Numbers 13: Twelve men spy out the land of Canaan
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What happens?
At Yahweh's command Moses sends twelve men, one leader from each tribe, from the wilderness of Paran to spy out Canaan, and he renames Hoshea as Joshua. They go through the land for forty days, see the sons of Anak at Hebron, and carry back a cluster of grapes on a pole from the valley of Eshcol. They report that the land flows with milk and honey but its people are strong; Caleb says they can take it, but the other men say they cannot, and they spread a bad report about the land.
Who is speaking?
The narrator tells the story. God's own words are in 1 of the 33 verses: his command to send the men in verse 2. Moses gives the spies their orders in verses 17 to 20. The spies give their report in verses 27 to 29. Caleb speaks in verse 30, and the men who went up with him answer in verses 31 to 33. God's own words are printed in gold, and those verses are marked God speaks
1Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
In plain English: Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
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2“Send men, that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of Israel. Of every tribe of their fathers, you shall send a man, every one a prince among them.”God speaks
In plain English: "Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. Send one man from each tribe of their fathers, every one a leader among them."
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3Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran according to the commandment of Yahweh. All of them were men who were heads of the children of Israel.
In plain English: So Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran at Yahweh's command (literally: on the mouth of Yahweh). All of them were men who were heads of the Israelites.
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4These were their names: Of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur.
In plain English: These were their names: from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur.
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5Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori.
In plain English: From the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori.
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6Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh.
In plain English: From the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh.
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7Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph.
In plain English: From the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph.
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8Of the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun.
In plain English: From the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun.
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9Of the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu.
In plain English: From the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu.
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10Of the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi.
In plain English: From the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi.
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11Of the tribe of Joseph, of the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi.
In plain English: From the tribe of Joseph, that is, the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi.
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12Of the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli.
In plain English: From the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli.
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13Of the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael.
In plain English: From the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael.
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14Of the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi.
In plain English: From the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi.
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15Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.
In plain English: From the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.
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16These are the names of the men who Moses sent to spy out the land. Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun Joshua.
In plain English: These are the names of the men Moses sent to spy out the land. Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun, Joshua.
Good to know: In Hebrew, Joshua is Yehoshua. The dictionary says it is made from the name Yahweh and the word "to save", and gives it as "Jehovah-saved". It gives Hoshea, from the same word "to save", as "deliverer". The text does not say why Moses changed the name. This Bible already calls him Joshua earlier, in and .
Good to know: The Greek form of Joshua is Iesous, the name Jesus. The dictionary gives it as "Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua)", and uses it for Joshua.
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17Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, “Go up this way by the South, and go up into the hill country.
In plain English: Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan and said to them, "Go up this way into the South (the Negev), and go up into the hill country.
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18See the land, what it is; and the people who dwell therein, whether they are strong or weak, whether they are few or many;
In plain English: See what the land is like, and whether the people who live in it are strong or weak, few or many,
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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;
In plain English: whether the land they live in is good or bad, and whether the cities they live in are open camps or strongholds,
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20and what the land is, whether it is fertile or poor, whether there is wood therein, or not. Be courageous, and bring some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the time of the first-ripe grapes.
In plain English: and whether the land is rich or poor (literally: fat or lean), and whether there are trees in it or not. Be brave, and bring back some of the fruit of the land." It was the season of the first ripe grapes.
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21So they went up, and spied out the land from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob, to the entrance of Hamath.
In plain English: So they went up and spied out the land from the wilderness of Zin as far as Rehob, to the entrance of Hamath (or: Lebo-hamath).
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22They went up by the South, and came to Hebron; and Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were there. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)
In plain English: They went up into the South and came to Hebron. Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, were there. (Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)
Good to know: calls the sons of the Anakim "a people great and tall", and tells that Caleb later drove out Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai. The text does not say why it gives the date of Hebron's building.
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23They came to the valley of Eshcol, and cut down from there a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bore it on a staff between two. They also brought some of the pomegranates and figs.
In plain English: They came to the valley of Eshcol, and there they cut down a branch with a single cluster of grapes, and two of them carried it on a pole. They also brought some pomegranates and figs.
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24That place was called the valley of Eshcol, because of the cluster which the children of Israel cut down from there.
In plain English: That place was called the valley of Eshcol because of the cluster the Israelites cut down there.
The Hebrew word: The text explains the name: Eshcol is the Hebrew word eshkol, which the dictionary gives as "a bunch of grapes or other fruit". It is the same word as "cluster" in .
How it is translated: This Bible says "cluster" or "clusters" in 8 of the 9 verses that use the word.
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25They returned from spying out the land at the end of forty days.
In plain English: At the end of forty days they came back from spying out the land.
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26They went and came to Moses, to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, to the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word to them and to all the congregation. They showed them the fruit of the land.
In plain English: They came to Moses and Aaron and to the whole community of Israel in the wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh. They brought back word to them and to the whole community, and showed them the fruit of the land.
Good to know: Kadesh is called Kadesh Barnea in , where Moses looks back on this day, and in , where Caleb does.
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27They told him, and said, “We came to the land where you sent us. Surely it flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.
In plain English: They told him, "We went into the land where you sent us. It really does flow with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.
Good to know: "A land flowing with milk and honey" is what Yahweh promised from the burning bush in . The spies' report agrees with it.
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28However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. Moreover, we saw the children of Anak there.
In plain English: But the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw the descendants of Anak there.
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29Amalek dwells in the land of the South. The Hittite, the Jebusite, and the Amorite dwell in the hill country. The Canaanite dwells by the sea, and along the side of the Jordan.”
In plain English: The Amalekites live in the land of the South. The Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites live in the hill country. The Canaanites live by the sea and along the Jordan."
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30Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, “Let’s go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it!”
In plain English: Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, "Let us go up at once and take it, because we are well able to overcome it!"
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31But the men who went up with him said, “We aren’t able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.”
In plain English: But the men who had gone up with him said, "We cannot go up against the people, because they are stronger than we are."
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32They brought up an evil report of the land which they had spied out to the children of Israel, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that eats up its inhabitants; and all the people who we saw in it are men of great stature.
In plain English: They spread among the Israelites a bad report (or: slander) about the land they had spied out, saying, "The land we went through to spy out is a land that eats up the people who live in it. All the people we saw in it are men of great size.
The Hebrew word: "Evil report" is dibbah, which the dictionary gives as "slander". In Numbers this Bible says "report" in all 3 verses that use it: here and in and .
Good to know: The text does not explain what "a land that eats up its inhabitants" means. In the same men said it flows with milk and honey.
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33There we saw the Nephilim, the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim. We were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.”
In plain English: There we saw the Nephilim, the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim. We seemed like grasshoppers to ourselves, and so we seemed to them."
The Hebrew word: "Nephilim" is nephilim. The dictionary gives it as "properly, a feller, i.e. a bully or tyrant". The old Greek translation of the Bible says "giants" here.
Good to know: The word is in only 2 verses of the Bible: here and , before the flood. These are the words of the spies, in the report that calls an evil report. The text does not say how the sons of Anak come from the Nephilim, and readers differ on how to read it.
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