I did research a few years ago on this woman Rahab, from the book of Joshua chapter 2, one of the great...great..... grandmother of our Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus. This Gentile woman??, according to the flesh in our Lord's genealogy, converted to the truth, and faith, of the only living God. I question the title, or stigma that refer to her as a harlot. the research lead me away from this title, that I believe she received in error. she have carried this title, through out the bible, and way too long. Just like Mary Magdalene, she was always referred to as a prostitute, until the church in this century corrected the mistake. I ask in the name of the Lord Jesus, have we also made an error in judgment on this woman also?, I only ask.
The Questionwhat was the occupation of Rahab, Prostitute/Harlot or Innkeeper?. I have heard many explanation concerning this woman. so lets start with the word translation of the title in question, prostitute. “ZONAH” which laterally means prostitute, so why use the word. “ZONAH”,and not the word used in the translation, which is "Zanah"?. this word Zonah is a cognate of the verb Zanah. cognate means, akin; related. or a noun functioning as the object of a verb to which it is etymologically related, as in think a thought or sing a song. the Chaldee Targum understood the term, and has therefore translated it ittetha pundekitha, a woman, a TAVERN-KEEPER. Now my question is, why the Targum rendered it this way, and not the bible?. I have my reason, which I'll explaine later.
the word in modern Hebrew, “ZOON”, ZON, or “ZUN” which laterally not literally, but laterally, means to furnish food, is rendered innkeeper or hostess.
An innkeeper?. I was looking at the word for harlot/prostitute, and innkeeper in contrast. looking at verse 6 of chapter 2. it states, “But she had brought them up to the roof of the house, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof”. This flax, I look up and this really open up my research. flax was used in making a lot of things. but here in our topic it was used for making, cloths, or clothing, and most important here, linen. that got my attention. so, this woman was in the clothing, or linen business. if linen, Why?. To be in the innkeeper business you need fresh clean linen, daily. This woman was very industrial, Look at proverb 31:13 “She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands”. This scripture is about a virtuous woman? hummmmm.
But what's interesting is this, the history of flax and its use. the making of cloths, or clothing, and linen from flax goes back to a famous city in Egypt, name “ZOAN”. Do this word looks like another word?, yes, “ZONAH” which means, that's right harlot.
now this history below is not set in stone yet, so don't hold me to it, ok..
But what's again interesting, is the original name of this city, “Avaris”. so the question?, What's so important about Avaris. It was the capital city where a famous Hebrew Pharaoh, yes a Hebrew Pharaoh ruler. Know his name?, “Yosef “ yes, Joseph the son of Jacob?. This is the place where the people called Hykos lived and Yosef ruled them. I believe these people called Hykos is the children of Israel (Jacob). please don't hold me to this yet, because archeologist is still in the process of confirming this. if you read the Bible the name Rahab is used as an emblem of Egypt. Psalms 87:4 and Psalms 89:10. and so on. knowing this, a question comes to mind, is this woman, Rahab, really a Hykos?, Living in Jericho. hummmm.
let's go back to the book of Joshua. the very first verse in chapter 2. Joshua sent two spies, notice secretly, not just to spy the land, but was to spy secretly. it not spying secretly, already?. so why add secretly to spying?. unless, (?????????, I'll hold this for last).
lets look again at the title in question, "Harlot", that is given to Rahab. this word Harlot carries a different meaning depending on how it's used. example. sometimes we might have to use an old English dictionary to get to the root meaning of old English words, especially if using the KJV. and to understand these words, and their meaning, and way of thinking. one needs an old English Dictionary for help.
Noah Webster's 1828 Dictionary of American English: H`ARLOT, n.
1. A woman who prostitutes her body for hire; a prostitute; a common woman.
2. In Scripture, one who forsakes the true God and worships idols. Isa 1.
3. A servant; a rogue; a cheat.
H`ARLOT, a. Wanton; lewd; low; base.
H`ARLOT, v.i. To practice lewdness.
HAR’LOT, noun. 1. a woman who prostitutes her body for hire; 2. a base person
HAR’LOT, adjective. wanton; lewd; low; base.
a while back, a person once told me quote, "I need to pick up, and read a Hebrew bible", to see what the Hebrew say directly. well I did, online. and in this research I found that a Hebrew bible states the word in Joshua 2:1 , in our bibles, "harlot", is translated as innkeeper. here is what it said. 1. "And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men out of Shittim to spy secretly, saying, Go see the land and Jericho. And they went, and came to the house of an innkeeper named Rahab, and they lay there".
this can be found at the site. http://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/15786 Chabad.org Libary a Jewish bible web site.
ok, I got the Hebrew 911 on Rahab, she's an innkeeper. but I need a second witness to confirm this. I came across another web site called the, "The Samaritan Chronicle". Or The Book of Joshua, the son of Nun. Translated from the Arabic, by Oliver Turnbull Crane, M.A. John B. Alden, Publisher, New York, 1890. please read the preface first.
in chapter 13 it gives the account of the two spies that was sent out. and it also gives the account of the two spies with Rahab. see how they describe her. here is the web site. http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/sam/chron1.htm read for yourself.
I believe totally in Gods Word, the bible. It's just the translators I question. to be human is to error. or REALLY?.
this is my question. just looking over the material presented, just maybe, again, maybe the two word mention before. " ZOAN”, and “ZONAH”, could have been misread or mistranslated. here's my theory on this. in old English, a lot of people was named by their work or the profession they was in. Family names and last names whose origin relates to a trade or occupation are one of the four most common categories of surname, along with last names. Examples: the name "Smith", a blacksmith, for shoeing horses. it was the universal method of transport, and all horses needed shoes then. "Arkwright" comes from the makers of chests, or arks. The surname "Dymond", meaning dairyman. so my reasoning, is this, Rahab profession/occupation could have been misread/translated?. that's all what I'm asking, a second look at this woman occupation. or,what if this woman Rahab, her occupation was NOT a mistake, but a cover up?. lets first look at it as a mistake. to understand this mistake, yes this is the word I will use for now, "MISTAKE". I'll use capital letters in the word, because it was a big mistake. or, ? ????? ?? something else?. I don't believe, and I hope not, that it was intentionally made, to mislead. but these are my finding.
let's look at the scripture again. Joshua chapter 2 verse one, one more time. "And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot's house, named Rahab, and lodged there".
the word used in the verse, "Harlot", is the word Zanah. H2181, and not the word Zonah, which is the cognate, which is translated in the new testament as "porne",G4204. check it out in your bibles. so what is the difference. to put it in layman terms, Zonah, A Female who engage in sexual transgression outside of marriage (one who is not married). Zanah, A Female who engage in sexual transgression who is married, outside the confines of marriage, (one who is married). now just from these definition alone, we can see that we have a problem. the word for Rahab in verse 1 as Harlot is Zanah. if you look at the definition below, and the ones given above, you must have a mate, or be married to render you as a Zanah. question?. was Rehab married then?. the answer is NO. that's the problem, Rehab at the time in question was not married. so she couldn't be a Zanah, because a Zanah, is a married person, and Rehab wasn't married at the time. so right there we can see the problem. a translation problem. there is a difference of a person who commits a sexual sin who's in a marriage and one whose not.
H2181 זָנָה zanah (zaw-naw') v.
1. to commit adultery (usually of the female, and less often of simple fornication, rarely of involuntary ravishment)
2. (figuratively) to commit idolatry (the Jewish people being regarded as the spouse of Jehovah)
[a primitive root (highly-fed and therefore wanton)]
KJV: (cause to) commit fornication, X continually, X great, (be an, play the) harlot, (cause to be, play the) whore, (commit, fall to) whoredom, (cause to) go a-whoring, whorish.
"zanah" (whoring) refer to any sexual relations with someone other than their spouse.
"Zonah" (prostitute) referring to anyone in a sexual relations, non-married.
G4204 πόρνη porne (por'-nay) n.
1. a prostitute, a sex worker
2. (by extension) one who deliberately stimulates or fulfills unwedded sexual desire by dress, speech or conduct
3. (figuratively) an idolater
[feminine of G4205]
KJV: harlot, whore
Root(s): G4205
did you see it. look at the second definition. see the words fulfills unwedded sexual desires. there it is unwedded sexual desires. the problem is this, a Zanah is wedded. so the word Zonah should have been used, which is (fornication), and not Zanah (Adultery).
Now, how do the definition of the new testament Greek word "Porne", G4204, relates to Rehab and the word Zanah. since the new testament word porne covers prostitute, and harlot. either for gain or lust. so that should cover Rahab, right. wrong, and here's why. the translation said she was a Zanah. but that word and definition is only for the married who indulges in sexual intercourse outside the marriage. so that eliminate Rahab from the married sexual arena all together. because as stated she was not married at that time. so the mis-translation do not apply to Rahab. lets see why not.
in the new testament there is the Greek definitions that covers, adultery, and fornication. lets have a look see.
Galatians 5:19 " Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness". if you will notice that fornication is the Greek word G4204 πόρνη porne (por'-nay) n.
1. a prostitute, a sex worker
2. (by extension) one who deliberately stimulates or fulfills unwedded sexual desire by dress, speech or conduct
3. (figuratively) an idolater
[feminine of G4205]
KJV: harlot, whore
Root(s): G4205
and the Greek word for adultery is G3430 μοιχεία moicheia (moy-khei'-ah) n.
1. adultery
[from G3431]
KJV: adultery
Root(s): G3431
now these two words is totally different as you can see. so why use G4204 πόρνη porne (por'-nay) in reference to Rahab, when you have a word to describe both sin perfectly, and correctly?. I'll speak on that later.
Now a little teaching, lets look at this Greek word G4204 πόρνη porne (por'-nay) n. again in new testament scripture, the word is used, which is very well known. Matthews 19:9 " And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery".
right off the bat, most Christians, and unlearned people would say. see fornication is for married people too. answer, NO. In some passages of scriptures, the context is referring to "Doctrine" and NOT the sexual sins of the same name. for farther study on this go to this web site. http://www.rmsbibleengineering.com/Page2/Adultery/Page2_1.html
back to the topic. if you will notice that the definition is concerning doctrine. Jesus here is teaching doctrine. and there are two words we need to look at in reference to the act, or the doctrine of both acts. "fornication and adultery". there is a differences in these words. so why would the new testament translators apply the word G4204 πόρνη porne (por'-nay), to Rahab. knowing full well that the word from the definition that was translated do not apply to her as such. I have a Theory for that, only a theory, ok.
#1. when they translated the Old testament word for harlot, they missed read the text. I hope so.
#2. a deliberated use of the word to hide or to keep secret something.
#3. to cover up a mistake in a previous translation in the old testament. by using, "porne", which would cover all forms of sexual misconduct including the one they mistranslated, and put it on Rahab. thinking that no one would notice it. just like with Mary Madelene?. well, not me.
what's left is her occupation in question. could it be a mistranslated word as well?, and MISTAKEN the word for another description, of her occupation?.
1. the word for food (מזון, "mazon", literally means ‘nourisher’. “ZOON”, ZON, or “ZUN”. here's a take from morden Hebrew, זונה (pron. ‘zonah‘), (see which word they uesd for the new testament translation), and is used for the English word ‘prostitute’ in modern Israeli society. Is this what it always meant? Actually, no. The root of the word (זנה) is related to the word for food (מזון, ‘mazon‘) and literally means ‘nourisher. just like the Chaldee Targum understood the term, "nourisher".
I have 2 personal theory on this. is this an occupation mis-translation. flax and its use. the making of cloths and linen. going back to a famous city in Egypt, name “ZOAN”. and the word, “ZONAH”, which means harlot. see the similarity.
1st. Conclusion, from a sexual unlawful transgression stand point of view. this research disprove that she was a harlot. if Rahab was not a harlot, why should we continue to call our Lord and savior great grandmother....... back then according to the flesh, a whore/Harlot. that would be disrespectful. so, could, just could it be that the apostles were saying in the book of Hebrews and James concerning, "Rehab" that this Innkeeper had great FAITH?. and not the Harlot.
now my second personal theory. Looking at all that has been said , could this be the best kept military spy mission in the history of the bible or even in the world. A secret operation that has been kept secret even unto this day?. Who would have suspected a woman spy in that day and time. Could Rahab had use this cover as an innkeeper to help the spies to gather critical information on the city?.
what you think, or believe?.
May God bless.
The Question
the word in modern Hebrew, “ZOON”, ZON, or “ZUN” which laterally not literally, but laterally, means to furnish food, is rendered innkeeper or hostess.
An innkeeper?. I was looking at the word for harlot/prostitute, and innkeeper in contrast. looking at verse 6 of chapter 2. it states, “But she had brought them up to the roof of the house, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof”. This flax, I look up and this really open up my research. flax was used in making a lot of things. but here in our topic it was used for making, cloths, or clothing, and most important here, linen. that got my attention. so, this woman was in the clothing, or linen business. if linen, Why?. To be in the innkeeper business you need fresh clean linen, daily. This woman was very industrial, Look at proverb 31:13 “She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands”. This scripture is about a virtuous woman? hummmmm.
But what's interesting is this, the history of flax and its use. the making of cloths, or clothing, and linen from flax goes back to a famous city in Egypt, name “ZOAN”. Do this word looks like another word?, yes, “ZONAH” which means, that's right harlot.
now this history below is not set in stone yet, so don't hold me to it, ok..
But what's again interesting, is the original name of this city, “Avaris”. so the question?, What's so important about Avaris. It was the capital city where a famous Hebrew Pharaoh, yes a Hebrew Pharaoh ruler. Know his name?, “Yosef “ yes, Joseph the son of Jacob?. This is the place where the people called Hykos lived and Yosef ruled them. I believe these people called Hykos is the children of Israel (Jacob). please don't hold me to this yet, because archeologist is still in the process of confirming this. if you read the Bible the name Rahab is used as an emblem of Egypt. Psalms 87:4 and Psalms 89:10. and so on. knowing this, a question comes to mind, is this woman, Rahab, really a Hykos?, Living in Jericho. hummmm.
let's go back to the book of Joshua. the very first verse in chapter 2. Joshua sent two spies, notice secretly, not just to spy the land, but was to spy secretly. it not spying secretly, already?. so why add secretly to spying?. unless, (?????????, I'll hold this for last).
lets look again at the title in question, "Harlot", that is given to Rahab. this word Harlot carries a different meaning depending on how it's used. example. sometimes we might have to use an old English dictionary to get to the root meaning of old English words, especially if using the KJV. and to understand these words, and their meaning, and way of thinking. one needs an old English Dictionary for help.
Noah Webster's 1828 Dictionary of American English: H`ARLOT, n.
1. A woman who prostitutes her body for hire; a prostitute; a common woman.
2. In Scripture, one who forsakes the true God and worships idols. Isa 1.
3. A servant; a rogue; a cheat.
H`ARLOT, a. Wanton; lewd; low; base.
H`ARLOT, v.i. To practice lewdness.
HAR’LOT, noun. 1. a woman who prostitutes her body for hire; 2. a base person
HAR’LOT, adjective. wanton; lewd; low; base.
a while back, a person once told me quote, "I need to pick up, and read a Hebrew bible", to see what the Hebrew say directly. well I did, online. and in this research I found that a Hebrew bible states the word in Joshua 2:1 , in our bibles, "harlot", is translated as innkeeper. here is what it said. 1. "And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men out of Shittim to spy secretly, saying, Go see the land and Jericho. And they went, and came to the house of an innkeeper named Rahab, and they lay there".
this can be found at the site. http://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/15786 Chabad.org Libary a Jewish bible web site.
ok, I got the Hebrew 911 on Rahab, she's an innkeeper. but I need a second witness to confirm this. I came across another web site called the, "The Samaritan Chronicle". Or The Book of Joshua, the son of Nun. Translated from the Arabic, by Oliver Turnbull Crane, M.A. John B. Alden, Publisher, New York, 1890. please read the preface first.
in chapter 13 it gives the account of the two spies that was sent out. and it also gives the account of the two spies with Rahab. see how they describe her. here is the web site. http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/sam/chron1.htm read for yourself.
I believe totally in Gods Word, the bible. It's just the translators I question. to be human is to error. or REALLY?.
this is my question. just looking over the material presented, just maybe, again, maybe the two word mention before. " ZOAN”, and “ZONAH”, could have been misread or mistranslated. here's my theory on this. in old English, a lot of people was named by their work or the profession they was in. Family names and last names whose origin relates to a trade or occupation are one of the four most common categories of surname, along with last names. Examples: the name "Smith", a blacksmith, for shoeing horses. it was the universal method of transport, and all horses needed shoes then. "Arkwright" comes from the makers of chests, or arks. The surname "Dymond", meaning dairyman. so my reasoning, is this, Rahab profession/occupation could have been misread/translated?. that's all what I'm asking, a second look at this woman occupation. or,what if this woman Rahab, her occupation was NOT a mistake, but a cover up?. lets first look at it as a mistake. to understand this mistake, yes this is the word I will use for now, "MISTAKE". I'll use capital letters in the word, because it was a big mistake. or, ? ????? ?? something else?. I don't believe, and I hope not, that it was intentionally made, to mislead. but these are my finding.
let's look at the scripture again. Joshua chapter 2 verse one, one more time. "And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot's house, named Rahab, and lodged there".
the word used in the verse, "Harlot", is the word Zanah. H2181, and not the word Zonah, which is the cognate, which is translated in the new testament as "porne",G4204. check it out in your bibles. so what is the difference. to put it in layman terms, Zonah, A Female who engage in sexual transgression outside of marriage (one who is not married). Zanah, A Female who engage in sexual transgression who is married, outside the confines of marriage, (one who is married). now just from these definition alone, we can see that we have a problem. the word for Rahab in verse 1 as Harlot is Zanah. if you look at the definition below, and the ones given above, you must have a mate, or be married to render you as a Zanah. question?. was Rehab married then?. the answer is NO. that's the problem, Rehab at the time in question was not married. so she couldn't be a Zanah, because a Zanah, is a married person, and Rehab wasn't married at the time. so right there we can see the problem. a translation problem. there is a difference of a person who commits a sexual sin who's in a marriage and one whose not.
H2181 זָנָה zanah (zaw-naw') v.
1. to commit adultery (usually of the female, and less often of simple fornication, rarely of involuntary ravishment)
2. (figuratively) to commit idolatry (the Jewish people being regarded as the spouse of Jehovah)
[a primitive root (highly-fed and therefore wanton)]
KJV: (cause to) commit fornication, X continually, X great, (be an, play the) harlot, (cause to be, play the) whore, (commit, fall to) whoredom, (cause to) go a-whoring, whorish.
"zanah" (whoring) refer to any sexual relations with someone other than their spouse.
"Zonah" (prostitute) referring to anyone in a sexual relations, non-married.
G4204 πόρνη porne (por'-nay) n.
1. a prostitute, a sex worker
2. (by extension) one who deliberately stimulates or fulfills unwedded sexual desire by dress, speech or conduct
3. (figuratively) an idolater
[feminine of G4205]
KJV: harlot, whore
Root(s): G4205
did you see it. look at the second definition. see the words fulfills unwedded sexual desires. there it is unwedded sexual desires. the problem is this, a Zanah is wedded. so the word Zonah should have been used, which is (fornication), and not Zanah (Adultery).
Now, how do the definition of the new testament Greek word "Porne", G4204, relates to Rehab and the word Zanah. since the new testament word porne covers prostitute, and harlot. either for gain or lust. so that should cover Rahab, right. wrong, and here's why. the translation said she was a Zanah. but that word and definition is only for the married who indulges in sexual intercourse outside the marriage. so that eliminate Rahab from the married sexual arena all together. because as stated she was not married at that time. so the mis-translation do not apply to Rahab. lets see why not.
in the new testament there is the Greek definitions that covers, adultery, and fornication. lets have a look see.
Galatians 5:19 " Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness". if you will notice that fornication is the Greek word G4204 πόρνη porne (por'-nay) n.
1. a prostitute, a sex worker
2. (by extension) one who deliberately stimulates or fulfills unwedded sexual desire by dress, speech or conduct
3. (figuratively) an idolater
[feminine of G4205]
KJV: harlot, whore
Root(s): G4205
and the Greek word for adultery is G3430 μοιχεία moicheia (moy-khei'-ah) n.
1. adultery
[from G3431]
KJV: adultery
Root(s): G3431
now these two words is totally different as you can see. so why use G4204 πόρνη porne (por'-nay) in reference to Rahab, when you have a word to describe both sin perfectly, and correctly?. I'll speak on that later.
Now a little teaching, lets look at this Greek word G4204 πόρνη porne (por'-nay) n. again in new testament scripture, the word is used, which is very well known. Matthews 19:9 " And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery".
right off the bat, most Christians, and unlearned people would say. see fornication is for married people too. answer, NO. In some passages of scriptures, the context is referring to "Doctrine" and NOT the sexual sins of the same name. for farther study on this go to this web site. http://www.rmsbibleengineering.com/Page2/Adultery/Page2_1.html
back to the topic. if you will notice that the definition is concerning doctrine. Jesus here is teaching doctrine. and there are two words we need to look at in reference to the act, or the doctrine of both acts. "fornication and adultery". there is a differences in these words. so why would the new testament translators apply the word G4204 πόρνη porne (por'-nay), to Rahab. knowing full well that the word from the definition that was translated do not apply to her as such. I have a Theory for that, only a theory, ok.
#1. when they translated the Old testament word for harlot, they missed read the text. I hope so.
#2. a deliberated use of the word to hide or to keep secret something.
#3. to cover up a mistake in a previous translation in the old testament. by using, "porne", which would cover all forms of sexual misconduct including the one they mistranslated, and put it on Rahab. thinking that no one would notice it. just like with Mary Madelene?. well, not me.
what's left is her occupation in question. could it be a mistranslated word as well?, and MISTAKEN the word for another description, of her occupation?.
1. the word for food (מזון, "mazon", literally means ‘nourisher’. “ZOON”, ZON, or “ZUN”. here's a take from morden Hebrew, זונה (pron. ‘zonah‘), (see which word they uesd for the new testament translation), and is used for the English word ‘prostitute’ in modern Israeli society. Is this what it always meant? Actually, no. The root of the word (זנה) is related to the word for food (מזון, ‘mazon‘) and literally means ‘nourisher. just like the Chaldee Targum understood the term, "nourisher".
I have 2 personal theory on this. is this an occupation mis-translation. flax and its use. the making of cloths and linen. going back to a famous city in Egypt, name “ZOAN”. and the word, “ZONAH”, which means harlot. see the similarity.
1st. Conclusion, from a sexual unlawful transgression stand point of view. this research disprove that she was a harlot. if Rahab was not a harlot, why should we continue to call our Lord and savior great grandmother....... back then according to the flesh, a whore/Harlot. that would be disrespectful. so, could, just could it be that the apostles were saying in the book of Hebrews and James concerning, "Rehab" that this Innkeeper had great FAITH?. and not the Harlot.
now my second personal theory. Looking at all that has been said , could this be the best kept military spy mission in the history of the bible or even in the world. A secret operation that has been kept secret even unto this day?. Who would have suspected a woman spy in that day and time. Could Rahab had use this cover as an innkeeper to help the spies to gather critical information on the city?.
what you think, or believe?.
May God bless.
. Lord help your People.
