phinehas was an angel in a human body; therefore, he could stand before people and not be seen by them when he wished, and therefore he was not hidden by the woman, but Caleb was. Although this statement may be false, yet from this there is an argument against the Jews concerning the secrets Heb. 11; Jas. 2; 32 q. 1 § cum of the possibility of the incarnation. Because from the moment they concede the incarnation of an angel, they cannot fittingly deny the possibility of the divine incarnation, because God can more assume and substitute human nature than an angel can. e C "I admit they came to me." It was said, however, to the common hostess. f C "And when the gate was closing," etc. It is said she was worthy; however, it was an "officious lie," namely for the sake of her salvation and that of the scouts. g C "She, however, made the men ascend to the solarium." It is expressed in how she hid them. h C "And when they had gone out, the gate was immediately closed," namely the gate of the city. Josh. 6 So that they might not re-enter the city through the diligent inquiry of the scouts. It is explained otherwise concerning the gate of Rahab's house, that after they had gone out it was closed, so that they might not quickly return and find those hidden. i C "They had not yet fallen asleep." Here, consequently, the scouts return regarding the pact, namely that they would save Rahab and her father's house, just as she had saved them, through which they would confirm this pact with an oath. And this part is explained in a few exceptions. "They had not yet fallen asleep," because fear had taken sleep away from them. k C "I know that the Lord has delivered the land to you." L She speaks of the future by the manner of the past because of the certainty of her faith, because she held it as certain as if it were already done. The cause of which is subjoined: l C "For the terror of you has fallen upon us," that is, sent by you. And she gives the cause of this, when she says: m C "We have heard," etc. namely, their exclusion is covered.

Moral.

• Preachers of the gospel ought to have the first fruits. In token of which, the Savior sent the disciples to preach in pairs, as is had in Luke 10. As blessed Gregory explains in Homily 17. a "Who, going in, entered the house of the harlot." That is, of the Gentiles who publicly fornicate with idols. For now, the apostles entered the house, with the Jews repelling them, just as Paul and Barnabas said to them: Acts 13. "It was necessary for the word of God to be spoken to you first, but since you repel it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles; for so the Lord has commanded us." c C "It was announced to the king of Jericho." Through whom the devil is understood, who is called the John 12 prince of the world. He himself, as much as he can, seeks to exterminate the preachers of the gospel. There is an example of blessed Anthony of the Order of Friars Minor, whom the devil wanted to strangle because he had arranged to preach to the people forty times every day; but at the invocation of the blessed Virgin, he was confused and repelled. And as Rahab saved the scouts, so the Gentile world converted to Christ saves the preachers of the gospel, by sustaining them and defending them from persecutors. And similarly, the preachers of the gospel save the Gentile world, by bringing them to Christ, who is the true salvation, through their exhortations. Assessors of the hours can be called scouts, because they ought to diligently search out and examine consciences, and thus they enter the house of the harlot woman, that is, the conscience of a sinful person, which they save by reducing it to moral uprightness through their counsels, because the person thus saved saves them corporally by sustaining them. 1 Cor. 9. "If we have sown spiritual things for you, it is not a great thing if we reap your carnal things." Through the king of Jericho, who sought to kill the scouts, the devil is signified, as was said, who strives to extirpate or at least disturb not only the preachers of the gospel but also good confessors.