Joshua 2:6Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Jericho, symbolizing this world, which will face destruction in seven days, seeks to eliminate the messengers. In this struggle, only the harlot welcomed them, not in hidden corners, but atop her roof, representing the deepest part of her faith. She covered them with linen cloths, having faith in Jesus, and thus, she saved those whom Jericho aimed to annihilate right on her own roof. She placed them on the summit of her faith and protected them with flaxen coverings. Though she may be a harlot, she offers them refuge with her linen. The flax, which is transformed through much effort and care, becomes brilliantly white. You recognize that flax emerges from the ground in a state of darkness, lacking beauty or usefulness.

If someone is on the rooftop, meaning they have reached the pinnacle of their spiritual life and the heights of virtue, they should not descend back into the worldly concerns of this life. I recall the roof where Rahab, representing both a harlot and, in a sacramental view, the Church—now joined in the communion of sacraments with the Gentiles—concealed the spies dispatched by Joshua. Had they descended to the lower levels of the house, they would have faced death at the hands of the soldiers sent to apprehend them (see Joshua 2:1-7). Thus, the roof symbolizes a lofty engagement of the mind and spirit that shields the frail condition of the body.