But she had brought them up to the roof, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order on the roof.
Therefore, we favor understanding Rahab as a prostitute in the ordinary sense of the word.  Our word "pornographic" comes from the Greek word applied to her in the N.T.  How, then, should we account for the declaration that, "She was an innkeeper"?[9]  We believe that men have always been reluctant to admit either their own sins, or the former sins of the saved, whether in their own case, or in that of others.  Similar efforts have been applied to the story of Mary Magdalene.  Christ came to save sinners, and it does the Lord no honor to cover up the sins of the people whom he redeemed.  It is the same foolish effort that marks the words of apologists who deny that Rahab's lie was sinful.  Holwerda, for example, in a passage quoted by Woudstra, argued that, "Truth can mean something different than agreement with fact!  It means loyalty toward the neighbor and toward the Lord!"[10] This is certainly a sinful and unlawful "crutch" to support a lie.