Numbers 13:31-33

31 But the men who had gone up with him said, "¹We are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us."

32 So they gave out to the sons of Israel ²a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, "The land through which we have gone, in spying it out, is ³a land that devours its inhabitants; and ⁴all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size.

33 "There also we saw the ⁵Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim ); and ⁶we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight."

Numbers 13:31-33 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.

Cross References

• 1. Deuteronomy 1:28; Deuteronomy 9:1-3
• 2. Numbers 14:36, 37; Psalms 106:24
• 3. Ezekiel 36:13, 14
• 4. Amos 2:9
• 5. Genesis 6:4
• 6. Deuteronomy 1:28; Deuteronomy 9:2; Joshua 11:21

Footnotes

• [a]. Or "settlers"