Rahab, Abraham, and the Celestial Messengers

James praises Rahab for receiving the messengers. The Greek word he uses is aggelos - and that is also the word used in the Septuagint for angel.
The same ambiguity sits in the Hebrew of Joshua. The men Rahab hid are malakim, which means messengers, and also means angels. The text does not resolve it for you.
That is worth noticing rather than forcing. Israel's Scriptures are full of moments where a messenger turns out to be more than a man, and the vocabulary deliberately keeps the door open.
James's other point is the one not to lose. Rahab's works are not merit earned; they are loyalty expressed. She acted on what she had come to believe about Yahweh.
Scripture links:
- Joshua 6:25 - Rahab is spared because she hid the messengers.
- James 2:24-25 - Rahab justified by what she did.
A Canaanite innkeeper backed the God of Israel before Israel had taken a single city.