Numbers 13

Numbers 13:1-16

**II. THE PROMISED LAND REVIEWED AND REJECTED (Numbers 13; Numbers 14)

A. SELECTION OF THE SPIES, vv. 1-16 TEXT**

Numbers 13:1. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2. Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them. 3. And Moses by the commandment of the Lord sent them from the wilderness of Paran: all those men were heads of the children of Israel. 4. And these were their names: Of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur. 5. Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori. 6. Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh. 7. Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph. 8. Of the tribe of Ephraim, Oshea the son of Nun. 9. Of the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu. 10. Of the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi. 11. Of the tribe of Joseph, namely, of the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi. 12. Of the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli. 13. Of the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael. 14. Of the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi. 15. Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi. 16. These are the names of the men which Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Oshea the son of Nun, Jehoshua.

PARAPHRASE

Numbers 13:1. Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2, Send out men, that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of Israel: from each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, each one a ruler among them. 3. So Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran by the commandment of the Lord, all those men who were heads of the children of Israel. 4. And these were their names; from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua son of Zaccur; 5. from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat son of Hori; 6. from the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh; 7. from the tribe of Issachar, Igal son of Joseph; 8. from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea son of Nun; 9. from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti son of Rafu; 10. from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel son of Sodi; 11. from the tribe of Joesph, from the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi son of Susi; 12. from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel son of Gemalli; 13. from the tribe of Asher, Sethur son of Michael; 14. from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi son of Vophsi; 15. from the tribe of Gad, Geuel son of Machi. 16. These are the names of the men Moses sent to spy out the land; and Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun, Joshua.

COMMENTARY

When the second account of this mission is told by Moses (Deuteronomy 1:20-25), it is the people themselves who are made to suggest the mission of the spies. The original idea may well have come from them; it is clear, on the other hand, that Moses would have carried the plan to the Lord before acting upon it. With divine approval, the spies are appointed to their work.

The men who are chosen are prominent men, but they were not the tribal princes. The journey they are about to undertake would require both youthfulness and vigor; the princes may have been a poor selection for these reasons. Only two names in the list are noteworthy: Joshua (here called Oshea), and Caleb. The change in Joshua’s name is slight, but the change in meaning is significant: from Salvation to Jehovah is salvation. Since it is a change appointed by Moses, we should not find it strange that he has used the name already several times. Such apparent anachronisms trouble the negative critic much more than they would have bothered Moses, as author of the events. It would be quite natural for him to use the name he himself had bestowed upon his successor, even in alluding to that time before the actual change was made.

QUESTIONS AND RESEARCH ITEMS

Explain the variation between the two accounts of the sending of the spies in the accounts given in Numbers and Deuteronomy.

Why were none of the men sent chosen from the previously chosen tribal princes?

No spy is sent for the tribe of Levi. Can you think of a good reason for this omission?

If the change in Joshua’s name was not made until Israel came to Kadesh-Barnea, how can we explain its use in the earlier records?

What is the significance of the change in names?

Numbers 13:17-20

B. THEIR INSTRUCTIONS vv. 17-20 TEXT

Numbers 13:17. And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain: 18. And see the land, what it is; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many; 19. And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad; and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in tents, or in strongholds. 20. And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the first ripe grapes.

PARAPHRASE

Numbers 13:17. As Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, he said unto them, Go up this way by the South; then go up into the high land. 18. Look over the country as it is, and the people who dwell in it, whether they are strong or weak, few or many. 19. And examine the land in which they dwell, whether in tents or in fortified cities; 20. and learn how the land is, whether it is fertile or poor, whether there are trees there or not. Be courageous and bring back some of the fruit of the land. Now it was the time of the first ripe grapes.

COMMENTARY

The spies did not leave Kadesh to travel in a southerly direction, although the King James and other translations seem to say this. More accurately, the text sends them into the Negev, which is the southern portion of the land later to be given Judah. The territory is poor and barren. By contrast the remainder of Canaan would seem ideal for occupation. The Negev, excepting in the few areas where springs water narrow rivulets and fields, is virtually uninhabitable. Beyond the Negev, traveling northward, the spies would come into the southern hill country, the hills of Judea, which are suitable for both cultivation and grazing. This hill country extends from the Negev to the northernmost parts of Canaan, and continues far beyond as the Lebanon Mountains. It is the very backbone of the country. Not only are the men to examine the land itself; they are instructed to appraise the residents. Are they strong or weak? Have they fortified cities? Is the land settled heavily or sparsely? Do the people appear to be timid or bold? Do they till the land well? Is the soil productive? Is it well provided with useful trees? All these and many more important observations might be made without any overt actions, in a walk-through kind of trip. Grapes first ripen in Palestine in late July or early August; they are usually harvested a month later.

QUESTIONS AND RESEARCH ITEMS

Look up a reliable article on the Negev. Learn about the terrain, when and by whom it has been inhabited, and how it figured in later Israelite history.

What major types of information were the spies to seek? Which of the items are most important, among those things they are to observe?

Why did the Israelites not simply march into the land, trusting in the Lord to deliver it into their hands?

Besides the first ripened grapes, what other fruits might the spies have expected to find at this season?

Numbers 13:21-33

C. SURVEY AND REPORT vv. 21-33 TEXT

Numbers 13:21. So they went up, and searched the land from the wilderness of Zin unto Rehob, as men come to Hamath. 22. And they ascended by the south, and came unto Hebron; where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) 23. And they came unto the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff; and they brought of the pomegranates, and of the figs. 24. The place was called the brook Eshcol, because of the cluster of grapes which the children of Israel cut down from thence. 25. And they returned from searching of the land after forty days.

26. And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. 27. And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. 28. Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. 29. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan. 30. And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. 31. But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. 32. And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof: and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. 33. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

PARAPHRASE

Numbers 13:21. So they went up and spied out the land from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob, on the way to Hamath. 22. After they went up into the South, they came to Hebron where Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmai, children of Anak, were. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) 23. They came to the Wadi of Eshcol, and there they cut down a branch with a single cluster of grapes, which they carried on a pole between two men; and they brought back pomegranates and figs. 24. That place was called the Wadi of Eschol because of the cluster of grapes which the children of Israel cut down there. 25. After forty days of searching the land they returned.

26. and came to Moses and Aaron and all the assembly of the children of Israel in the wilderness of Paran at Kadesh; and they brought word back to them and to all the assembly, and showed them the fruit of the land. 27. And they spoke to him, and said, We entered the land to which you sent us, and indeed it flows with milk and honey; and this is its fruit. 28. However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are very large and fortified. 29. Moreover, we saw the children of Anak there. Amalek lives in the land of the Negev, and the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites live in the hill country. The Canaanites live by the sea and in the valley of the Jordan. 30. Then Caleb stilled the people in front of Moses and said, Let us go up immediately and take possession of it, for we are quite able to overcome it. 31. But the men who went up with him said, We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we. 32. So they spread a bad report of the land they had spied out to the children of Israel, saying, The land through which we went, to spy it out, is a land which eats up its inhabitants; and all the people we saw in it were men of great height. 33. We also saw the Nephilim there (the sons of Anak were among the Nephilim); and we seemed like grasshoppers in our own sight, just as we were in their sight.

COMMENTARY

Zin is the name given the northern portion of the larger desert, Paran. Crossing the Wady Murreh, which divides the sparsely settled wilderness of the South from the higher hill country later given as the southern part of the territory of Judea, the ten spies traversed the length of Canaan. Their northernmost penetration took them beyond Dan (earlier, Laish), to a well-travelled trade route which led to Hamath. This route passed near Beth-rehob, not far from Laish. In early days the city was of great importance under Syrian rule; it is in the territory of Naphtali when the land is divided among the tribes of Israel. Having summarized the journey of the spies, Moses now reviews their actions in some expanded details. The first important city they encountered was Hebron, nearly twenty miles south of Jerusalem. Remembered for being Abraham’s residence and burial place, Hebron was now held by three clans descended from Anak. These Anakim were of gigantic stature, thought to have been exterminated later by Israel excepting for some who found refuge among the Philistines. At this point Moses interjects a note of information which would have been very meaningful to him. It is the kind of point we can scarcely imagine anyone else’s having insertedone which nobody would have invented, and one which receives its value from the very casual nature in which it is used: the note that Hebron was founded seven years earlier than Zoan (Tanis) in Egypt. Such incidental references give a ring of authenticity to the account, being completely appropriate to the writer, and irrelevant to those who might have written under other circumstances. We have no reason whatever to draw any historical relationship between Zoan and Hebron. However, if Zoan was built or enlarged into the pharaoh’s residence at the time of the exodus, Moses could well have been personally involved in the affairs of state. The association is purely chronological, which is Moses-’ point. The second specific area mentioned is properly the valley of Eshcol; here an oversize bunch of grapes, carried on a pole between two of the men, becomes tangible evidence that the land is productive. Indeed, the finest grapes in all Canaan are said to come from north of Hebron on the way to Jerusalem. Here are also found pomegranates, figs and various other fruits. The size of the single bunch of grapes would be such that it would require a second man to carry it, not because of the total weight, but in order to avoid crushing them. Bunches weighing up to twelve pounds have been found in the valley of Eshcol (see KD, p. 90). No doubt those brought back to the camp of Israel were picked immediately before the spies-’ return.

The second factor which would figure prominently in the spies-’ report involved the inhabitants. We are not given a complete resume of all the tribes inhabiting Canaan, but we are immediately introduced to those who lived in the vicinity of Hebron, as well as general references to the Amalekites, Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites and Canaanites. Three of the progeny of Anak are named: Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmai. The Anakim, along with the Emim and the Rephaim were notable for their great size, and perhaps for their longevity as well. Their origin is obscure. Fifty years later they would be driven from the city by Caleb (Joshua 15:14). The Amalekites lived in an area generally including a portion of the northern Negev, and a portion of the area later assigned to Simeon and southern Judah. They were descendants of Esau who lived as nomads, constantly causing difficulty to their neighbors. Saul would later be ordered to exterminate them, 1 Samuel 15:1-3. The Hittites, a non-Semitic people, had come into the land about a half-century earlier. It is generally suggested that they had come from Cappadocia. Until the early twentieth century, critics of the Scriptures considered them fictitious. They were not mentioned in any extra-biblical writings which had been discovered until that time. But the extensive work of Hugo Winckler at Khattusa (Boghaz-koy) in present-day Turkey in 1906-07 amplified earlier discoveries at Carchemish, and removed any lingering doubts about the Hittites. We now know they were people of a well advanced culture who lived in various portions of Canaan, particularly the south.

The Jebusites were descended from Canaan (see Genesis 10) and are best known in the area of Jerusalem. The Amorites, also descended from Canaan, are thought to have held a rather large kingdom including much of Mesopotamia and Syria, with a capital at Haran before migrating to Canaan. In this latter location, they took land from the Moabites, and usually were found east of the Jordan. The term -Canaanites-’ has two uses in the Old Testament. In its broader sense, it includes any of the pagan tribes who lived within the bounds of the Promised Land. More specifically, as used here, it refers to a single tribe living in the coastal plains and the valleys of the land; such is also to be inferred from the meaning of their name: the lowlanders.

We must admire the integrity and faith of Caleb. He and Joshua had seen exactly what the remaining ten spies had observed, both the good and the formidable, of the land. But his confidence in the guidance of the Lord is unquestioning as he simply says, Let us go up at once, and occupy it; for we are well able to overcome it. It is noted later (Numbers 14:6) that Joshua urged the same action. Had their enthusiastic advice been followed, the history of the nation would have been changed, and they would have been spared the extreme difficulties of wandering for approximately 38½ years in the wilderness before ultimately crossing the Jordan into the Land of Promise.

We should not be unduly surprised that the multitude listened to the counsel of the ten rather than the words of the two. It is always a simpler matter to be negative than positive; to rationalize into disobedience rather than to obey an apparently difficult command. The ten spies, and the people as well, are awed by the stature of the people who make the Israelites look like grasshoppers; Joshua and Caleb remember that God has promised this land unto His people, and that He has promised to drive out the inhabitants, if they will but trust Him. Their faith seems too visionary for the cowardly listeners. Many explanations have been proposed for the statement that the land eats up its inhabitants. It cannot mean death came upon the people from starvation or similar natural causesthe fruits brought back would not give any credibility to such a thought. Even more nauseating is the suggestion that cannibalism was being practiced. One of the most interesting and logical suggestions comes from RCP: the people everywhere were burying their dead., an action of God to keep the people busy in their mourning so that they would not notice, the spies, (p. 142).

The final argument proposed to the people is that all the people that we saw in it are men of great stature. We must view this as unmitigated hyperbole, a further impassioned appeal to discourage the masses from listening to Caleb. It is successful.

QUESTIONS AND RESEARCH ITEMS

Consult a reliable map, and estimate the distance the spies may have travelled in their journey through Canaan. For what things would they especially look?

Establish the probable locations of Rehob and Hamath. Why were they important at that time?

Why is Hebron mentioned, rather than Jerusalem, as the key city in the South?

What can you say of the children of Anak?

What association is there between Hebron and Zoan? Why are we given information about the date of founding for the cities? How important is this incidental point in establishing Mosaic authorship of the event and book?

What is a Wadi? What does Eshcol mean?

How would the Israelites be impressed by the fruits brought back from the land before them?

Explain the idiom used to describe the land: it flows with milk and honey.

Name the different tribes which are reported as inhabitants in the land. Tell where each lived, and whatever we know about the origin of each.

In what two senses is the name Canaanites used? How is it probably to be understood here?

Upon what items do all of the twelve spies agree, and where do they disagree?

Explain why these men could come to such widely different reactions to the people and the land they had just visited.

What most important factor had the ten spies overlooked in their negative recommendation?

How has the phrase A land that devours its inhabitants been understood?

Why do the ten spies emphasize the negative factors in their report? How could they justify their gross exaggeration?

Who were the Nephilim of whom the spies speak?