Numbers 13:19-29

19 and ye shall see the land, what it is, and the people that dwells on it, whether it is strong or weak, or they are few or many.

20 And what the land is on which they dwell, it is good or bad; and what the cities are wherein these dwell, whether they dwell in walled or unwalled.

21 And what the land is, whether rich or poor; whether there are trees in it or no: and ye shall persevere and take of the fruits of the land: and the days the days of spring, the forerunners of the grape.

22 And they went up and surveyed the land from the wilderness of Sin to Rhoob, as men go in to Aemath.

23 And they went up by the wilderness, and departed as far as Chebron; and there Achiman, and Sessi, and Thelami, the progeny of Enach. Now Chebron was built seven years before Tanin of Egypt.

24 And they came to the valley of the cluster and surveyed it; and they cut down thence a bough and one cluster of grapes upon it, and bore it on staves, and of the pomegranates and the figs.

25 And they called that place, The valley of the cluster, because of the cluster which the children of Israel cut down from thence.

26 And they returned from thence, having surveyed the land, after forty days.

27 And they proceeded and came to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel, to the wilderness of Pharan Cades; and they brought word to them and to all the congregation, and they shewed the fruit of the land:

28 and they reported to him, and said, We came into the land into which thou sentest us, a land flowing with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it.

29 Only the nation that dwells upon it is bold, and they have very great and strong walled towns, and we saw there the children of Enach.

Numbers 13:19-29 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]. neglected