The Greek that is translated as “justify” in English is translated into Tzotzil in two different ways. One of those is with Lec xij’ilatotic yu’un Dios ta sventa ti ta xc’ot ta o’ntonal ta xch’unel ti Jesucristoe (“we are seen well by God because of our faith in Jesus Christ”) (source: Aeilts, p. 118) and the other is “God sees as righteous” (source: Ellis Deibler in Notes on Translation July, 1967, p. 5ff.).
Other (back-) translations include:
Bilua: “straigthened” (Romans 3:20: “Nobody can be straightened in God’s presence…”) (source: Carl Gross) (see also: righteous)
Makonde: “”to be good in God’s eyes” (in the context of being made righteous by God) ” (note that righteous / righteousness is translated as “to be good in God’s eyes” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)
Manikion: “heart sits next to Jesus” (source: Daud Soesilo)
Obolo: ben itip-oyerebet isan̄a: “take away condemnation” (source: Enene Enene)
The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “messenger” in English is translated in Noongar as moort yana-waangki or “person walk-talk” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).
The Hebrew and Greek that is transliterated as “Rahab” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the sign for “prostitute” referring to Joshua 2:1. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
The Greek, Latin, and Hebrew that is typically translated as “prostitute” in English (in some, mostly earlier translation also as “harlot” or “whore”) is translated in the 2024 revision of the inter-confessional LatvianJauna Pārstrādāta latviešu Bībele as netikle or “hussy.” This replaced the previous translation mauka or “whore.” Nikita Andrejevs, editor of the Bible explains the previous and current translations: “The translators at the time felt that this strong word best described the thought contained in the main text. Many had objections, as it seemed that this word would not be the most appropriate for public reading in church.” (Source: Updated Bible published in Latvia ).
Other translations include:
Bariai: “a woman of the road” (source: Bariai Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “a woman who sells her body” (source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
Uma: “a woman whose behavior is not appropriate” or “a loose woman” (source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “a bad woman” (source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “a woman who make money through their reputation” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “a woman who makes money with her body” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “a woman whose womanhood is repeatedly-bought” (source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Following are a number of back-translations of James 2:25:
Uma: “So also [is] the account of Rahab, the woman long ago whose actions were unseemly. Several Yahudi soldiers were ordered to go reconnoiter/spy in the enemies’ village, and this Rahab is the one who invited-them-to-stop-in her house and helped them leave going-on another road. It was from that good behavior of hers that she was treated-like a straight person.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Likewise also Rahab of old. In the beginning she was a bad woman (immoral implicit). But she was reckoned straight/righteous by God because of the good she did. She hid in her house the people of the tribe of Isra’il who spied. And then she sent them home following a different road so that they wouldn’t be found by their enemies.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Just like that also was the faith of Rahab, the woman long ago whose reputation was bad. The reason God considered her to be righteous was because there were good actions of hers, for she brought into her house the messengers of Joshua. And she helped them to escape by means of a different way.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “It’s also like Rahab who was a prostitute long ago. God counted her as righteous on account of the good that she did to the Jews whom God sent to spy on her town/country. Because she showed-them -hospitality and she also showed them the path-they -would-take to escape.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Rahab was like that too, that woman of the past who was using her body as a source of income. For isn’t it so that, when she decided to submit to God, she happily welcomed into her home/household the two people who had been sent to survey by the Israelita? And then she gave them directions as well about the trail they were to follow so that they could run away. Well because of that which she did, which testified that her believing was genuine, she was regarded by God as righteous in his sight.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “It was like this with Rahab, the prostitute. God acquitted her of sin because of the good she did. Because the messengers of Joshua went to look over the land and arrived to where this woman lived. When the messengers were hunted, she hid them and told them to return by another way so as not to be captured.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
At this point James adds one final illustration to prove his point that faith has to be put into action in order to win God’s approval.
And in the same way serves to show that this is the second illustration to prove the same point as the first. It is possible to render the phrase as “It was the same with…” (Good News Translation), “The same is true…” (Revised English Bible), or simply “Likewise…” (New Revised Standard Version).
The next statement is cast as a rhetorical question, was not also Rahab … another way? And the expected answer is “Yes.” Rahab is a comparatively minor character in the Old Testament. She is remembered for doing two things. First, she is known as a Gentile prostitute who, in talking to the two Israelite spies, made that famous confession, “The Lord your God is God in heaven above and here on earth” (Josh 2.11, TEV). Secondly, she is also known as a foreigner who has identified herself with Israel and entered its community, and “Her descendants have lived in Israel to this day” (Josh 6.25, TEV). The choice of Rahab as an example, in contrast to Abraham, is interesting. Abraham is the father of the faithful, and Rahab is a Gentile woman and “a prostitute.” If we are convinced that a contrast between the two is intended, the clause was not also Rahab … may be rendered “was not even Rahab…” (New International Version). Other terms for harlot or “prostitute” in various languages are “woman who sells her body,” “woman of the night,” or “woman of bad reputation.”
In any case the point of the illustration is to show that Rahab too was declared righteous on the basis of the deeds that issued from her faith. To be sure, her faith is not even mentioned, but it is assumed all along. It is her faith that gave her strength and willingness to risk her life to save the messengers. Nevertheless the focus James wants his readers to see is still her deeds. The phrase justified by works has the same meaning as in verse 21. In this case Rahab’s works consisted of her friendly welcome of the Israelite spies and assisting in their escape. Here the phrase justified by works may also be expressed as “God accepted her as a good person because of the good things she did.”
The verb “to receive” in the clause she received the messengers is to be understood as “to welcome” or “to receive hospitably,” and in particular, in the event reported in Joshua 2, “to welcome into the house” (similarly Revised English Bible, here in James, “welcoming the messengers into her house,” and New International Version “gave lodging to the spies”). The messengers in the original account are described as literally “young men” (Josh 6.23), and in Heb 11.31 as “spies.” In the New Testament the term is often used of “heavenly messengers” and therefore “angels.” In the historical context the mission of the “young men” was military; they were not carrying any message but were trying to spy out Jericho city. In order to bring the meaning out more clearly in the present context, Good News Translation has rendered the clause as “by welcoming the Israelite spies” (so also Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). In languages that do not have a special term for “spies,” it will be necessary to translate the meaning; for example, “the Israelite men who secretly came to explore the land.” “Sent out” in sent them out another way is one word in Greek that means literally “to throw out”; it is not to be understood in a bad sense involving any violence, but in the sense of “to help to escape” (compare “helping them to escape,” Good News Translation). Another way means “a different route” (New American Bible, Revised English Bible), or “a different road” (Good News Translation).
An alternative translation model for this verse may be:
• A similar example is Rahab the prostitute. God accepted her because of the good thing she did. For she welcomed the Israelite men who were secretly exploring the land, and helped them to escape by another road [or, way].
Quoted with permission from Loh, I-Jin and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Letter from James. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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.
Living Water is produced for the Bible translation movement in association with Lutheran Bible Translators. Lyrics derived from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).
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