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

בִּכּוּרֵ֥י first-fruits H1061 · TWOT 244e
מִצְרָֽיִם Egypt H4714 · TWOT 1235
קָדֵ֑שָׁ Kadesh. Compare H6946 · TWOT 1990e
יְהוּדָ֔ה Judah H3063 · TWOT 850c
דִּבַּ֤ת whispering H1681 · TWOT 396b

People & Context

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 include…

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…

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 evi…

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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