Numbers 13:1-8

1 The LORD spoke to Moshe, saying,
2 Send you men, that they may spy out the land of Kana`an, which I give to the children of Yisra'el: of every tribe of their fathers shall you send a man, everyone a prince among them.
3 Moshe sent them from the wilderness of Paran according to the mitzvah of the LORD: all of them men who were heads of the children of Yisra'el.
4 These were their names: Of the tribe of Re'uven, Shammua the son of Zakkur.
5 Of the tribe of Shim`on, Shafat the son of Hori.
6 Of the tribe of Yehudah, Kalev the son of Yefunneh.
7 Of the tribe of Yissakhar, Yig'al the son of Yosef.
8 Of the tribe of Efrayim, Hoshea the son of Nun.

Numbers 13:1-8 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.

The Hebrew Names Version is in the public domain.