Musar for Joshua 2:18
הִנֵּ֛ה אֲנַ֥חְנוּ בָאִ֖ים בָּאָ֑רֶץ אֶת־תִּקְוַ֡ת חוּט֩ הַשָּׁנִ֨י הַזֶּ֜ה תִּקְשְׁרִ֗י בַּֽחַלּוֹן֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר הוֹרַדְתֵּ֣נוּ ב֔וֹ וְאֶת־אָבִ֨יךְ וְאֶת־אִמֵּ֜ךְ וְאֶת־אַחַ֗יִךְ וְאֵת֙ כָּל־בֵּ֣ית אָבִ֔יךְ תַּאַסְפִ֥י אֵלַ֖יִךְ הַבָּֽיְתָה׃
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.
Shenei Luchot HaBerit
The spies reversed the true state of affairs by reporting that the inhabitants had merits, implying Israel did not have sufficient merits. They committed one sin after another, until in the end they denied the virtues of G–d by implying that these inhabitants were mightier than G–d Himself, when they said in 13,31: "for it is stronger than He," (referring to G–d when they said ממנו.) When Joshua sent out his spies, they repaired the damage done by the ten spies in our story. That is the deeper significance of the red line that they demanded that Rahab should suspend the rope outside her window (Joshua 2,18).
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