Numbers 13

Some Men Check Out the Land of Canaan

1 The LORD spoke to Moses. He said,

2 "Send some men to check out the land of Canaan. I am giving it to the people of Israel. Send one leader from each of Israel's tribes."

3 So Moses sent them out from the Desert of Paran. He sent them as the LORD had commanded. All of them were leaders of the people of Israel.

4 Here are their names. There was Shammua from the tribe of Reuben. Shammua was the son of Zaccur.

5 There was Shaphat from the tribe of Simeon. Shaphat was the son of Hori.

6 There was Caleb from the tribe of Judah. Caleb was the son of Jephunneh.

7 There was Igal from the tribe of Issachar. Igal was the son of Joseph.

8 There was Hoshea from the tribe of Ephraim. Hoshea was the son of Nun.

9 There was Palti from the tribe of Benjamin. Palti was the son of Raphu.

10 There was Gaddiel from the tribe of Zebulun. Gaddiel was the son of Sodi.

11 There was Gaddi from the tribe of Manasseh. Gaddi was the son of Susi. Manasseh was a tribe of Joseph.

12 There was Ammiel from the tribe of Dan. Ammiel was the son of Gemalli.

13 There was Sethur from the tribe of Asher. Sethur was the son of Michael.

14 There was Nahbi from the tribe of Naphtali. Nahbi was the son of Vophsi.

15 There was Geuel from the tribe of Gad. Geuel was the son of Maki.

16 Those are the men Moses sent to check out the land. He gave the name Joshua to Hoshea, the son of Nun.

17 Moses sent them to check out Canaan. He said, "Go up through the Negev Desert. Go on into the central hill country.

18 See what the land is like. See whether the people who live there are strong or weak. See whether they are few or many.

19 "What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad? What kind of towns do they live in? Do the towns have high walls around them or not?

20 How is the soil? Is it rich land or poor land? Are there trees on it or not? Do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land." It was the season for the first ripe grapes.

21 So the men went up and checked out the land. They went from the Desert of Zin as far as Rehob. It was in the direction of Lebo Hamath.

22 They went up through the Negev Desert and came to Hebron. That's where Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmai lived. They belonged to the family line of Anak. Hebron had been built seven years before Zoan. Zoan was a city in Egypt.

23 The men came to the Valley of Eshcol. There they cut off a branch that had a single bunch of grapes on it. Two of them carried it on a pole between them. They carried some pomegranates and figs along with it.

24 That place was called the Valley of Eshcol. That's because the men of Israel cut off a bunch of grapes there.

25 At the end of 40 days, the men returned from checking out the land.

The Men Report on What They Found

26 The men came back to Moses, Aaron and the whole community of Israel. The people were at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There the men reported to Moses and Aaron and all of the people. They showed them the fruit of the land.

27 They gave Moses their report. They said, "We went into the land you sent us to. It really does have plenty of milk and honey! Here's some fruit from the land.

28 "But the people who live there are powerful. Their cities have high walls around them and are very large. We even saw members of the family line of Anak there.

29 The Amalekites live in the Negev Desert. The Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the central hill country. The Canaanites live near the Mediterranean Sea. They also live along the Jordan River."

30 Then Caleb interrupted the men who were speaking to Moses. He said, "We should go up and take the land. We can certainly do it."

31 But the men who had gone up with him spoke. They said, "We can't attack those people. They are stronger than we are."

32 The men spread a bad report about the land among the people of Israel. They said, "The land we checked out destroys those who live in it. All of the people we saw there are very big and tall.

33 We saw the Nephilim there. We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes. And that's also how we seemed to them." The children of Anak came from the Nephilim.

Numbers 13 Commentary

Chapter 13

Twelve men sent to search the land of Canaan, Their instructions. (1-20) Their proceedings. (21-25) Their account of the land. (26-33)

Verses 1-20 A memorable and melancholy history is related in this and the following chapter, of the turning back of Israel from the borders of Canaan, and the sentencing them to wander and perish in the wilderness, for their unbelief and murmuring. It appears, ( Deuteronomy 1:22 ) , that the motion to search out the land came from the people. They had a better opinion of their own policy than of God's wisdom. Thus we ruin ourselves by believing the reports and representations of sense rather than Divine revelation. We walk by sight not by faith. Moses gave the spies this charge, Be of good courage. It was not only a great undertaking they were put upon, which required good management and resolution; but a great trust was reposed in them, which required that they should be faithful. Courage in such circumstances can only spring from strong faith, which Caleb and Joshua alone possessed.

Verses 21-25 The searchers of the land brought a bunch of grapes with them, and other fruits, as proofs of the goodness of the country; which was to Israel both the earnest and the specimen of all the fruits of Canaan. Such are the present comforts we have in communion with God, foretastes of the fulness of joy we expect in the heavenly Canaan. We may see by them what heaven is.

Verses 26-33 We may wonder that the people of Israel staid forty days for the return of their spies, when they were ready to enter Canaan, under all the assurances of success they could have from the Divine power, and the miracles that had hitherto attended them. But they distrusted God's power and promise. How much we stand in our own light by our unbelief! At length the messengers returned; but the greater part discouraged the people from going forward to Canaan. Justly are the Israelites left to this temptation, for putting confidence in the judgment of men, when they had the word of God to trust in. Though they had found the land as good as God had said, yet they would not believe it to be as sure as he had said, but despaired of having it, though Eternal Truth had engaged it to them. This was the representation of the evil spies. Caleb, however, encouraged them to go forward, though seconded by Joshua only. He does not say, Let us go up and conquer it; but, Let us go and possess it. Difficulties that are in the way of salvation, dwindle and vanish before a lively, active faith in the power and promise of God. All things are possible, if they are promised, to him that believes; but carnal sense and carnal professors are not to be trusted. Unbelief overlooks the promises and power of God, magnifies every danger and difficulty, and fills the heart with discouragement. May the Lord help us to believe! we shall then find all things possible.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 13

In this chapter an order is given by the Lord, to send twelve men into the land of Canaan, to search and spy it, and which was accordingly executed, Nu 13:1-3; and the names of the twelve persons are given, Nu 13:4-16; the instructions they received from Moses, what part of the land they should enter into first, and what observations they should make on it, Nu 13:17-20; which they attended to, and on their return brought some of the fruit of the land with them, Nu 13:21-26; and gave an account of it, that it was a very fruitful land, but the inhabitants mighty, and their cities walled, Nu 13:27-29; which threw the people into confusion, but that they were stilled by Caleb, one of the spies, who encouraged them, Nu 13:30; but all the rest, excepting Joshua, brought an ill report of it, as not to be subdued and conquered by them, Nu 13:31-33.