Image Details

Biblioteca Nazionale, Florence, Italy/Art Resource, NY

Two Israelite spies hide out in the house of Rahab, in a 15th-century Italian illumination by Belbello da Pavia. Spies in enemy territory often require the help of someone on the inside. When Joshua sent two spies to Jericho to gather information to help him decide when to invade the city, they took refuge with Rahab, who ran either an inn or bordello (the Bible is unclear which, but traditionally Rahab has been called a “harlot.”)