American King James Version - AKJV - 1999
Numbers 13
1
And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
2
Send you men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall you send a man, every one a ruler among them.
Reference
Parallel theme
Numbers 32:8
Numbers 34:18
Deuteronomy 1:15
Numbers 1:4
References Israel
Exodus 18:25
Numbers 11:16
3
And Moses by the commandment of the LORD sent them from the wilderness of Paran: all those men were heads of the children of Israel.
Reference
16
These are the names of the men which Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Oshea the son of Nun Jehoshua.
Reference
Parallel theme
Numbers 13:8
17
And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain:
Reference
18
And see the land, what it is, and the people that dwells therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many;
19
And 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 tents, or in strong holds;
20
And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be you of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the first ripe grapes.
Reference
21
So they went up, and searched the land from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob, as men come to Hamath.
Reference
📍 Locations
22
And they ascended by the south, and came to Hebron; where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)
Reference
📍 Zoan
People
23
And they came to the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from there a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bore it between two on a staff; and they brought of the pomegranates, and of the figs.
Reference
📍 Valley of Eshcol
24
The place was called the brook Eshcol, because of the cluster of grapes which the children of Israel cut down from there.
📍 Valley of Eshcol
25
And they returned from searching of the land after forty days.
Reference
Parallel theme
Exodus 34:28
26
And they went and came to Moses, and 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, and showed them the fruit of the land.
Reference
Parallel theme
Numbers 32:8
Deuteronomy 1:19
Numbers 33:36
Numbers 20:16
References Israel
Numbers 20:1
27
And they told him, and said, We came to the land where you sent us, and surely it flows with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it.
Reference
28
Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there.
Reference
29
The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.
Reference
30
And 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.
Reference
31
But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.
Reference
32
And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched to the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eats up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.
Reference
Summary of Numbers 13
Numbers 13 describes how Moses sent out twelve men to spy the land of Canaan. For each tribe of Israel, one man was sent to investigate the land God promised to give them. They wandered around the land for forty days and returned with fruit and a report about the people and the cities on the land. The twelve spies returned with a unanimous report that the land was fruitful, yet ten men spoke on the strength of the people who live in the canaanian land and discouraged Israel. Only Caleb and Joshua returned believing that Israel should claim the land.
The chapter opens up with the Lord commanding Moses to send men to explore the land of Canaan. It was the land which God promised to give to the children of Israel. Moses obeys and chooses twelve men from the tribes of Israel.
From the tribe of Ephraim, there is Hoshea, the son of Nun. From the tribe of Judah, Caleb is the son of Jephunneh. Moses names Hoshea as Joshua. The two men are going to be important figures as they are among the few that return believing that Israel should take on Canaan.
Moses instructs the twelve men before sending them off. He instructs them to go in all the land of Canaan, scout what it is like, see whether the people living in are strong and weak, numerous or few, and see if the land is good or bad.
They are to see the condition of the cities and decide whether they are open camps or heavily fortified. Moses tells them to observe the goodness of the land and to bring back some of its fruit if they can.
The twelve men go from the wilderness of Zin toward Rehob toward the entrance of Hamath and explore the land of Canaan. They go to Hebron and encounter the Anakim, descendants of Anak. These people are described as men of great stature.
They come to the valley of Eshcol, where they cut down a huge branch containing a large bunch of grapes. It took two men to carry the cluster of grapes between them on a staff. They also take some pomegranates and figs. The bunch of grapes is enough to prove that the land is abundant.
The twelve men spend forty days exploring the land of Canaan. They return to Moses, Aaron, and the congregation of Israel and show them the fruit they have brought back. They tell the congregation of the goodness of Canaan and the fruitfulness of the land. Their report serves to confirm what God said about Canaan.
Now their report turns against Canaan as they talk about the strong people inhabiting the land. The cities are heavily fortified and very big. They describe seeing the Anakim, men of great stature.
Caleb responds to the discouraging report by telling the people of Israel to take up and possess Canaan because they can surely overcome the inhabitants. Caleb does not deny the report that the land has strong people and heavily fortified cities. However, he believes that should not stop Israel from taking up Canaan.
The other spies disagree with Caleb. They tell the people of Israel that they cannot possess Canaan because the people living there are stronger. The other spies begin to sow doubt in Israel's ability to possess Canaan. Their report begins to gain ground.
The spies continue describing Canaan as a land rife with dangers. They describe the people of Canaan as giants and the Anakim as men who are as big as palm trees. The Israelites should not even think of going up to fight the people of Canaan because they are like grasshoppers in comparison to them. The land devours its inhabitants and is not for Israel to possess.
The people of Israel are now discouraged by the report of the ten spies. Their thoughts have turned away from thinking about the fruit of Canaan and God's promise of giving it to them. Instead, they begin to realize that the people living in Canaan are more powerful. The ten spies have persuaded many of Israel to believe them.
The different accounts of the twelve spies are telling. They all witnessed the same thing, yet some spoke one way, and others spoke another way. They saw the same land, the same fortified cities, the same numerous people, the same strongly built cities, and the same great statured Anakim people. They each saw the same good and fruitful land with trees bearing large fruit. The differences were in the interpretation of what they saw.
Caleb and Joshua will continue to believe what God promised Israel, while the rest of the spies focus on the problems in possessing Canaan. Numbers 13 closes right before Israel comes out with a response to what the spies said. However, the ten men have already influenced many Israelites to believe what they said.
The chapter introduces us to the character of Joshua. Before the spies were sent to Canaan, Moses changes the name of Hoshea to Joshua. Soon after this, Joshua will become the leader who takes Israel into the Promised Land after Moses. Right now, he is one of the twelve men sent to spy Canaan.
The forty-day journey allows the spies to scout the land of Canaan and bring back their report. They do not return empty-handed but bring fruit that proves their assertion that Canaan is fruitful. Yet the size of the fruit is not enough to outweigh the discouraging statements the ten spies made about Canaan's inhabitants.
Numbers 13 shows that the fear one man feels can easily influence the way another man looks at things. God had brought Israel out of Egypt, protected them in the wilderness, fed them with manna, and guided them. They had seen God's power in delivering them from captivity. Yet when the people saw Canaan's fortified cities and strong people, many feared the people of Canaan.
The chapter does not indicate that the land of Canaan was an easy land to possess. The spies were right about Canaan having strong people and heavily fortified cities. However, Caleb and Joshua continued to believe that Israel could possess Canaan because God promised the land to them.
Numbers 13 ends the chapter with Israel at a crossroads. The people have seen the land God promised to them and the fruitfulness of the land. Yet they must choose whether to believe God's promise or the words of the ten men who spoke against the promise of God. The next chapter will speak of the disaster that happened as a result of the Israelites choosing to listen to the words of the ten men.
The chapter opens up with the Lord commanding Moses to send men to explore the land of Canaan. It was the land which God promised to give to the children of Israel. Moses obeys and chooses twelve men from the tribes of Israel.
From the tribe of Ephraim, there is Hoshea, the son of Nun. From the tribe of Judah, Caleb is the son of Jephunneh. Moses names Hoshea as Joshua. The two men are going to be important figures as they are among the few that return believing that Israel should take on Canaan.
Moses instructs the twelve men before sending them off. He instructs them to go in all the land of Canaan, scout what it is like, see whether the people living in are strong and weak, numerous or few, and see if the land is good or bad.
They are to see the condition of the cities and decide whether they are open camps or heavily fortified. Moses tells them to observe the goodness of the land and to bring back some of its fruit if they can.
The twelve men go from the wilderness of Zin toward Rehob toward the entrance of Hamath and explore the land of Canaan. They go to Hebron and encounter the Anakim, descendants of Anak. These people are described as men of great stature.
They come to the valley of Eshcol, where they cut down a huge branch containing a large bunch of grapes. It took two men to carry the cluster of grapes between them on a staff. They also take some pomegranates and figs. The bunch of grapes is enough to prove that the land is abundant.
The twelve men spend forty days exploring the land of Canaan. They return to Moses, Aaron, and the congregation of Israel and show them the fruit they have brought back. They tell the congregation of the goodness of Canaan and the fruitfulness of the land. Their report serves to confirm what God said about Canaan.
Now their report turns against Canaan as they talk about the strong people inhabiting the land. The cities are heavily fortified and very big. They describe seeing the Anakim, men of great stature.
Caleb responds to the discouraging report by telling the people of Israel to take up and possess Canaan because they can surely overcome the inhabitants. Caleb does not deny the report that the land has strong people and heavily fortified cities. However, he believes that should not stop Israel from taking up Canaan.
The other spies disagree with Caleb. They tell the people of Israel that they cannot possess Canaan because the people living there are stronger. The other spies begin to sow doubt in Israel's ability to possess Canaan. Their report begins to gain ground.
The spies continue describing Canaan as a land rife with dangers. They describe the people of Canaan as giants and the Anakim as men who are as big as palm trees. The Israelites should not even think of going up to fight the people of Canaan because they are like grasshoppers in comparison to them. The land devours its inhabitants and is not for Israel to possess.
The people of Israel are now discouraged by the report of the ten spies. Their thoughts have turned away from thinking about the fruit of Canaan and God's promise of giving it to them. Instead, they begin to realize that the people living in Canaan are more powerful. The ten spies have persuaded many of Israel to believe them.
The different accounts of the twelve spies are telling. They all witnessed the same thing, yet some spoke one way, and others spoke another way. They saw the same land, the same fortified cities, the same numerous people, the same strongly built cities, and the same great statured Anakim people. They each saw the same good and fruitful land with trees bearing large fruit. The differences were in the interpretation of what they saw.
Caleb and Joshua will continue to believe what God promised Israel, while the rest of the spies focus on the problems in possessing Canaan. Numbers 13 closes right before Israel comes out with a response to what the spies said. However, the ten men have already influenced many Israelites to believe what they said.
The chapter introduces us to the character of Joshua. Before the spies were sent to Canaan, Moses changes the name of Hoshea to Joshua. Soon after this, Joshua will become the leader who takes Israel into the Promised Land after Moses. Right now, he is one of the twelve men sent to spy Canaan.
The forty-day journey allows the spies to scout the land of Canaan and bring back their report. They do not return empty-handed but bring fruit that proves their assertion that Canaan is fruitful. Yet the size of the fruit is not enough to outweigh the discouraging statements the ten spies made about Canaan's inhabitants.
Numbers 13 shows that the fear one man feels can easily influence the way another man looks at things. God had brought Israel out of Egypt, protected them in the wilderness, fed them with manna, and guided them. They had seen God's power in delivering them from captivity. Yet when the people saw Canaan's fortified cities and strong people, many feared the people of Canaan.
The chapter does not indicate that the land of Canaan was an easy land to possess. The spies were right about Canaan having strong people and heavily fortified cities. However, Caleb and Joshua continued to believe that Israel could possess Canaan because God promised the land to them.
Numbers 13 ends the chapter with Israel at a crossroads. The people have seen the land God promised to them and the fruitfulness of the land. Yet they must choose whether to believe God's promise or the words of the ten men who spoke against the promise of God. The next chapter will speak of the disaster that happened as a result of the Israelites choosing to listen to the words of the ten men.