Numbers 13:1-25

Scouting Out Canaan

1 The Lord spoke to Moses:

2 "Send men to scout out the land of Canaan^[a] I am giving to the Israelites. Send one man who is a leader among them from each of their ancestral tribes."

3 Moses sent them from the Wilderness of Paran at the Lord's command. All the men were leaders in Israel.^[b]

4 These were their names: Shammua son of Zaccur from the tribe of Reuben;

5 Shaphat son of Hori from the tribe of Simeon;

6 Caleb^[c] son of Jephunneh from the tribe of Judah;

7 Igal son of Joseph from the tribe of Issachar;

8 Hoshea son of Nun^[d] from the tribe of Ephraim;

9 Palti son of Raphu from the tribe of Benjamin;

10 Gaddiel son of Sodi from the tribe of Zebulun;

11 Gaddi son of Susi from the tribe of Manasseh (from the tribe of Joseph);

12 Ammiel son of Gemalli from the tribe of Dan;

13 Sethur son of Michael from the tribe of Asher;

14 Nahbi son of Vophsi from the tribe of Naphtali;

15 Geuel son of Machi from the tribe of Gad.

16 These were the names of the men Moses sent to scout out the land, and Moses renamed Hoshea son of Nun, Joshua.

17 When Moses sent them to scout out the land of Canaan, he told them, "Go up this way to the Negev, then go up into the hill country.

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

19 Is the land they live in good^[e] or bad? Are the cities they live in encampments or fortifications?^[f]

20 Is the land fertile or unproductive?^[g] Are there trees in it or not? Be courageous. Bring back some fruit from the land." It was the season for the first ripe grapes.^[h]

21 So they went up and scouted out the land from the Wilderness of Zin^[i] as far as Rehob^[j] near the entrance to Hamath.^[k]

22 They went up through the Negev and came to Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak,^[l] were living. Hebron was built seven years before Zoan^[m] in Egypt.

23 When they came to the Valley of Eshcol,^[n] they cut down a branch with a single cluster of grapes, which was carried on a pole by two men. [They] also [took] some pomegranates and figs.^[o]

24 That place was called the Valley of Eshcol^[p] because of the cluster [of grapes] the Israelites cut there.

25 At the end of 40 days^[q] they returned from scouting out the land.

Numbers 13:1-25 Meaning and Commentary

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.

Footnotes

• [a]. Dt 1:22-26
• [b]. Ex 18:25-26; Dt 1:13-18
• [c]. Nm 14:6,24,30,38; 26:65
• [d]. Nm 14:30,38; 27:18-23; Ex 33:11
• [e]. Nm 14:7; Dt 1:25
• [f]. Dt 1:28; 3:5; 9:1; Jos 14:12
• [g]. Neh 9:25,35; Isa 30:23; Ezk 34:14,20
• [h]. Nm 13:23
• [i]. Southern border of the promised land
• [j]. Northern border of the promised land
• [k]. Or near Lebo-hamath
• [l]. Nm 13:28,33; Dt 1:28; 2:10-11,21
• [m]. Ps 78:12; Isa 19:11; 30:4; Ezk 30:14
• [n]. Nm 32:9; Dt 1:24
• [o]. Nm 20:5; Dt 8:8
• [p]. cluster
• [q]. Nm 14:33-34; 32:13; Ps 95:10