Joshua 2:17-21

"And the men said unto her, We will be guiltless of this thine oath which thou hast made us to swear. Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt gather unto thee into the house thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household. And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we shall be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him. But if thou utter this our business, then we shall be guiltless of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear. And she said, according to your words so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window."

Joshua 2:21 indicates that the previous conversation back through Joshua 2:16 came before the woman sent them away. Anyone with even an elementary understanding of ancient writings should have no trouble understanding what is written here. "There is no reason for visualizing two sources here, nor for supposing that this conversation took place `while the spies were dangling from a rope'" (As alleged by Boling),[25] as stated by John Lilley.[26]

That "scarlet thread" so prominent in this narrative was surely a very strong and efficient rope, capable of carrying the weight of a man. A red rope is certainly unusual, and we cannot entirely overlook the connotation throughout history of the color red, often associated with brothels. "The red light district" is an expression still known in many places.

As to the time when the woman might have bound the scarlet thread in the window, we agree with Keil that, "She did so when it became necessary."[27]