From “Enemy” to “Kinship”: Covenant Dynamics in Rahab’s Narrative in Joshua 2

Abstract

This article examines the narrative of Rahab in Joshua 2, with particular attention to her transition from “enemy” to covenant “kinship” within the Israelite community. The paper addresses the interpretive tension between Rahab’s Canaanite identity and her incorporation into Israel’s covenant community, despite divine commands for the destruction (herem) of the Canaanites. The research employed literary-theological and exegetical methods to demonstrate how covenantal motifs subvert ethnic boundaries within the African/Ghanaian context. It explored key themes such as “enemy,” “kinship,” and covenant and offers exegetical analysis of the passage in light of these themes. The study concluded with theological implications in the Ghanaian context. Key highlights include Rahab’s recognition of Israel’s God, her courageous protection of the spies, and the covenant established using the scarlet cord symbol, which led to her inclusion in the Israelite community. The central argument is that Rahab’s story functions as a counter-narrative within the conquest tradition, showing that God’s covenant rests on faith and allegiance to YHWH rather than ethnicity or geography. The paper has implications for contemporary African/Ghanaian understandings of divine mercy, social solidarity, and faith-based community. It contributes to covenant theology and biblical scholarship, bridging textual exegesis with local cultural paradigms, and offering insights into divine mercy, social solidarity, and faith-based community in contemporary Ghanaian contexts.