Numbers 13

KJ3 Literal Translation — Chapter 13 of 36

1 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,

2 Send men for you, and they shall spy out the land of Canaan which I am giving to the sons of Israel; you shall send one man for the tribe of his fathers, one man, every one a leader among them.

3 And by the command of Jehovah Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran: they were all of them men, heads of the sons of Israel.

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Chapter Summary

Twelve spies are sent to explore the Promised Land. They return after forty days with evidence of the land's abundance but report that the inhabitants are strong and the cities fortified. Only Caleb encourages the people to proceed.

Key Hebrew Words

תּוּר spy out H8446 · TWOT 2500
אֶ֫רֶץ land H776 · TWOT 167
דִּבָּה evil report H1681 · TWOT 396b
נְפִלִים giants H5303 · TWOT 1393a
חָלָב milk H2461 · TWOT 650a
דְּבַשׁ honey H1706 · TWOT 400a

People & Context

Moses

Leader who, at Jehovah's command, sends one leader from each tribe to spy out Canaan

Caleb

Spy from Judah who silences the people and urges them to go up and seize the land

Joshua

Spy from Ephraim, son of Nun, whom Moses renames from Oshea to Joshua

Aaron

Receives the spies' report alongside Moses before all the congregation

Sons of Anak

Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the giants dwelling at Hebron whom the spies fear

Timeline

Twelve Spies Sent

Jehovah commanded Moses to send twelve leaders, one from each tribe, from the wilderness of Paran to spy out Canaan 2 . The names of the spies included Shammua, Shaphat, Caleb, Igal, Oshea (renamed Joshua), Palti, Gaddiel, Gaddi, Ammiel, Sethur, Nahbi, and Geuel .

Numbers 13:1-16
40-day Reconnaissance

Moses instructed the men to evaluate the land, its people, cities, and fruitfulness 4 . They traveled through the Negeb to Hebron, cut a large cluster of grapes from the valley of Eshcol, and returned after forty days 5 .

Numbers 13:17-25
Report of the Land and the Giants

The spies reported that the land flowed with milk and honey, but the inhabitants were fierce and the cities walled 6 . Ten of the spies brought an evil report, claiming the people were giants (sons of Anak) who made the Israelites look like grasshoppers 7 .

Numbers 13:26-33

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