Greek word · G4477

Ῥαχάβ

rachab

Rahab

A personal name from Hebrew Raḥav (רָחָב), 'broad, wide'. In the Old Testament it belongs only to the woman of Jericho (Josh 2; 6:17–25). That name is spelled differently from the Rahab ('arrogance', רַהַב) that is a poetic name for a sea monster or Egypt (Ps 87:4; Isa 51:9).

Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

A woman living before Israel's Monarchy, first mentioned at Jos.2.1;

mother of: Boaz (H1162)(?)

§ Rahab, "spacious, broad"

Rachab, (Proper name), indeclinable, Matthew 1:5*

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Matthew 1:5

Range of meaning

A personal name from Hebrew Raḥav (רָחָב), 'broad, wide'. In the Old Testament it belongs only to the woman of Jericho (Josh 2; 6:17–25). That name is spelled differently from the Rahab ('arrogance', רַהַב) that is a poetic name for a sea monster or Egypt (Ps 87:4; Isa 51:9).

Against the English

Most versions print 'Rahab', which correctly ties her to Joshua. The KJV's 'Rachab' copies Matthew's Greek spelling, so many readers miss that she is the Jericho woman.

Used elsewhere in the period

Joshua 2:1 calls her a zonah, a prostitute. The Septuagint renders this πόρνη (pornē), and Hebrews 11:31 and James 2:25 call her 'Raab the prostitute'. Josephus spells her name Rhachabē and describes her house as an inn (Antiquities 5.1.2). The Aramaic Targum of Joshua also calls her an innkeeper. Some ancient Jews softened her past this way, but the Hebrew word plainly means prostitute. In later rabbinic tradition (Sifre Numbers 78; Babylonian Talmud, Megillah 14b) she is the model convert. That tradition marries her to Joshua and makes her the ancestor of priests and prophets, including Jeremiah and Huldah. No surviving Jewish source except Matthew connects her with Salmon. 1 Clement 12 (around AD 96) praises her for faith and hospitality.

Where it appears

Matthew · 1

  1. Matthew 1:5 Ῥαχάβ· Rahab;

    Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse,

    Here: Almost certainly the Canaanite woman of Jericho who hid Israel's spies (Joshua 2; 6). She is a foreigner and a former prostitute who joined Israel. Matthew's spelling differs from the 'Raab' of Hebrews and James.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.