2:25
In 2:25, James gave a second example from the Old Testament of someone whom God declared to be righteous. This example is about a prostitute called Rahab. Her story is told in the book of Joshua in two parts: Joshua 2:1–24 and Joshua 6:22–25.
In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute justified by her actions when she welcomed the spies and sent them off on another route?: This is a rhetorical question. James used this rhetorical question to emphasize that Rahab was considered righteous for what she did.
Some ways to translate this emphasis are:
• As a rhetorical question. For example:
And similarly, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another way? (NET Bible)
• As a statement. For example:
Rahab the prostitute is another example. She was declared to be right with God by what she did when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road.
• As a statement and a question. For example:
Another example is the prostitute Rahab. She hid some messengers and then helped them escape by another road. She also was declared righteous for what she did, right?
Translate this emphasis in a way that is natural in your language. It is best to use wording that is similar to your translation of 2:21.
2:25a
In the same way: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as In the same way introduces another example that is like the example of Abraham.
Some other ways to translate this word are:
Likewise (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
Similarly
-or-
Another example is (New Century Version)
even: There are two ways to interpret the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as even:
(1) It means also. God declared Abraham righteous. He also declared Rahab righteous. For example, the NET Bible says:
was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works
(Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, English Standard Version, King James Version, New American Standard Bible, Revised English Bible, NET Bible, New Living Translation (2004 Revision), New Century Version)
(2) It means even. According to this interpretation, this word indicates something unexpected. Here it indicates that Rahab was an unlikely person to be an example of someone who was declared righteous. For example, the Contemporary English Version says:
Rahab had been a prostitute. But she pleased God…
(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision), Contemporary English Version)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) and the majority of versions.
In some languages, the translation of “in the same way” will include the idea of also. For example:
Rahab the prostitute is another example. (New Living Translation (2004 Revision))
If that is the case in your language, you will not need to translate this word explicitly.
the prostitute: A prostitute is a woman who has sex with men in exchange for money. In some cultures, the word referring to such a woman may be considered too vulgar or explicit to be read aloud in church. If that is true in your language, translate this word using a more general term. For example:
immoral woman
-or-
woman whose reputation was bad
2:25b
justified by her actions: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as justified by her actions also occurs in 2:21b. You should translate it the same way in both places. (Also, it is almost identical with the phrase in 2:24b.)
by her actions: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as by her actions here is literally “by works” (as in the Revised Standard Version). Some other ways to translate this phrase are:
because of what she did
-or-
because of her good deeds
This phrase also occurs in 2:21b.
2:25c
when she welcomed: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as welcomed means “received someone” or “welcomed someone into one’s house.” In this context, it also means “provided a place to stay and hide from the people who wanted to kill them.”
Some other ways to translate this clause are:
when she hid those messengers (New Living Translation (2004 Revision))
-or-
She welcomed the spies into her home (New Century Version)
-or-
when she gave shelter to those messengers and hid them
the spies: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as spies is literally “messengers” (as in the Revised Standard Version). In this context, it refers to men who were secretly looking at a town they hoped to conquer. Then they returned to report back to their commander.
Some other ways to translate this word are:
Israelites who secretly came to investigate her town
-or-
Jewish men sent to secretly inspect her town to see the best way to attack it
2:25d
sent them off on another route: In Joshua 2:15–16, Rahab helped the spies escape by:
(a) hanging a rope out of her window that they used to descend outside the city wall.
(b) counseling them to go into the hills and hide for three days before they returned home.
The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as route can refer to a “road” or more figuratively a “way.” A number of English versions translate this word as “road”. (See the Good News Translation, New Living Translation (2004 Revision), for example.) However, in this context it more likely refers to letting the spies out of the window by a rope. Or, this word may refer to both escaping out of the window and then hiding in the hills.
If you have a word or phrase that can refer to both escaping out of the window and going into the hills, you could use it here. Otherwise be sure that your translation can refer to the spies going out of the window.
Some ways to translate this clause are:
sent them out by another way (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
showed them a different way to leave (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
helped them to escape by getting out of the city in/by an unusual/secret way
Some people are not familiar with this Old Testament story. So you may have to make some of the information explicit. For example:
Then she sent them home a different way so that their enemies would not find them.
General Comment on 2:25a–d
In some languages, it may be clearer to say what Rahab did before saying that God considered her righteous because of it. For example:
25aAnother example is Rahab the prostitute. 25cWhen Israelite spies came to her town, she welcomed them. 25dAnd she advised them to depart another way. 25bIt was because of what she did at that time that God considered her also to be a righteous person.
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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.