Deuteronomy 1:22

22 `And ye come near unto me, all of you, and say, Let us send men before us, and they search for us the land, and they bring us back word [concerning] the way in which we go up into it, and the cities unto which we come in;

Deuteronomy 1:22 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 1:22

And ye came near unto me everyone of you
Not every individual of them, but the heads of their tribes, that represented them; this is not to be understood of the present generation personally, but of their fathers, who all died in the wilderness, save a very few of them; but they being the same people and nation, it is so expressed:

and said, we will send men before us;
that is, they thought it was proper and prudent so to do, and came to Moses to consult him about it; for we are not to suppose that they had determined upon it, whether he approved of it or not:

and they shall search us out the land:
that they might know what sort of land it was, whether good or bad, fruitful or not, and whether woody or not: see ( Numbers 13:19 Numbers 13:20 )

and bring us word again by what way we must go up;
or, "concerning the way ^F13 in which we must go"; which is the best way of entering it, most easy and accessible, where the passes are most open and least dangerous:

and into what cities we shall come;
which it would be the most proper to attack and subdue first.

---

FOOTNOTES:

F13 (Krdh ta) , "de via", Noldius, p. 117. No. 594. so the Arabic version, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.

Deuteronomy 1:22 In-Context

20 `And I say unto you, Ye have come in unto the hill-country of the Amorite, which Jehovah our God is giving to us;

21 see, Jehovah thy God hath set before thee the land; go up, possess, as Jehovah, God of thy fathers, hath spoken to thee; fear not, nor be affrighted.

22 `And ye come near unto me, all of you, and say, Let us send men before us, and they search for us the land, and they bring us back word [concerning] the way in which we go up into it, and the cities unto which we come in;

23 and the thing is good in mine eyes, and I take of you twelve men, one man for a tribe.

24 `And they turn and go up to the hill-country, and come in unto the valley of Eshcol, and spy it,