Numbers 13ASV
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Numbers13

American Standard Version · Public Domain

1And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,

2Send thou men, that they may spy out 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 prince among them.

3And Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran according to the commandment of Jehovah: all of them men who were heads of the children of Israel.

4And these were their names: Of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur.

5Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori.

6Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh.

7Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph.

8Of the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun.

9Of the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu.

10Of the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi.

11Of the tribe of Joseph, namely, of the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi.

12Of the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli.

13Of the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael.

14Of the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi.

15Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.

16These are the names of the men that Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun Joshua.

17And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this way by the South, and go up into the hill-country:

18and see the land, what it is; and the people that dwell therein, whether they are strong or weak, whether they are few or many;

19and what the land is that they dwell in, whether it is good or bad; and what cities they are that they dwell in, whether in camps, or in strongholds;

20and what the land is, whether it is fat or lean, whether there is 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.

21So they went up, and spied out the land from the wilderness of Zin unto Rehob, to the entrance of Hamath.

22And they went up by the South, and came unto Hebron; and Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were there. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)

23And they came unto the valley of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it upon a staff between two; they brought also of the pomegranates, and of the figs.

24That place was called the valley of Eshcol, because of the cluster which the children of Israel cut down from thence.

25And they returned from spying out the land at the end of forty days.

26And 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.

27And 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.

28Howbeit the people that dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there.

29Amalek dwelleth in the land of the South: and the Hittite, and the Jebusite, and the Amorite, dwell in the hill-country; and the Canaanite dwelleth by the sea, and along by the side of the Jordan.

30And 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.

31But the men that went up with him said, We are not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.

32And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had spied out unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of great stature.

33And there we saw the Nephilim, the sons of Anak, who come of the Nephilim: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

Study Guide

Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Numbers 13.

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Chapter Summary

In this chapter: Twelve men sent to search the land of Canaan, Their instructions. (1–20). Their proceedings. (21–25). Their account of the land. (26–33).

vv1-20

A memorable and melancholy history is related in this and the following chapter, of the turning back of Israel from the borders of Canaan, and the sentencing them to wander and perish in the wilderness, for their unbelief and murmuring. It appears, De 1:22, that the motion to search out the land came from the people. They had a better opinion of their own policy than of God's wisdom. Thus we ruin ourselves by believing the reports and representations of sense rather than Divine revelation. We walk by sight not by faith. Moses gave the spies this charge, Be of good courage. It was not only a great undertaking they were put upon, which required good management and resolution; but a great trust was reposed in them, which required that they should be faithful. Courage in such circumstances can only spring from strong faith, which Caleb and Joshua alone possessed.

vv21-25

The searchers of the land brought a bunch of grapes with them, and other fruits, as proofs of the goodness of the country; which was to Israel both the earnest and the specimen of all the fruits of Canaan. Such are the present comforts we have in communion with God, foretastes of the fulness of joy we expect in the heavenly Canaan. We may see by them what heaven is.

vv26-33

We may wonder that the people of Israel staid forty days for the return of their spies, when they were ready to enter Canaan, under all the assurances of success they could have from the Divine power, and the miracles that had hitherto attended them. But they distrusted God's power and promise. How much we stand in our own light by our unbelief! At length the messengers returned; but the greater part discouraged the people from going forward to Canaan. Justly are the Israelites left to this temptation, for putting confidence in the judgment of men, when they had the word of God to trust in. Though they had found the land as good as God had said, yet they would not believe it to be as sure as he had said, but despaired of having it, though Eternal Truth had engaged it to them. This was the representation of the evil spies. Caleb, however, encouraged them to go forward, though seconded by Joshua only. He does not say, Let us go up and conquer it; but, Let us go and possess it. Difficulties that are in the way of salvation, dwindle and vanish before a lively, active faith in the power and promise of God. All things are possible, if they are promised, to him that believes; but carnal sense and carnal professors are not to be trusted. Unbelief overlooks the promises and power of God, magnifies every danger and difficulty, and fills the heart with discouragement. May the Lord help us to believe! we shall then find all things possible.

Cross References

Numbers 13

Shows the request to send spies originated with the people's lack of faith, not God's original directive.

Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole, JFB

v6Joshua 14:6-15thematic

Records Caleb's inheritance of Hebron as a reward for his faith during this spying mission.

Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB

v28Deuteronomy 1:28thematic

Parallel account of the spies' report exaggerating the strength of the cities and the Anakim.

Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole, JFB

v16Matthew 1:21-23typology

The change of Joshua's name (Jehoshua) typifies Jesus, the Savior who leads into the land.

Supported by JFB

v28Deuteronomy 9:1thematic

Moses later recalls the formidable, walled cities of Canaan that the spies feared.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v28Deuteronomy 9:2thematic

Identifies the proverbially formidable stature of the sons of Anak who terrified the spies.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v23Deuteronomy 1:25thematic

Moses recalls the spies taking of the fruit and bringing it back to show Israel.

Supported by JFB

v25Numbers 14:34thematic

God decrees one year of wandering in the wilderness for each of the forty days of spying.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v30Deuteronomy 1:36thematic

God's promise that Caleb will enter the land because he wholly followed the Lord.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v31Hebrews 3:19thematic

New Testament commentary explaining that Israel could not enter because of their unbelief.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v21Deuteronomy 1:24thematic

Confirms the spies' path through the southern hills and the valley of Eshcol.

Supported by JFB

v28Joshua 14:12thematic

Caleb requests Hebron, specifically mentioning the Anakim and fortified cities he saw there.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v17Numbers 13:22thematic

Detailed geographical coordinate within this chapter connecting the southward journey to Hebron.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v32Ezekiel 36:13thematic

Ezekiel alludes to the spies' slanderous claim that Canaan was 'a land that devoureth men'.

Supported by Matthew Poole