Numbers 13:13-23

13 Of the tribe of Asher, Setur the son of Mikha'el.

14 Of the tribe of Naftali, Nachbi the son of Vofsi.

15 Of the tribe of Gad, Ge'u'el the son of Makhi.

16 These are the names of the men who Moshe sent to spy out the land. Moshe called Hoshea the son of Nun Yehoshua.

17 Moshe sent them to spy out the land of Kana`an, and said to them, Go up this way by the South, and go up into the hill-country:

18 and see the land, what it is; and the people who dwell therein, whether they are strong or weak, whether they are few or many;

19 and what the land is that they dwell in, whether it is good or bad; and what cities they are that they dwell in, whether in camps, or in strongholds;

20 and what the land is, whether it is fat or lean, whether there is wood therein, or not. Be of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the first-ripe grapes.

21 So they went up, and spied out the land from the wilderness of Tzin to Rechov, to the entrance of Hamat.

22 They went up by the South, and came to Hevron; and Achiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of `Anak, were there. (Now Hevron was built seven years before Tzo`an in Mitzrayim.)

23 They came to the valley of Eshkol, and cut down from there a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bore it on a staff between two; [they brought] also of the pomegranates, and of the figs.

Numbers 13:13-23 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.