Purpose of the Spies in Yehoshua 2/2
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Purpose of the Spies in Yehoshua 2
Exegetical Approaches
Morale Boosting Mission
The spies were sent to gauge the low morale of the Canaanites, and thereby boost the confidence of the Israelite fighting force.
The spies' report – As proof that the mission was to appraise morale, Ralbag points to the fact that the spies' report focused exclusively on the fear of the Canaanites and did not include any military data.
Biblical parallels – Ralbag compares the mission to Gidon's visit to the Midianite camp in Shofetim 7, whose sole purpose was also to instill confidence and not to gather information for battle.
"וַיִּשְׁלַח יְהוֹשֻׁעַ... מְרַגְּלִים חֶרֶשׁ " – Ralbag explains that the word "חֶרֶשׁ" relates to thought,2 rather than secrecy3 and suggests that the phrase reveals the prupose of teh mission: Yehoshua sent the men to evaluate the thoughts of the people.
Report to Yehoshua alone – If the mission's purpose was to encourage the nation, it is surprising that the report was given only to Yehoshua. Ralbag might respond that Yehoshua had learned from the debacle of Moshe's spies not to chance a negative report, and that despite the text's silence, after the secret debriefing the findings were made public.
Why visit Rachav? The choice might have been a practical one as a brothel allowed visitors to maintain their anonymity.4 Moreover, it had significant occupant turnover which would make Rachav a good source of information regarding the nation's feelings towards the Israelites.
Why sleep over? It is not clear why the spies would think it worthwhile to risk their lives by spending the night in Yericho just to appraise the morale of the people. Surely, they could have gathered such information in the day when there was no chance of being trapped in the city!
Purpose of red cord – Ralbag maintains that the cord was a response to Rachav's request for an "אוֹת אֱמֶת" (a true sign). It served as an indicator of Rachav's abode so that she would be spared during the Israelite invasion. Ralbag does not explain how such a cord would have been visible to soldiers inside the city, if it were hung on the window in the city's exterior walls.
House in the wall?
Conditions of oath – Ralbag explains that the spies made Rachav swear not reveal the pact to ensure that no residents of Yericho sought refuge in Rachav's home by intermingling with her family.
Military Mission
The spies' mission was military in nature, meant to determine how to best conquer Yericho.
