1 The names of the men who were sent to search the land: 17their instructions: 21their acts: 26their relation.
1AND the LORD spake 1unto Moses, saying,
1 Namely, after they had journeyed so long in the wilderness of Paran until they were come to Kadesh-barnea, a city that was situated at the north-end of the wilderness, close to the southern hills of the land of Canaan.
22Send 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 3a man, every one a ruler among them.
2 This command God the Lord gave unto Moses, after that the people had desired of him that it might be done, as appears, Deut. 1:22.
3 Hebr. one man, one man, that is, one of every tribe. See Gen. 7 on verse 2.
3And Moses by 4the commandment of the LORD sent them from the wilderness of Paran: all those men were heads of the children of Israel.
4 Or, according to the mouth of the LORD. Also Num. 9:18.
4And these were their names: of the tribe of Reuben, 5Shammua the son of Zaccur.
5 Hebr. Schammuah; and such is the letter schin, for a lighter pronunciation, translated for a simple S in Simeon, Issachar, Hosea and more others.
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, 6Oshea the son of Nun.
6 Otherwise called, Joshua, verse 16, and for the most part throughout.
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, 7Geuel the son of Machi.
7 Or, Guel.
16These are the names 8of the men which Moses sent 9to spy out the land. And Moses called Oshea the son of Nun Jehoshua.
8 Twelve in number according to the number of the twelve tribes.
9 That is, to find out and discover the condition, not only of the land, but also of the inhabitants. See the verses 18, 19, etc.
17¶And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this way 10southward, and go up into the mountain:
10 In regard namely, not of the camp of the Israelites, which was at Kadesh-barnea and had the land of Canaan northwards before them, but in respect of the situation of the land of Canaan itself.
18And see the land, what it is; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many;
19And 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 11tents, or in strong holds;
11 That is, in open fields without walls, as camps use to be. And this has reference to the custom of the Arabians, who have no strong or certain place of abode, but move and pitch now here and there as their occasions lead them.
20And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And 12be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was 13the time of the firstripe grapes.
12 That is, be of good cheer and undaunted.
13 That is, it was just about the time when the first grapes ripened.
21¶So they went up, and searched the land from the wilderness of 14Zin unto 15Rehob, as men come to 16Hamath.
14 Hebr. Tsin, the name of a certain wilderness, otherwise called Kadesh, situated on the borders of Palestine, Num. 33:36.
15 A city which was located on the north-border of the inheritance allotted afterwards to the tribe of Asher, Joshua 19:28.
16 The name of a city likewise situated on the north-border of the east part of Canaan, which afterwards fell to the share of Naphtali, Joshua 19:35 (where it is called Hammath), 2 Kings 14:25; 17:24.
22And they ascended by the south, and came unto 17Hebron; where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of 18Anak, were. (Now Hebron was built seven years before 19Zoan in Egypt.)
17 The name of a city, of which see Gen. 23 on verse 2.
18 The name of a great and famous giant, whose name is common to others; and (so some would have it) also in this place and verses 28, 33. See Deut. 1:28.
19 Hebr. Tsoan. The name of a very ancient city, which is held to be the same city which is called Tanis, one of the principal cities of Egypt, wherein the kings and princes used to keep their residence. See Psalm 78:12.
23And they came unto 20the brook of 21Eshcol, 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.
20 Or, valley. The Hebrew word signifies both.
21 See the reason of this name in the next verse, and compare Deut. 1:24.
24The place was called the brook Eshcol, 22because of the cluster of grapes which the children of Israel cut down from thence.
22 The Hebrew word escol signifies a grape or a cluster of grapes.
25And 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 23Paran, to 24Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land.
23 See Gen. 14 on verse 6.
24 Understand Kadesh-barnea, which is situated in the wilderness of Paran, at the camp of Rithmah, and is to be distinguished from Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin, whereof see Gen. 14 on verse 7.
27And they told 25him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely ita floweth 26with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it.
25 Namely, to Moses, as the most important person of the congregation, yet in the presence and audience, not only of Aaron, but also of the entire congregation, from which arose the uproar or mutiny described in the sequel here.
a Exod. 3:8; 33:3.
26 See Exod. 3 on verse 8.
28Nevertheless the people be 27strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of 28Anak there.
27 Namely, physically, by means and number.
28 See on verse 22.
29The 29Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the 30Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and 31by the coast of Jordan.
29 See of these people Gen. 14:7.
30 See of them Gen. 10 on verse 15 and of the next together Gen. 15 on verse 19.
31 Hebr. the hand.
30And Caleb 32stilled the people 33before Moses, and said, Let us go up 34at once, and possess 35it; for we are 36well able to overcome it.
32 That is, he made them hold their peace that he might be heard. There is no mention made here of Joshua, not that he fainted through fear or that he was not like affected with Caleb, but that either he was absent during this mutiny, or (being the servant of Moses) held his peace then for other considerable reasons. As for his faithfulness in this matter, the same is recorded Num. 14:6, 7, etc., and of his being rewarded for it, Num. 14:30.
33 Other, toward or against Moses, namely, clamoring or murmuring.
34 Hebr. marching up, march up.
35 Namely, the land of Canaan.
36 Hebr. subduing subdue.
31But the men 37that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.
37 Namely, the other ten, who together with Caleb and Joshua had been spying the land of Canaan.
32And 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 38eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a 39great stature.
38 Implying that the land was of rough terrain on which one had to labor himself arduously to be able to receive fruits thereof to the point that one had to spend all his strength, or, that the fruit of the land was itself so ill, which devoured and consumed the inhabitants; which nevertheless was untrue. Some understand it of the wars amongst themselves which were between the inhabitants of Canaan. Compare Ezek. 36 on verse 12; and Ezek. 36 on verse 13.
39 Hebr. of measures, as 1 Chron. 11:23; 20:6; Isa. 45:14.
33And there we saw 40the giants, the sons of Anak, 41which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.
40 Hebr. nephilim. See of this word Gen. 6 on verse 4.
41 Namely, descending.