Numbers 13

Chap. XIII. Ver. 1—33. Spies sent to search the land of the Eshcol ———— of Paran, on the south border of the land of Canaan: and two questions here naturally arise. 1. Were they justified in sending out spies to search the promised land? By comparing (Deuteronomy 1:19-24). it appears, (1) That Moses had issued an order previous to this, to “Go up and possess the land;” saying, “Fear not, neither be discouraged.” (2) That the people first proposed to send out spies to search the land. (3) That Moses, suspecting no evil in the measure, gave it his sanction, and selected those whom he considered as proper persons. (4) That, however, nothing was done in the business without consulting the Lord in the usual way, who gave also his sanction to the measure.

From all these considerations, it does not appear that the people sinned in sending to search the land. But then, 2, Wherein consisted the sin which provoked the Lord to lead them forty years through the desert? As concerns the spies it appears that they gave a good report of the produce of the land, but a false one as to the climate, and an exaggerated one as to the strength of the inhabitants, whereby the people were discouraged, and threatened to murder Joshua and Caleb, and go back to Egypt. The produce could not be disputed, because they brought specimens with them; not that the bunch of grapes, though doubtless very large, was so heavy as to require two men to bring it, (as the Jews pretend;) but this was the most convenient way, to prevent the grapes from being damaged; and, besides, it is probable that the figs and pomegranates were suspended on the same branch: the fruit was, however, unquestionably admirable.

But the latter part of the report was inconsistent in itself, and evidently intended to discourage the people, and prevent their going up. It was inconsistent, because we know that the land was small, and the people were very large (so that the Israelites were but like grasshoppers, compared to them:) it seemed, therefore, more likely that the people should eat up the land, than the land the people. The Seman however, (ver. 32.) to eat up, or consume, was probably meant to insinuate that the climate was unhealthy; for had it meant only that the people destroyed one another, as some understand it, this would rather have been an encouragement to attack it. The insinuation was, however, false, as the representations of the size of the people were exaggerated.

“All the people (say they) are men of great stature;” such persons, however, are seldom strong in proportion to their height: and if they were, what avails the height of their enemies, or the strength of their walls, when the arm of the Lord was engaged on behalf of Israel? We should never count on difficulties when we are following a divine command. Unbelief, like the sluggard, cries, “There is a lion in the way, a lion in the streets;” but “The righteous,” believing in the divine promises, “are bold as a lion;” “Out of weakness they are made strong, wax valiant in fight, and turn to flight the armies of the aliens.”

Notes on the verses

Chap. XIII. Ver. 3. Paran—(The wilderness of Paran, says Dr. Wells, seems to have been taken in a larger, and in a stricter sense. In the larger sense, it seems to have denoted all the desert and mountainous tract, lying between the wilderness of Shur westward, and mount Seir, or the land of Edom eastward, the land of Canaan northward, and the Red sea southward. And, in this sense, it seems to have comprehended the wilderness of Sin, and the wilderness of Sinai, also, the adjoining tract wherein lay Kibroth-hattaavah and Hazeroth. In this sense, it is probably understood in (Deuteronomy 1:19). where, by “that great and terrible wilderness,” is probably intended the wilderness of Paran in its largest acceptation: for, in its stricter acceptation,

it seems not to have been so great and terrible a wilderness; but is taken to denote more peculiarly that part of Arabia Petraea which lies between mount Sinai and Hazeroth west, and mount Seir east. The Arabs give the name of Wadi Faran, or the Valley of Faran, to a valley which extends, for the length of a journey of a day and a half, from the foot of mount Sinai to the Arabian Gulf. In the rainy season it is filled with water, and the inhabitants are obliged to retire to the hills. Part of it is far from being fertile, but serves as pasture for goats, camels, and asses; but a part of it is said to be very fertile. In its neighbourhood are the ruins of an ancient city; and there are also found inscriptions in unknown characters.

—Bagster.— All those men, were heads.—Not of tribes, (compare ch. vii.) but, perhaps, of hundreds, or of thousands. See (Exodus 18:21, 24). Ver. 16, Oshea.—This name should be written Hoshea, (or Hosea; it is the same as the prophet’s,) which signifies a saviour; and by adding a letter (jod) from the incommunicable name, it became Jehoshua, or Joshua. This adding a letter of Jehovah’s name was intended to express peculiar favour, as in the cases of Abraham and Sarah. Ver. 17. Southward.—Hebrew, “By the south;” meaning, by the south of Canaan, on the borders of which they now were. So Chazkuni. Ver. 20. Fat or lean.—That is, were rich or poor.—Now was the time of first ripe grapes.—That is, our August.

Ver. 21. So they went up, &c,—The spies having left Kadesh-barnea, which was in the desert of Paran, (see ver. 26.) they proceeded to the desert of Tsin, (or Zin) all along the land of Canaan, nearly following the course of the river Jordan, till they came to Rehob, a city situated near mount Libnah, at the northern extremity of the Holy Land, towards the road that leads to Hamath. Thence they returned through the midst of the same land, by the borders of the Sidonians and Philistines, and passing by mount Hebron, rendered famous by the residence of Abraham formerly, and by the gigantic descendants of Anak at that time, they passed through the valley of the brook of Eshcol, where they cut down the bunch of grapes, mentioned ver.

23. and returned to the camp of Israel, after an absence of forty days.—Calmet.— Wilderness of Zin.—Not the same as “the wilderness of Sin,” (Exodus 16:1, 5) that was near Egypt; this, on the borders of Canaan. Ver. 22. Hebron,—Then called Kadesh-barnea,—is here mentioned as a place of high antiquity, even more ancient than Zoan, called by Pagan authors, Tanis. Here Moses wrought his miracles, (Psalms 28:12, 43).; and the inhabitants boasted both of their wisdom and antiquity, (Isaiah 19:11, 13).; xxx. 4. See Calmet.; Ver. 23. Brook.—Margin, “Valley.” The same places that in the dry season were “valleys,” in the time of the rains and floods, became “brooks.” This was the dry season, and should be therefore rendered “valley,”

both in this verse and the next. Ver. 24. Eshcol.—That is, the cluster of grapes. A learned traveller says, “At the distance of only six miles to the south, is the rivulet and valley called Eshcol, celebrated in Scripture for producing very large grapes. In other parts of Syria, also, I have seen grapes of such an extraordinary size, that a bunch of them would be a sufficient burden for one man,”—Mantz’s Tra- Many eye-witnesses assure us, that in Palestine, be it so, and bunches of grapes are almost of an incredible size. Stephen Schultz relates, “At Beityin, a village near Ptolemais, we took our supper under a large vine, the stem of which was nearly a foot and a half in diameter; the height about thirty feet, and covered with its branches and shoots, (for the shoots must be supported,) a hut of more than fifty feet long and broad.

The bunches of these grapes are so large, that they weigh from ten to twelve pounds, and the grapes may be compared to our plums. Such a bunch is cut off and laid on a board, round which they seat themselves, and each helps himself to as many as he pleases.” Forster, in his Hebrew Dictionary, (under the word Eshcol,) says, “that he knew, at Nurnberg, a monk of the name of Acacius, who had resided eight years in Palestine, and had also preached at Hebron, where he had seen bunches of grapes, which were as much as two men could conveniently carry.”—Orient. Lit. No. 290. Ver. 29. And the Canaanites.—“There were two hordes of Canaanites; one eastward by Jordan; those the Israelites destroyed; another westward, by the sea; these, I think, they never quite extirpated.

But they were those whom the Greeks afterwards called Phenicians.”—Dr. Wall’s Crit. Notes. Ver. 33. The giants.—See note on (Genesis 6:4). They were doubtless banditti, who, by their ferocity as well as size, spread terror all around them. So the Patagonians, when first discovered, were reported perfect monsters; but when measured, proved little more than six feet high, generally; we have seen men, however, from Ireland, between seven and eight feet high; and Dr. A. Clarke says, he knew one man eight feet six inches. E i