Numbers, Chapter 13

Numbers Chapter 13

Verses 1-33: The Spies Sent to Canaan

1. The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
2. “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel. From each ancestral tribe send one man, each one a leader among them.”
3. Moses sent them from the Wilderness of Paran at the command of the LORD, all of them leading men among the children of Israel.
4. These were their names: from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua son of Zaccur;
5. from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat son of Hori;
6. from the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh;
7. from the tribe of Issachar, Igal son of Joseph;
8. from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea son of Nun;
9. from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti son of Raphu;
10. from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel son of Sodi;
11. from the tribe of Joseph, that is, from the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi son of Susi;
12. from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel son of Gemalli;
13. from the tribe of Asher, Sethur son of Michael;
14. from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi son of Vophsi;
15. from the tribe of Gad, Geuel son of Machi.
16. These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Hoshea son of Nun, Joshua.
17. Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, “Go up this way into the Negev and go up into the hill country,
18. and see what the land is like, whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, few or many,
19. and whether the land they dwell in is good or bad, whether the cities they inhabit are like camps or strongholds,
20. and whether the land is rich or poor, and whether there are forests there or not. Be of good courage, and bring some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes.
21. So they went up and spied out the land from the Wilderness of Zin to Rehob, to the entrance of Hamath.
22. They went up into the Negev and came to Hebron; Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, were there. (Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)
23. And they came to the Valley of Eshcol, and cut down from there a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they carried it between two of them on a pole; they also brought some of the pomegranates and figs.
24. The place was called the Valley of Eshcol, because of the cluster which the men of Israel cut down from there.
25. And they returned from spying out the land after forty days.
26. They went and came to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh; they brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land.
27. They reported to him, and said, “We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.
28. Nevertheless, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large; and moreover, we saw the descendants of Anak there.
29. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the Negev; the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the hill country; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Jordan.”
30. Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.”
31. But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.”
32. And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature.
33. There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”

Interpretation: This chapter narrates the Israelites’ exploration of Canaan, highlighting themes of faith and fear. While Caleb demonstrates faith in God’s promise, the majority report amplifies fear, setting the stage for Israel’s future challenges in taking hold of the promised land. This event underscores the importance of trust in God’s assurances, despite formidable obstacles.