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NUMBERS 13 COMMENTARY EDITED BY GLENN PEASE Exploring Canaan 1 The Lord said to Moses, BARNES, "And the Lord spake - The mission of the spies was first suggested by the Israelites themselves. See Deu_1:22. GILL, "And the Lord Spake unto Moses,.... When in the wilderness of Paran, either at Rithmah or Kadesh; this was on the twenty ninth day of the month Sivan, on which day, the Jews say (o), the spies were sent to search the land, which was a scheme of the Israelites' own devising, and which they first proposed to Moses, who approved of it as prudential and political, at least he gave his assent unto it to please the people, and carried the affair to the Lord, and consulted him about it; who, rather permitting than approving, gave the following order; for the motion carried in it a good deal of unbelief, calling in question whether the land was so good as had been represented unto them, fearing it was not accessible, and that it would be difficult to get into it, and were desirous of knowing the best way of getting into it before they proceeded any further; all which were unnecessary, if they would have fully trusted in the Lord, in his word, promise, power, providence, and guidance; who had told them it was a land flowing with milk and honey; that he would show them the way to it, by going before them in a pillar of cloud and fire; that he would assuredly bring them into it, having espied it for them, and promised it unto them; so that there was no need on any account for them to send spies before them; however, to gratify them in this point, he assented to it: HENRY 1-3, "Here we have, I. Orders given to send spies to search out the land of Canaan. It is here said, God directed Moses to send them (Num_13:1, Num_13:2), but it appears by the repetition of the story afterwards (Deu_ 1:22) that the motion came originally from the people; they came to Moses, and said, We will send men before us; and it was the fruit of their unbelief. They would not take God's word that it was a good land, and that he would, without fail, put them in possession of it. They could not trust the pillar of cloud and fire to show them the way to it, but had a better opinion of their 1
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Numbers 13 commentary

Feb 23, 2017

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Page 1: Numbers 13 commentary

NUMBERS 13 COMMENTARYEDITED BY GLENN PEASE

Exploring Canaan1 The Lord said to Moses,

BARNES, "And the Lord spake - The mission of the spies was first suggested by the Israelites themselves. See Deu_1:22.GILL, "And the Lord Spake unto Moses,.... When in the wilderness of Paran, either at Rithmah or Kadesh; this was on the twenty ninth day of the month Sivan, on which day, the Jews say (o), the spies were sent to search the land, which was a scheme of the Israelites' own devising, and which they first proposed to Moses, who approved of it as prudential and political, at least he gave his assent unto it to please the people, and carried the affair to the Lord, and consulted him about it; who, rather permitting than approving, gave the following order; for the motion carried in it a good deal of unbelief, calling in question whether the land was so good as had been represented unto them, fearing it was not accessible, and that it would be difficult to get into it, and were desirous of knowing the best way of getting into it before they proceeded any further; all which were unnecessary, if they would have fully trusted in the Lord, in his word, promise, power, providence, and guidance; who had told them it was a land flowing with milk and honey; that he would show them the way to it, by going before them in a pillar of cloud and fire; that he would assuredly bring them into it, having espied it for them, and promised it unto them; so that there was no need on any account for them to send spies before them; however, to gratify them in this point, he assented to it:

HENRY 1-3, "Here we have, I. Orders given to send spies to search out the land of Canaan. It is here said, God directed Moses to send them (Num_13:1, Num_13:2), but it appears by the repetition of the story afterwards (Deu_1:22) that the motion came originally from the people; they came to Moses, and said, We will send men before us; and it was the fruit of their unbelief. They would not take God's word that it was a good land, and that he would, without fail, put them in possession of it. They could not trust the pillar of cloud and fire to show them the way to it, but had a better opinion of their

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own politics than of God's wisdom. How absurd was it for them to send to spy out a land which God himself had spied out for them, to enquire the way into it when God himself had undertaken to show them the way! But thus we ruin ourselves by giving more credit to the reports and representations of sense than to divine revelation; we walk by sight, not by faith; whereas, if we will receive the witness of men, without doubt the witness of God is greater. The people making this motion to Moses, he (perhaps not aware of the unbelief at the bottom of it) consulted God in the case, who bade him gratify the people in this matter, and send spies before them: “Let them walk in their own counsels.” Yet God was no way accessory to the sin that followed, for the sending of these spies was so far from being the cause of the sin that if the spies had done their duty, and the people theirs, it might have been the confirmation of their faith, and of good service to them.JAMISON, "Num_13:1-33. The names of the men who were sent to search

the land.The Lord spake unto Moses, Send thou men, that they may search the land, of Canaan — Compare Deu_1:22, whence it appears, that while the proposal of delegating confidential men from each tribe to explore the land of Canaan emanated from the people who petitioned for it, the measure received the special sanction of God, who granted their request at once as a trial, and a punishment of their distrust.

K&D 1-17, "Numbers 13:1-17Despatch of the Spies of Canaan. - Num_13:1. The command of Jehovah, to send out men to spy out the land of Canaan, was occasioned, according to the account given by Moses in Deu_1:22., by a proposal of the congregation, which pleased Moses, so that he laid the matter before the Lord, who then commanded him to send out for this purpose, “of every tribe of their fathers a man, every one a ruler among them, i.e., none but men who were princes in their tribes, who held the prominent position of princes, i.e., distinguished persons of rank; or, as it is stated in Num_13:3, “heads of the children of Israel,” i.e., not the tribe-princes of the twelve tribes, but those men, out of the total number of the heads of the tribes and families of Israel, who were the most suitable for such a mission, though the selection was to be made in such a manner that every tribe should be represented by one of its own chiefs. That there were none of the twelve tribe-princes among them is apparent from a comparison of their names (Num_13:4-15) with the (totally different) names of the tribe-princes (Num_1:3., Num_7:12.). Caleb and Joshua are the only spies that are known. The order, in which the tribes are placed in the list of the names in Num_13:4-15, differs from that in Num_1:5-15 only in the fact that in Num_13:10 Zebulun is separated from the other sons of Leah, and in Num_13:11 Manasseh is separated from Ephraim. The expression “of the tribe of Joseph,” in Num_13:11, stands for “of the children of Joseph,” in Num_1:10; Num_34:23. At the close of the list it is still further stated, that Moses called Hoshea (i.e., help), the son of Nun, Jehoshua, contracted into Joshua (i.e., Jehovah-help, equivalent to,

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whose help is Jehovah). This statement does not present any such discrepancy, when compared with Exo_17:9, Exo_17:13; Exo_24:13; Exo_32:17; Exo_33:11, and Num_11:28, where Joshua bears this name as the servant of Moses at a still earlier period, as to point to any diversity of authorship. As there is nothing of a genealogical character in any of these passages, so as to warrant us in expecting to find the family name of Joshua in them, the name Joshua, by which Hosea had become best known in history, could be used proleptically in them all. On the other hand, however, it is not distinctly stated in the verse before us, that this was the occasion on which Moses gave Hosea the new name of Joshua. As the Vav consec. frequently points out merely the order of thought, the words may be understood without hesitation in the following sense: These are the names borne by the heads of the tribes to be sent out as spies, as they stand in the family registers according to their descent; Hosea, however, was named Joshua by Moses; which would not by any means imply that the alteration in the name had not been made till then. It is very probable that Moses may have given him the new name either before or after the defeat of the Amalekites (Exo_17:9.), or when he took him into his service, though it has not been mentioned before; whilst here the circumstances themselves required that it should be stated that Hosea, as he was called in the list prepared and entered in the documentary record according to the genealogical tables of the tribes, had received from Moses the name of Joshua. In Num_13:17-20 Moses gives them the necessary instructions, defining more clearly the motive which the congregation had assigned for sending them out, namely, that they might search out the way into the land and to its towns (Deu_1:22). “Get you up there זה) in the south country, and go up to the mountain.” Negeb, i.e., south country, lit., dryness, aridity, from נגב, to be dry or arid (in Syr., Chald, and Samar.). Hence the dry, parched land, in contrast to the well-watered country (Jos_15:19; Jdg_1:15), was the name given to the southern district of Canaan, which forms the transition from the desert to the strictly cultivated land, and bears for the most part the character of a steppe, in which tracts of sand and heath are intermixed with shrubs, grass, and vegetables, whilst here and there corn is also cultivated; a district therefore which was better fitted for grazing than for agriculture, though it contained a number of towns and villages (see at Jos_15:21-32). “The mountain” is the mountainous part of Palestine, which was inhabited by Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites (Num_13:29), and was called the mountains of the Amorites, on account of their being the strongest of the Canaanitish tribes (Deu_1:7, Deu_1:19.). It is not to be restricted, as Knobel supposes, to the limits of the so-called mountains of Judah (Jos_15:48-62), but included the mountains of Israel or Ephraim also (Jos_11:21; Jos_20:7), and formed, according to Deu_1:7, the backbone of the whole land of Canaan up to Lebanon.COFFMAN, "This chapter has a record of the sending out of the spies to survey the land of Canaan, an event that proved to be pivotal in the history of Israel. In this chapter, there is:

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(1) the cause of sending out spies (Numbers 13:1,2)(2) the choice of the spies (Numbers 13:2-16)(3) the commission of the spies (Numbers 13:17-20)(4) the conduct of the spies (Numbers 13:21-24)(5) the confirmation of what God had said about Canaan by the spies (Numbers 13:25-27)(6) the contradiction of God's Word by the majority report of the spies (Numbers 13:28,29), and(7) the counter-report of the minority (Numbers 13:30), and(8) the crooked rebuttal by the majority (Numbers 13:31-33)[1]The unity, consistency, and harmony of this amazing narrative are unassailable. Never was the criticism any more bankrupt than in the assaults directed against this chapter. A summary of critical views is that of Wade: "This narrative is marked by numerous discrepancies, being a fusion of two accounts drawn from JE and P. In JE the spies start from Kadesh, and the survey is limited to southern Palestine; the report of land is favorable, but the inhabitants are alarming, and only Caleb opposes the majority report. In P the spies start from Paran, the survey extends to the far north boundary of Canaan, and the report of the country is unfavorable, with both Caleb and Joshua dissenting."[2]"Kadesh vs. Paran as the starting place ..." There is not a scholar on earth who knows with certainty the exact location and boundaries of either Paran or Kadesh, and the conceited assumption that these terms are in any sense contradictory is absolutely untenable. Kadesh was a station within the much larger district called Paran. It was natural that both names would appear in a truthful narrative."The journey covered only southern Canaan ... it extended all the way to Hamath ..." Nowhere in the Bible is there any suggestion whatever that the journey of the spies was limited to southern Canaan. Such a view is mere scholarly imagination imported into the text. The narrative does not have a summary of all that the spies did during that forty days, and the mention of the valley of Eschol (in southern Canaan) was purely incidental to identifying the source of the cluster, and cannot mean that the spies went nowhere else."Caleb alone mentioned as opposing the majority ... both Caleb and Joshua are said to oppose the majority ..." The first mention of Caleb (Numbers 13:30) came from his being the leader of the minority and simply cannot mean that he was alone in his

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opposition. In Numbers 14:6, it is revealed that both Joshua and Caleb opposed the majority report. A discrepancy or contradiction could be alleged here only in the event that one of the passages said Caleb alone stood against the evil report. Where is any such statement?We may summarize all critical fulminations against this chapter in the words of Keil: "These `discrepancies' do not exist in the Biblical narrative, but have been introduced by the critic himself by arbitrary interpolations .... We cannot possibly suppose that two accounts have been linked or interwoven here ... This style of narrative is common, not only in the Bible, but also in the historical works of the Arabs."[3]"And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, Send thou men, that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a prince among them. And Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran according to the commandment of Jehovah: all of them men who were heads of the children of Israel."Here at the outset the question arises as to "Whose idea was it?" that the children of Israel should spy out the land. Here, there is no mention of the people as being behind such a plan; but in Deuteronomy (Deuteronomy 1:20-22) it is revealed that the people themselves were behind this proposal. Is this a "contradiction?" Certainly not. Did not God command Balaam to "go with the men," whereas the desire and purpose of his doing so originated not with God at all, but in the evil heart of Balaam (Numbers 22:35)? Another instance in which the same phenomenon occurs is in the life of Paul. It was the church that sent Paul up to the so-called "Jerusalem Conference" (Acts 15:2); and yet Paul himself stated that he "went up by revelation" (Galatians 2:2), indicating that he went by God's commandment and approval. There are numerous examples of this style of narrative in the Bible, in which "the whole picture" appears only in the light of "all that the scriptures have spoken." It can be nothing but a corrupted exegesis that sees supplementary passages as discrepancies.As a matter of truth, there is no way that the Israelites should have desired to send out spies. Was not God their leader? Was not His visible appearance among them day and night in the phenomenal glory of the fiery cloudy pillar? Did God need any information that their spies could have discovered? In this episode, the Israelites were the prototype of all faithless and timid brethren, who, in the face of clear duty, prefer not to act, but to disguise their unwillingness as prudence in "seeking more facts."Their request for spies indicated a lack of faith. They were not trusting God. God had already spied out the land. He knew all about it. He would not have sent them to possess the land unless He had known that they were able to take it. When they

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finally did enter it, the giants were still there, and all the difficulties and problems were still there; but, of course, they took it anyway. Yes, God permitted them to send out the spies; but "He gave them their request; but sent leanness into their souls."[4]There are two things in this passage: (1) the lack of faith on the part of the people; and (2) the compliance of God with their request, for the purpose of educating them and letting them "have their foolish way and taste its bitter results."[5]BENSON, "Numbers 13:1-2. The Israelites being now come to the borders of Canaan, Moses commanded them, in the name of God, to go up and possess it, reminding them of his promise to give them the possession of it, and exhorting them not to fear nor be discouraged, Deuteronomy 1:21. But the unbelieving and distrustful multitude, forgetting the power and faithfulness of God, were afraid to venture on this hazardous undertaking, as they thought it, till some persons were sent to examine and bring them information what sort of country it was, and what kind of people they should have to contend with. We will send men before us, said they, and they shall search out the land, and bring us word again, Deuteronomy 1:22. Moses, therefore, in compliance with their request, is directed by God to send proper persons, chosen from all the tribes, for this purpose. Every one a ruler among them — Not those called princes of the tribes, in the first chapter of this book, but men of wisdom and authority, and rulers or officers of an inferior kind.

EBC, "THE SPIES AND THEIR REPORTNumbers 13:1-33; Numbers 14:1-10Two narratives at least appear to be united in the thirteenth and fourteenth chapters. From Numbers 13:17; Numbers 13:22-23, we learn that the spies were despatched by way of the south, and that they went to Hebron and a little beyond, as far as the valley of Eshcol. But Numbers 13:21 states that they spied out the land from the wilderness of Zin, south of the Dead Sea, to the entering in of Hamath. The latter statement implies that they traversed what were afterwards called Judaea, Samaria, and Galilee, and penetrated as far as the valley of the Leontes, between the southern ranges of Libanus and Antilibanus. The one account taken by itself would make the journey of the spies northward about a hundred miles; the other, three times as long.A further difference is this: According to one of the narratives Caleb alone encourages the people. {Numbers 13:30, Numbers 14:24} But according to the Numbers 13:8; Numbers 14:6-7, Joshua, as well as Caleb, is among the twelve, and reports favourably as to the possibility of conquering and possessing Canaan.Without deciding on the critical points involved, we may find a way of harmonising the apparent differences. It is quite possible, for instance, that while some of the

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twelve were instructed to keep in the south of Canaan, others were sent to the middle district and a third company to the north. Caleb might be among those who explored the south; while Joshua, having gone to the far north, might return somewhat later and join his testimony to that which Caleb had given. There is no inconsistency between the portions ascribed to the one narrative and those referred to the other; and the account, as we have it, may give what was the gist of several co-ordinate documents. As to any variance in the reports of the spies, we can easily understand how those who looked for smiling valleys and fruitful fields would find them, while others saw.only the difficulties and dangers that would have to be faced.The questions occur, why and at whose instance the survey was undertaken. From Deuteronomy we learn that a demand for it arose among the people. Moses says: {Deuteronomy 1:22} "Ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, Let us send men before us, that they may search the land for us, and bring us word again of the way by which we must go up, and the cities unto which we shall come." In Numbers the expedition is undertaken at the order of Jehovah conveyed through Moses. The opposition here is only on the surface. The people might desire, but decision did not lie with them. It was quite natural when the tribes had at length approached the frontier of Canaan that they should seek information as to the state of the country. And the wish was one which could be sanctioned, which had even been anticipated. The land of Canaan was already known to the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the praise of it as a land flowing with milk and honey mingled with their traditions. In one sense there was no need to send spies, either to report on the fertility of the land or on the peoples dwelling in it. Yet Divine Providence, on which men are to rely, does not supersede their prudence and the duty that rests with them of considering the way they go. The destiny of life or of a nation is to be wrought out in faith; still we are to use all available means in order to ensure success. So personality grows through providence, and God raises men for Himself.To the band of pioneers each tribe contributes a man, and all the twelve are headmen, whose intelligence and good faith may presumably be trusted. They know the strength of Israel; they should also be able to count upon the great source of courage and power-the unseen Friend of the nation. Remembering what Egypt is, they know also the ways of the desert; and they have seen war. If they possess enthusiasm and hope, they will not be dismayed by the sight of a few walled towns or even of some Anakim. They will say, "The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge." Yet there is danger that old doubts and new fears may colour their report. God appoints men to duty; but their personal character and tendencies remain. And the very best men Israel can choose for a task like this will need all their faithfulness and more than all their faith to do it well.The spies were to climb the heights visible in the north, and look forth towards the Great Sea and away to Moriah and Carmel. They were also to make their way cautiously into the land itself and examine it. Moses anticipates that all he has said in praise of Canaan will be made good by the report, and the people will be encouraged to enter at once on the final struggle. When the desert was around them,

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unfruitful, seemingly interminable, the Israelites might have been disposed to fear that journeying from Egypt they were leaving the fertility of the world farther and farther behind. Some may have thought that the Divine promise had misled and deceived them, and that Canaan was a dream. Even although they had now overpassed that dreary region covered with coarse gravel, black flints, and drifting sand, "the great and terrible wilderness," what hope was there that northward they should reach a land of olives, vineyards, and flowing streams? The report of the spies would answer this question.Now in like manner the future state of existence may seem dim and unreal, scarcely credible, to many. Our life is like a series of marches hither and thither through the desert. Neither as individuals nor as communities do we seem to approach any state of blessedness and rest. Rather, as years go by, does the region become more inhospitable. Hopes once cherished are one after another disappointed. The stern mountains that overhung the track by which our forefathers went still frown upon us. It seems impossible to get beyond their shadow. And in a kind of despair some may be ready to say: There is no promised land. This waste, with its sere grass, its burning sand, its rugged hills, makes the whole of life. We shall die here in the wilderness like those who have been before us; and when our graves are dug and our bodies laid in them, our existence will have an end. But it is a thoughtless habit to doubt that of which we have no full experience. Here we have but begun to learn the possibilities of life and find a clew to its Divine mysteries. And even as to the Israelites in the wilderness there were not wanting signs that pointed to the fruitful and pleasant country beyond, so for us, even now, there are previsions of the higher world. Some shrubs and straggling vines grew in sheltered hollows among the hills. Here and there a scanty crop of maize was reared, and in the rainy season streams flowed down the wastes. From what was known the Israelites might reason hopefully to that which as yet was beyond their sight. And are there not fore-signs for the soul, springs opened to the seekers after God in the desert, some verdure of righteousness, some strength and peace in believing?Science and business and the cares of life absorb many and bewilder them. Immersed in the work of their world, men are apt to forget that deeper draughts of life may be drunk than they obtain in the laboratory or the countinghouse. But he who knows what love and worship are, who finds in all things the food of religious thought and devotion, makes no such mistake. To him a future in the spiritual world is far more within the range of hopeful anticipation than Canaan was to one who remembered Egypt and had bathed in the waters of the Nile. Is the heavenly future real? It is: as thought and faith and love are real, as the fellowship of souls and the joy of communion with God are realities. Those who are in doubt as to immortality may find the cause of that doubt in their own earthliness. Let them be less occupied with the material, care more for the spiritual possessions, truth, righteousness, religion, and they will begin to feel an end of doubt. Heaven is no fable. Even now we have our foretaste of its refreshing waters and the fruits that are for the healing of the nations.

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The spies were to climb the hills which commanded a view of the promised land. And there are heights which must be scaled if we are to have previsions of the heavenly life. Men undertake to forecast the future of the human race who have never sought those heights. They may have gone out from camp a few miles or even some days’ journey, but they have kept in the plain. One is devoted to science, and he sees as the land of promise a region in which science shall achieve triumphs hitherto only dreamt of, when the ultimate atoms shall disclose their secrets and the subtle principle of life shall be no longer a mystery. The social reformer sees his own schemes in operation, some new adjustment of human relations, some new economy or system of government, the establishment of an order that shall make the affairs of the world run smoothly, and banish want and care and possibly disease from the earth. But these and similar previsions are not from the heights. We have to climb quite above the earthly and temporal, above economics and scientific theories. Where the way of faith rises, where the love of men becomes perfect in the love of God, not in theory but in the practical endeavour of earnest life, there we ascend, we advance. We shall see the coming kingdom of God only if we are heartily with God in the ardour of the redeemed soul, if we follow in the footsteps of Christ to the summits of Sacrifice.The spies went forth from among tribes which had so far made a good journey under the Divine guidance. So well had the expedition sped that a few days’ march would have brought the travellers into Canaan. But Israel was not a hopeful people nor a united people. The thoughts of many turned back; all were not faithful to God nor loyal to Moses. And as the people were, so were the spies. Some may have professed to be enthusiastic who had their doubts regarding Canaan and the possibility of conquering it. Others may have even wished to find difficulties that would furnish an excuse for returning even to Egypt. Most were ready to be disenchanted at least and to find cause for alarm. In the south of Canaan a pastoral district, rocky and uninviting towards the shore of the Dead Sea, was found to be sparsely occupied by wandering companies of Amalekites, Bedawin of the time, probably with a look of poverty and hardship that gave little promise for any who should attempt to settle where they roamed. Towards Hebron the aspect of the country improved; but the ancient city, or at all events its stronghold, was in the hands of a class of bandits whose names inspired terror throughout the district-Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, sons of Anak. The great stature of these men, exaggerated by common report, together with stories of their ferocity, seem to have impressed the timid Hebrews beyond measure. And round Hebron the Amorites, a hardy highland race, were found in occupation. The report agreed on was that the people were men of great stature; that the land was one which ate up its inhabitants-that is to say, yielded but a precarious existence. Just beyond Hebron vineyards and olive-groves were found; and from the valley of Eschol one fine cluster of grapes was brought, hung upon a rod to preserve the fruit from injury, an evidence of capabilities that might be developed. Still the report was an evil one on the whole.Those who went farther north had to tell of strong peoples-the Jebusites and Amorites of the central region, the Hittites of the north, the Canaanites of the

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seaboard, where afterwards Sisera had his headquarters. The cities, too, were great and walled. These spies had nothing to say of the fruitful plains of Esdraelon and Jezreel, nothing to tell of the flowery meadows the "murmuring of innumerable bees," the terraced vineyards, the herds of cattle and flocks of sheep and goats. They had seen the strong, resolute holders of the soil, the fortresses, the difficulties; and of these they brought back an account which caused abundant alarm. Joshua and Caleb alone had the confidence of faith, and were assured that Jehovah, if He delighted in His people, would give them Canaan as an inheritance.The report of the majority of the spies was one of exaggeration and a certain untruthfulness. They must have spoken altogether without knowledge, or else allowed themselves to magnify what they saw, when they said of the children of Anak, "We were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight." Possibly the Hebrews were at this time somewhat ill-developed as a race, bearing the mark of their slavery. But we can hardly suppose that the Amorites, much less the Hittites, were of overpassing stature. Nor could many cities have been so large and strongly fortified as was represented, though Lachish, Hebron, Shalim, and a few others were formidable. On the other hand, the picture had none of the attractiveness it should have borne. These exaggerations and defects, however, are the common faults of misbelieving and therefore ignorant representation. Are any disposed to leave the wilderness of the world and possess the better country? A hundred voices of the baser kind will be heard giving warning and presage. Nothing is said about its spiritual fruit, its joy, hope, and peace. But its hardships are detailed, the renunciations, the obligations, the conflicts necessary before it can be possessed. Who would enter on the hopeless task of trying to cast out the strong man armed, who sits entrenched-of holding at bay the thousand forces that oppose the Christian life? Each position must be taken after a sore struggle and kept by constant watchfulness. Little know they who think of becoming religious how hard it is to be Christians. It is a life of gloom, of constant penitence for failures that cannot be helped, a life of continual trembling and terror. So the reports go that profess to be those of experience and knowledge of men and women who understand life.Observe also that the account given by those who reconnoitred the land of promise sprang from an error which has its parallel now. The spies went supposing that the Israelites were to conquer Canaan and dwell there purely for their own sake, for their own happiness and comfort. Had not the wilderness journey been undertaken for that end? It did not enter into the consideration either of the people as a whole or of their representatives that they were bound for Canaan in order to fulfil the Divine purpose of making Israel a means of blessing to the world. Here, indeed, a spirituality of view was needful which the spies could not be expected to have. Breadth of foresight, too, would have been required which in the circumstances scarcely lay within human power. If any of them had taken account of Israel’s spiritual destiny as a witness for Jehovah in the midst of the heathen, could they have told whether this land of Syria or some other would be a fit theatre for the fulfilment of that high destiny?

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And in ignorance like theirs lies the source of mistakes often made in judging the circumstances of life, in deciding what will be wisest and best to undertake. We, too, look at things from the point of view of our own happiness and comfort, and, in a higher range, of our religious enjoyment. If we see that these are to be had in a certain sphere, by a certain movement or change, we decide on that change, we choose that sphere. But if neither temporal well-being nor enjoyment of religious privilege appears to be certain, our common practice is to turn in another direction. Yet the truth is that we are not here, and we shall never be anywhere, either in this world or another, simply to enjoy, to have the milk and honey of a smiling land, to fulfil our own desires and live to ourselves. The question regarding the fit place or state for us depends for its answer on what God means to do through us for our fellow-men, for the truth, for His kingdom and glory. The future which we with greater or less success attempt to conquer and secure will, as the Divine hand leads us on, prove different from our dream in proportion as our lives are capable of high endeavour and spiritual service. We shall have our hope, but not as we painted it.Who are the Calebs and Joshuas of our time? Not those who, forecasting the movements of society, see what they think shall be for their people a region of comfort and earthly prosperity, to be maintained by shutting out as far as possible the agitation of other lands; but those who realise that a nation, especially a Christian nation, has a duty under God to the whole human race. Those are our true guides and come with inspiration who bid us not be afraid in undertaking the world-wide task of commendering truth, establishing righteousness, seeking the enfranchisement and Christianisation of all lands.Notwithstanding the efforts of Caleb and afterwards of Joshua to controvert the disheartening reports spread by their companions, the people were filled with dismay; and night fell upon a weeping camp. The pictures of those Anakim and of the tall Amorites, rendered more terrible by imagination, appear to have had most to do with the panic. But it was the general impression also that Canaan offered no attractions as a home. There was murmuring against Moses and Aaron. Disaffection spread rapidly, and issued in the proposal to take another leader and return to Egypt. Why had Jehovah brought them across the desert to put them under the sword at last? The tumult increased, and the danger of a revolt became so great that Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before the assembly.Always and everywhere faithless means foolish, faithless means cowardly. By this is explained the dejection and panic into which the Israelites fell, into which men often fall. Our life and history are not confided to the Divine care; our hope is not in God. Nothing can save a man or a nation from vacillation, despondency, and defeat but the conviction that Providence opens the may and never fails those who press on. No doubt there are considerations which might have made Israel doubtful whether the conquest of Canaan lay in the way of duty. Some modern moralists would call it a great crime-would say that the tribes could look for no success in endeavouring to dispossess the inhabitants of Canaan, or even to find a place among them. But this

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thought did not enter into the question. Panic fell on the host, because doubt of Jehovah and His purpose overcame the partial faith which had as yet been maintained with no small difficulty.Now it was by the mouth of Moses Israel had been assured of the promise of God. Broadly speaking, faith in Jehovah was faith in Moses, who was their moralist, their prophet, their guide. Men here and there, the seventy who prophesied for instance, had their personal consciousness of the Divine power; but the great mass of the people had the covenant, and trusted it through the mediation of Moses. Had Moses then, as the Israelites could judge, a right to command unquestionable authority as a revealer of the will of the unseen God? Take away from the history every incident, every feature, that may appear doubtful, and there remains a personality, a man of distinguished unselfishness, of admirable patience, of great sagacity, who certainly was a patriot, and as certainly had greater conceptions, higher enthusiasms, than any other man of Israel. It was perhaps difficult for those who were gross in nature and very ignorant to realise that Moses was indeed in communication with an unseen, omnipotent Friend of the people. Some might even have been disposed to say: What if he is? What can God do for us? If we are to get anything, we must seek and obtain it for ourselves. Yet the Israelites as a whole held the almost universal belief of those times, the conviction that a Power above the visible world does rule the affairs of earth. And there was evidence enough that Moses was guided and sustained by the Divine hand. The sagacious mind, the brave, noble personality of Moses, made for Israel, at least for every one in Israel capable of appreciating character and wisdom, a bridge between the seen and the unseen, between man and God.We must not indeed deny that this conviction was liable to challenge and revision. It must always be so when a man speaks for God, represents God. Doubt of the wisdom of any command meant doubt whether God had really given it by Moses. And when it seemed that the tribes had been unwisely brought to Canaan, the reflection might be that Moses had failed as an interpreter. Yet this was not the common conclusion. Rather, from all we learn, was it the conclusion that Jehovah Himself had failed the people or deceived them. And there lay the error of unbelief which is constantly being committed still.For us, whatever may be said as to the composition of the Bible, it is supremely, and as no other sacred book can be, the Word of God. As Moses was the one man in Israel who had a right to speak in Jehovah’s name, so the Bible is the one book which can claim to instruct us in faith, duty, and hope. Speaking to us in human language, it may of course be challenged. At one point and another, some even of those who believe in Divine communication to men may question whether the Bible writers have always caught aright the sound of the heavenly Word. And some go so far as to say: There is no Divine Voice; men have given as the Word of God, in good faith, what arose in their own mind, their own exalted imagination.Nevertheless, our faith, if faith we are to have at all, must rest on this Book. We

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cannot get away from human words. We must rely on spoken or written language if we are to know anything higher than our own thought. And what is written in the Bible has the highest marks of inspiration-wisdom, purity, truth, power to convince and convert and to build up a life in holiness and in hope.It remains true accordingly that doubt of the Bible means for us, must mean, not simply doubt of the men who have been instrumental in giving us the Book, but doubt of God Himself. If the Bible did not speak in harmony with nature and reason and the widest human experience when it lays down moral law, prescribes the true rules and unfolds the great principles of life, the affirmation just made would be absurd. But it is a book of breadth, full of wisdom which every age is verifying. It stands an absolute, the manifest embodiment of knowledge drawn from the highest sources available to men-from sources not earthly nor temporary, but sublime and eternal. Faith, therefore, must have its foundation on the teaching of this Book as to "what man is to believe concerning God and what duty God requires of man." And on the other hand infidelity is and must be the result of rejecting the revelation of the Bible, denying that here God speaks with supreme wisdom and authority to our souls.The Israelites doubting Jehovah who had spoken through Moses, that is to say, doubting the highest, most inspiring word it was possible for them to hear, turning away from the Divine reason that spoke, the heavenly purpose revealed to them, had nothing to rely upon. Confused inadequate counsels, chaotic fears, waited immediately upon their revolt. They sank at once to despondency and the most fatuous and impossible projects. The men who stood against their despair were made offenders, almost sacrificed to their fear. Joshua and Caleb, facing the tumult, called for confidence. "Fear not ye the people of the land," they said, "for they are bread for us: their defence is removed from over them, and Jehovah is with us: fear them not." But all the congregation bade stone them with stones; and it was only the bright glow of the pillar of fire shining out at the moment that prevented a dreadful catastrophe.So the faithless generations fell back still into panic, fatuity, and crime. Trusting in their resources, men say, "No change need trouble us; we have courage, wisdom, power, sufficient for our needs." But have they unity, have they any scheme of life for which it is worth while to be courageous? The hope of bare continuance, of ignoble safety and comfort will not animate, will not inspire. Only some great vision of Duty seen along the track of the eternally right will kindle the heart of a people; the faith that goes with that vision will alone sustain courage. Without it, armies and battleships are but a temporary and flimsy defence, the pretext of a self-confidence, while the heart is clouded with despair. Whether men say, We will return to Egypt, refusing the call of Providence which bids us fulfil a high destiny, or still refusing to fulfil it, We will maintain ourselves in the wilderness-they have in secret the conviction that they are failures, that their national organisation is a hollow pretence. And the end, though it may linger for a time, will be dismemberment and disaster.

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Modern nations, nominally Christian, are finding it difficult to suppress disorder, and occasionally we are almost thrown into a state of panic by the activity of revolutionists. Does the cause not lie in this, that the en avant of Providence and Christianity is not obeyed either in the politics or social economy of the people? Like Israel, a nation has been led so far through the wilderness, but advance can only be into a new order which faith perceives, to which the voice of God calls. If it is becoming a general conclusion that there is no such country, or that the conquest of it is impossible, if many are saying, Let us settle in the wilderness, and others, Let us return to Egypt, what can the issue be but confusion? This is to encourage the anarchist, the dynamiter. The enterprise of humanity, according to such counsels, is so far a failure, and for the future there is no inspiring hope. And to make economic self-seeking the governing idea of a nation’s movement is simply to abandon the true leader and to choose another of some ignominious order. Would it have been possible to persuade Moses to hold the command of the tribes, and yet remain in the desert or return to Egypt? Neither is it possible to retain Christ as our captain and also to make this world our home, or return to a practical heathenism, relieved by abundance of food, the Hellenic worship of beauty, the organisation of pleasure. For the great enterprise of spiritual redemption alone will Christ be our leader. We lose Him if we turn to the hopes of this world and cease to press the journey towards the city of God.

PARKER, " Irreligious FearsNumbers 13 , Numbers 14:1-25God gives no speculative commands. When he said—"Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel," he meant that the land of Canaan was to be given to Israel whatever difficulties or delays might occur in the process of acquisition. There is no if in the commandments of Heaven that may mean either of two courses or either of two ways. God says,—You shall have this, if you are faithful. But the if relates to the human mind and to the human disposition, and not to the solidity and certainty of the divine purpose or decree. This is true in morals. Along the line that is laid down in the Bible, which is called, happily and properly, the line of salvation, heaven is found—not the mean heaven of selfish indulgence and selfish complacency and release from mere toil and pain, but the great heaven of harmony with God, identification with the Spirit divine, complete restfulness in the movement of the infinite purpose. There will be difficulties on the road; these difficulties will assume various proportions, according to the dispositions of the men who survey them; but the Lord does not propose to give the end without, by implication, proposing also to find the grace and comfort necessary for all the process. We are not at liberty to stop at processes as if they were final points; we have nothing to do with processes but to go through them; the very call to attempt them is a pledge that they may be overcome. But these processes test the quality of men. It is by such processes that we are revealed to ourselves. If

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everything came easily as a mere matter of course, flowing in sequence that is never disturbed, we should lose some of the highest advantages of this present time school. We are made strong by exercise; we are made wise by failure; we are chastened by disappointment; driven back again and again six days out of the seven, we are taught to value the seventh day the more, that it gives us rest, and breathing time, and opportunity to consider the situation, so that we may begin another week"s battle with a whole Sabbath day"s power. To some the processes of life are indeed hard; let us never underrate them. Men are not cheered when the difficulties of the way are simply undervalued. No man can sympathise with another until he has learned the exact weight of the other man"s trouble and the precise pain of his distress. There is a rough and pointless comfort which proceeds upon the principle that you have only to underrate a man"s trials—to make them look as little and contemptible as possible—in order to invigorate his motive and to increase his strength. That is a profound mistake. He can sympathise best who acknowledges that the burden is heavy and the back weak, and the road is long, and the sky dull, and the wind full of ominous moaning;—granted that the sympathising voice can say all this in a tone of real appreciation, it has prepared the listener for words of cheer and inspiration—healthy, sound, intelligent courage. This is just the way of the Bible; it recognises the human lot in all its length and breadth; it addresses itself to circumstances which it describes with adequate minuteness and with copious and pathetic eloquence.Here you find a number of men, such as live in all ages, who are crushed by material considerations. They report that the people of the country which they were sent to search were "strong," their cities were "walled and very great," and the population was made up of the Anakim—the "giants," the towering and mighty sons of Anak; they reported that some dwelt in "the south," and some "in the mountains," and some "by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan." This was a mean report, it was hardly a report at all,—so nearly may a man come to speak the truth, and yet not to be truthful, so wide is the difference between fact and truth. Many a book is true that is written under the name of fiction; many a book is untrue that lays claim only to the dry arguments of statistics and schedules. Truth is subtle; it is a thing of atmosphere, perspective, unnameable environment, spiritual influence. Not a word of what the truth says may have occurred in what is known as within the boundaries of any individual experience. The fact relates to an individuality; the truth relates to a race. A fact is an incident which occurred; a truth is a gospel which is occurring throughout all the ages of time. The men, therefore, who reported about walled cities, and tall inhabitants, and mountain refuges, and fortresses by the sea, confined themselves to simply material considerations; they overlooked the fact that the fortress might be stronger than the soldier, that the people had nothing but figure, and weight, and bulk, and were destitute of the true spirit which alone is a guarantee of sovereignty of character and conquest of arms. But this is occurring every day. Again and again we come upon terms which might have been written this very year. We are all men of the same class, with an exceptional instance here and there; we look at walls, we receive despatches about the stature of the people and the number of their fortresses, and draw very frightsome and terrible conclusions

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concerning material resources, forgetting in our eloquent despatches the only thing worth telling, namely: that if we were sent by Providence and are inspired by the Living God and have a true cause and are intent to fight with nobler weapons than gun and sword, the mountains themselves shall melt whilst we look upon them, and they who inhabit the fortresses shall sleep to rise no more. This is what we must do in life—in all life—educational, commercial, religious. We have nothing to do with outsides and appearances, and with resources that can be totalled in so many arithmetical figures; we have to ascertain, first, Did God send us? and secondly, if he sent us, to feel that no man can drive us back. If God did not send us, we shall go down before the savage; if God is not in the battle, it cannot and ought not to succeed, and failure is to be God"s answer to our mean and unrighteous and untimely prayer. Who is distressed by appearances? Who is afraid because the labour is very heavy? What young heart quails because the books which lie upon the road which terminates in the temple of wisdom are many in number and severe in composition? We are called to enter the sanctuary of wisdom and of righteousness; therefore we must take up the books as a very little thing and master them, and lay them down, and smile at the difficulties which once made us afraid.But one man at least spoke up and said,—We must go; this thing is to be done:—"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." Was Caleb, then, a giant—larger than any of the sons of Anak? Was he a Hercules and a Samson in one? Was his arm so terrific that every stroke of it was a conquest? We are not told so; the one thing we are told about Caleb is that he was a man of "another spirit." That determines the quality of the man. Character is a question of spirit. It is an affair of inward and spiritual glow. Caleb had been upon the preliminary search; Caleb had seen the walls, and the Anakim, and the fortresses, and he came back saying,—We can do this, not because we have so many arms only or so many resources of a material kind—but because he was a man of "another spirit." In the long run, spirit wins; in the outcome of all history, spirit will be uppermost. The great battles of life are not controversies of body against body, but, as far as God is in them, they are a question of spirit against body, thought against iron, prayer against storming and blustering of boastful men. While the cloud hangs over the field, and the dust of the strife is very thick, and the tumult roars until it deafens those who listen, we cannot see the exact proportions, colours, and bearings of things; but if we read history instead of studying the events of the day which have not yet settled themselves into order and final meaning, we shall discover that spirit is mightier than body, that "knowledge is power," that "righteousness exalteth a nation," and that they who bear the white banner of a pure cause ultimately triumph because God is with them.How little the people had grown! They hear of the walled cities, and the great towns, and the tall men—the Amalekites, and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and they lifted up their voices and wept—and wept all night! You have only to make noise enough in the ears of some men to make them afraid; you have simply to keep on repeating a catalogue of names, and they think you are reciting the resources of almightiness; mention one opposition, and possibly

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they may overcome the suggestion of danger: but have your mouth well-filled with hostile names and be able to roll off the catalogue without halt or stammer, and you pour upon the fainting heart a cataract which cannot be resisted. The people had grown but little: they were still in the school of fear; they were still in the desert of despair; they were childish, cowardly, spiritless; they had no heart for prayer; they forgot the only thing worth remembering, the pledge and covenant of God. Let us not condemn them. It is easy to condemn ancient Israelites and forgotten unbelievers. How stands the case with us? Precisely as it stood with the people of whom we are now reading. We are not an inch ahead of them. Christians are to-day just as fearful as the children of Israel were thousands of years ago: they have only to hear of certain bulks, forces, sizes, Numbers , in order to quail as if they had never heard of the Eternal God. Would to Heaven we could make an exchange as between such people and some Song of Solomon -called infidels we know! The infidels would make better Christians. There is more reality in them, more firmness, more standing right up to the line of conviction. He who prays, and then fears, brings discredit upon the altar at which he prayed; he who talks of the promises of God, and then lives in subjection to the devil, is worse than an infidel.What wonder that God himself was filled with contempt towards the people whom he had thus far led? He would slay them; he would "smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them"; he would root up the root of Abraham and begin a new people in the spirit and life of Moses; he would start from a new centre; he would obliterate the past: he would begin afresh to-morrow."And Moses said unto the Lord, Then the Egyptians shall hear it, (for thou broughtest up this people in thy might from among them;) And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land: for they have heard that thou Lord art among this people, that thou Lord art seen face to face, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night. Now if thou shalt kill all this people as one Prayer of Manasseh , then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying, Because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness" ( Numbers 14:13-16).What book but the Bible has the courage to represent a man standing in this attitude before his God and addressing his Sovereign in such persuasive terms? This incident brings before us the vast subject of the collateral considerations which are always operating in human life. Things are not straight and simple, lying in rows of direct lines to be numbered off, checked off and done with. Lines bisect and intersect and thicken into great knots and tangle, and who can unravel or disentangle the great heap? Things bear relations which can only be detected by the imagination, which cannot be compassed by arithmetical Numbers , but which force upon men a new science of calculation, and create a species of moral algebra, by which, through the medium and help of symbols, that is done which was impossible to common arithmetic. Moses was a great leader; he thought of Egypt: what will the enemy say? The enemy will put a false construction upon this. As if he had said,—

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This will be turned against Heaven; the Egyptians do not care what becomes of the people, if they can laugh at the Providence which they superstitiously trusted; the verdict passed by the heathen will be:—God was not able to do what he promised, so he had recourse to the vulgar artifice of murder. The Lord in this way developed Moses. In reality, Moses was not anticipating the divine purpose, but God was training the man by saying what Hebrews , the Lord, would do, and by the very exaggeration of his strength called up Moses to his noblest consciousness. We do this amongst ourselves. By using a species of language adapted to touch the innermost nerve and feeling of our hearers, we call those hearers to their best selves. If the Lord had spoken a hesitant language, or had fallen into what we may call a tone of despair, Moses himself might have been seduced into a kindred dejection; but the Lord said, I will smite, I will disinherit, I will make an end; and Moses became priest, intercessor, mighty pleader,—the very purpose which God had in view—to keep the head right, the leading man in tune with his purposes. So Moses said, "Pardon"; the Lord said, "Smite"; and Moses said, "Pardon "—that is the true smiting. The Lord meant it; the Lord taught Moses that prayer which Moses seemed to invent himself. The Lord trains us, sometimes, by shocking our sensibilities; and by the very denunciation of his judgments he drives us to tenderer prayer.How stands our own case in relation to this? We deserve divine contempt: we are frail and spiritless and mean; we shun danger; we are afraid of the damp night; we want to be let alone; if it is possible to die without fighting, let us die in the wilderness; if we can escape danger, we prefer to turn over upon our couch and to slumber away into death and oblivion. Where is the aggressive spirit amongst Christians? Men have gone out to search the land, and they have brought back this report: that the land is a land of darkness: the land is a land of shame: there are thousands upon thousands of people dying of starvation, perishing for lack of knowledge, contemning the sanctuary, shut up in avenues and alleys and back places into which the daintiest civilisation dare not go: rough men given to drunkenness, bestiality and cruelty: women who are concealing their beauty under distress and poverty and manifold shame: children who have never heard the divine name or been invited to the divine table. Christians are few in number; the devil"s army is an infinite host, dwelling in great cities walled and very strong, and the devil"s men are of heroic proportion; their language is strong and definite; their habits have in them no touch of fear; they are valiant in their master"s cause: they care not whether they swear, whether they drink, whether they do the foul and forbidden deed of unrighteousness and untruthfulness. The Church says,—Let us sing an evening hymn and go home by the quiet way, and sigh ourselves into any heaven that may be ready to take us; do not be sensational; do not attempt anything novel or unusual; let us be quit of all things; and if we can get home by sneaking along the eaves of the houses and in the shady part of the road so that nobody may see us, do let us sing the evening hymn and go to rest. Is there no Caleb? Is there no Joshua? Is there no man of "another spirit" to say, Let us go up at once, when we are well able to overcome it? In whose strength? In God"s. By whose armour? God"s. The battle is not yours, but God"s. The one thing we have dropped out of our calculations is—Almightiness.

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PETT, "IntroductionC. THE SPYING OUT OF THE LAND AND THE REFUSAL TO GO FORWARD FOLLOWED BY REJECTION AND EXPULSION FROM THE LAND (Chapters 13-14).Following the arrival in the Wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh, the tribes settled down while the land ahead could be spied out. The oases of Kadesh would provide a welcome change from the harshness of the wilderness, and they were probably glad to be able to rest once more at a place where water was not scarce.The sending out of the spies or scouts may be seen as a wise military manoeuvre. Scouting what lay ahead was always the precursor to military activity. But in this case it must surely be seen as more than that, for it was Yahweh Who was leading His people and He would not be unaware of what lay ahead. It therefore seemingly performed a two way function. Firstly that it would let the people know how fruitful and pleasant the land was, and secondly it would face them up to what lay ahead in the way of fighting for the land. Yahweh wanted to test out their faith to see if it would be strong enough for what they would have to face. It was very much a trial of what they could cope with.Already in the wilderness the slave mentality of the people had raised its head and they had been revealed to be in a sad psychological state. They had complained, and murmured, and wept when things had gone wrong. Even the stay at Sinai and the assurance of His dwelling among them had not combated that. Faced with the problem of fighting for the land their first reaction would be the desire to return to ‘comfortable’ slavery in Egypt (Numbers 14:3-4). So Yahweh was right therefore to be concerned lest they be insufficient for what lay ahead. He was well aware that, if their faith was not strong enough, any entry into the land, which would necessarily be followed by sustained warfare, could only end in disaster. He would have to hold them up at every turn and the result would be a nation not worthy of the name. It would result in something far different from what He intended. That was not what He had brought them there for.The sending out of the spies must therefore be seen as a test of whether they were in a fit state to enter the land. The outcome would determine whether the entry should be made immediately, or whether a further wait was advisable. In the event the latter proved to be the true position. And indeed when an abortive attempt was made in desperation it did turn out to be disastrous. We must not see God’s refusal to let them enter into the land as simply caprice on His part. It was a studied recognition of the fact that they were not yet ready, and could not cope with what lay ahead.He thus accepted that until they had become hardened by a time in the wilderness,

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with the present generation being replaced by people who had been brought up to liberty and had more backbone, an advance on the land would be inadvisable. Had they gone forward it would have required miracles even greater than those wrought in Egypt, and Yahweh clearly did not think that they were worthy of them. If His people which were called by His name were not willing to trust Him and His name, then establishing them in the land would not produce a nation which brought glory to His name, but would simply result in a nation of selfish and weak misfits who simply forgot Him. And that was not His intention. That would not be a nation worthy of being seen as the Kingdom of God.This section from Numbers 13:1 to Numbers 14:45 deals with that situation. It consists of:a Scouts advancing into the land to search it out (Numbers 13:1-25).b The scouts report on what lay ahead (Numbers 13:26-33).c The people’s response (Numbers 14:1-10).d The anger of Yahweh (Numbers 14:11-12).d The intercession of Moses (Numbers 14:13-19).c Yahweh’s response (Numbers 14:20-38).b The people report on their plans (Numbers 14:39-43)a The people advancing into the land with devastating results (Numbers 14:44-45)Verses 1-16Chapter 13 The Sending Out of Scouts and the Message They Brought Back.1). The Scouts Sent Out (Numbers 13:1-16).The first section from Numbers 13:1-16 basically covers:a Yahweh’s command to send out men to spy out the land (Numbers 13:1-2 a).b The spies to be sent out one for each tribe (Numbers 13:2 b).c Moses at Yahweh’s command sends out spies (Numbers 13:3).b The names of those sent, one for each tribe (Numbers 13:4-15).a These are the names of thos sent out to spy out the land (Numbers 13:16).

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Numbers 13:1‘And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,’Again we have confirmation that here we have Yahweh’s words to Moses. The writer could not make it more clear that he intends us to see what he wrote as the actual words of Moses, spoken to him by the Voice from the throne (Numbers 7:87). TRAPP, "Numbers 13:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,Ver. 1. And the Lord spake.] Yielding to the people’s importunity, and winking at their infidelity; for he had before spied out the land for them, [Ezekiel 20:6] and searched it out, [Deuteronomy 1:33] but that satisfied them not; seeing was, with them, believing. See Deuteronomy 1:22.

WHEDON, " 1. Send thou men — Although Canaan had been promised to the Israelites as a God-given inheritance on the condition of their fidelity, yet this promise did not render the means of conquest unnecessary. All the strategy of war was required, such as the ambuscade (Joshua 8:13) and spies, (Joshua 2:1,) in order to success. God’s promises are not designed to supersede, but to stimulate, human activity. Moreover, this reconnaissance afforded to the spies a test of faith in Jehovah, and their report tested the whole nation.Every one a ruler — R.V., “a prince.” Spies in war are usually not men of high rank, but adventurers who court peril for gain or praise; but these spies, though not the tribe-princes named in chaps. i and vii, are rulers or princes selected from their tribes because of their eminence. From Deuteronomy 1:22, we infer that the policy of sending out the spies originated with the Israelites themselves, and was permitted by God as a concession to the weakness of their faith, with a warning to “be of good courage.” Strong faith would have accepted Jehovah’s description of Canaan, and would have leaned on his ability to bring them in according to his oft-repeated promise, without any reconnaissance. Thus suggests the Jewish Midrash. The order of the tribes differs from that in Numbers 1:5-15, only in the separation of Zebulun from the other sons of Leah in Numbers 13:10, and in Numbers 13:11 Manasseh from Ephraim, who together constitute the tribe of Joseph, but are always counted as two tribes, in accordance with the prediction of the dying Jacob in Genesis 48:5-6.BI 1-20, "Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan.Glimpses of the better landI. The search.II. The retreat,

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III. An emblem of God’s dealings with His people.1. The children of Israel were sent back to the wilderness on account of their sin.2. While they are sent in judgment, they go back of their own accord.3. Though the fruit of sin, and the token of God’s righteous displeasure, all was overruled for their good.4. Though chastened they are not cast off.

(1) They are Divinely delivered.(2) They are Divinely sustained.(3) They are Divinely guided.(4) They are Divinely chastened.

IV. Improvement.1. Let young believers be not high-minded, but fear.2. Let backsliders remember and weep.3. Let tried and troubled saints take fresh courage. (Islay Burns, D. D.)

The sending forth of the spiesI. The origin of this expedition (cf. Deu_1:20-25).

1. God had Himself declared to them the excellence of the land (Exo_3:8; Exo_33:3).2. He had promised to guide them to the land (Exo_32:34; Exo_33:2; Exo_33:14). Moreover, He was visibly present with them in the majestic pillar of cloud and fire.3. He had promised to drive out the heathen nations and give them possession of the land (Exo_23:20-33; Deu_1:8).4. He commanded them to “go up and possess” the land (Deu_1:8; Deu_1:21).5. Yet their answer was, “We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the laud,” &c. (Deu_1:22). Clearly their duty was not to send men to search out the land, but trusting in God, to obey His voice and go and take possession of the land. God may allow us to carry out our unbelieving plans to our own confusion. If we will “lean unto our own understanding,” He will let us take our way until we find what utter folly our fancied wisdom is.

II. The agents in this expedition. “Of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them,” &c. (Num_13:2-16). Three points here require notice.1. The wisdom of this arrangement.

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(1) in sending one man from each tribe. By this arrangement every tribe would have a witness of its own.(2) In sending a leading man from each tribe. They were approved men of influence, and therefore their testimony would be the more likely to be credited.

2. The scarcity of worthy leaders. We see here that a large proportion of even these leading men, these “rulers” and “heads of the children of Israel,” were unworthy of the position which they occupied.3. The diversity of human fame. The names of these twelve men have been handed down to the present time; but how different are the positions which they occupy! History perpetuates the memory of Nero as well as of St. Paul, of Judas Iscariot as well as of Jesus Christ. We are making our posthumous reputation now; let us take heed that it be of a worthy character.

III. The aims of this expedition. They were to report as to the condition of—1. The land, whether it was fertile or barren, whether it was wooded or bare, &c.2. The towns, whether they were walled and fortified or open and unprotected, &c.3. The people, whether they were strong or weak, whether they were few or many, &c.

IV. The spirit appropriate to this expedition. “And be ye of good courage.” (W. Jones.)

The twelve spiesI. Their selection.

1. One from each tribe. That each tribe, without preference or distinction, might be represented.2. Each was a man of mark. “Every one a ruler.” “Heads of the children of Israel.” Men of judgment and discretion. This the more needful—

(1) Because the journey was perilous.(2) Because the object was important. Men able to judge of the soil, and inhabitants.

3. They were chosen and sent by Moses. Their various characters prove the impartiality of Moses. He could doubtless have found in each tribe a man after his own heart. Probably he allowed the people of each tribe to have a voice in the matter.II. Their commission.

1. They were to spy out the whole land. Not to give a report upon some few favourable or unfavourable aspects of it.23

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2. They were to observe the people, and note especially their numbers, character, habits, and strength.3. They were to bring particulars of the dwellings of the people; whether cities, tents, or otherwise. From this, their habits and power of resistance might be inferred.4. They were carefully to examine the soil, whether fit for pasturage or tillage, whether it was fat or lean.5. To confirm and illustrate what they might say of the soil, they were to bring of the fruit of the land.6. They were to be fearless. God would have them in His keeping.

III. Their journey.1. In the glorious summer-time, thus commissioned, they set out on their enterprise. Time when the country looked most beautiful.2. They passed up through the whole country, from the south to the extreme north; even to Hamath.3. Returning, they visited Hebron. Should not the remembrance of him who dwelt there (Abraham) have encouraged them to believe in their conquest of the country?4. At a place afterwards called Eshcol (the place of grapes, or the cluster), they cut down a large bunch of grapes; and collecting also some figs and pomegranates, they returned with much information after forty days.

IV. Their report.1. Things in which they agreed. Concerning the country, soil, fruit, people. They showed the fruit they had brought.2. Things about which they differed. Their ability to conquer this wonderful country.3. Effect of their representations.

(1) Immediate. People discouraged and tumultuous (Num_13:30; Num_14:1-5). They began to rebel. Were for returning to Egypt.(2) Ultimate. Delayed the stay in the desert, and the conquest of Canaan for many years.

4. Only Joshua and Caleb faithful; these were silenced and out-voted. Minorities have often been in the right. Reason: goodness and wisdom generally with the few. (J. C. Gray.)

Wise travellersTo us at this day the use may be twofold. First, to such as travel to see foreign countries, that they observe fit things in them, so make good use of their travel, not neglecting things profitable, and sucking up all venom, that

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the corruption of those places may yield, as too many do, to their own, not only temporal, but eternal woe, and to the poisoning of many others when they return. Secondly, to magistrates, ministers, and all of good disposition, it may be a pattern of care and endeavour, according to the places and power they have, to work liking in men of the true Canaan that shall endure for ever, and a daily disliking of the pleasures of Egypt, this transitory and sinful world, that bewitcheth so many to their endless woe and confusion. (Bp. Babington.)

The promised landWe have a heavenly Canaan, towards which we are journeying; and we are told by an oracle, even more sure than the Urim and Thummim, “There remaineth therefore a rest for the people of God.” This, then, being the case, can we do better than apply to ourselves the injunction in the text, and “search out the land” which is our promised abode? True it is, we cannot send men as the Jews did, for “who shall ascend into heaven, save the Son of God which came down from heaven?” The city which we seek is no fancy of the imagination. But shall we open the book of their record, and note what inspired lips have spoken concerning the New Jerusalem? Shall we tell you of the gates, each made of a single pearl, and the foundations of twelve manner of precious stones? When the gates of that city shall close upon the ransomed spirit, will it be on these things that the undying eye will be fixed, or rather upon the face of “Him who sitteth upon the throne,” the triune Jehovah, the glorified Jesus? He who hath “washed us in His own blood, and made us kings and priests to God and to the Lamb,” will be the supreme object of our admiration and worship. Such is the land towards which we are hastening—an inheritance not doubtful, but secured to us by two “immutable things, by which it is impossible for God to lie.” And now, having heard this good report, shall we gird on our swords and prepare, as disciples of the Lord, to “fight the good fight of faith,” and declare in the heart-stirring words of Caleb, “Let us go up and possess it, for we are well able to overcome it.” Press forward, then; the voice of our Captain is cheering us onward—“Fear not, it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Angels are rejoicing at our progress; and not only so, but fighting on our side; Satan and his apostate legions are fleeing before the triumphant cross. Shall we plead our terrors at the Anakim, while the sword of the Eternal is drawn on our behalf? Away with the thought; “though they hedge us in on every side, in the name of the Lord we will destroy them.” Yet let us not go on this warfare “without counting the cost”; the enemies against whom we have to contend are giants indeed. “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” These our foes are watchful as well as powerful; they are most malignant; they know our weak parts, and can tempt us most craftily; they are in league with the corruption of our own nature, and are often most dangerous when least suspected. Are we prepared, against such antagonists as these, not only to draw the sword, but to cast away the scabbard? (H. Christmas, M. A.)

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Moses called Oshea . . . Jehoshua.—The change of Joshua’s nameOriginally called Hoshea, or Salvation, this name was changed, when he led the spies, to Jehoshua, or The Lord is Salvation. And it has never ceased to seem significant to the Christian that this name of Joshua should have been that by which our Lord was called. In its Greek form, “Jesus,” it was given to Him because He was to save His people from their sins. By His distinctive name among men He was linked to Joshua, and in the salvation He accomplishes for His people we are therefore led to expect the same leading characteristics as distinguished the salvation of Israel by Joshua.

1. We are, in the first place, reminded by this parallel that the help afforded to us in Christ is God’s help, and this in a fuller sense than was true in Israel’s case.2. Again, we are reminded by this parallel, that as in the conquest of the land by Joshua, so in our salvation, is there a somewhat perplexing mixture of miracle and hard fighting. Sometimes the rivers that flow deep before us open at our approach, and we pass over dryshod. At other times we are allowed to fall into ambuscades. And just as the Israelites, when they found the Jordan open before them and the walls of Jericho fall down, supposed that the conquest of the land was to be completed without their drawing their swords, and were in consequence defeated before Ai, so are the great mass of those who enter the Christian life presuming that God will give them the land of uprightness, purity of heart, and holiness of life, with scarcely an effort on their part. And therefore, though there was miracle on the side of Israel, yet this rule was distinctly laid down as the rule by which the territory was allotted to the tribes, that each was to have what each could take, and hold against the enemy. This is the law of our acquisitions also. What becomes really ours is what we fight for inch by inch, killing as we go, slaughtering the obstinate foe on his own soil, so that the property be left to us uncontested. God’s grant is useless to us if we will not draw the sword and conquer it, if we will not wield the axe and clear it. These two united form the strongest of titles, God’s grant and our own conquest. (Marcus Dods, D. D.)

2 “Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders.”26

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BARNES, "A ruler - A comparison of the list with that of Num_13:1 :5 following shows that they were not the princes of the tribes, but heads of houses or families Num_12:4.

Of the names here given those of Joshua and Caleb alone are otherwise known to us.CLARKE, "Send thou men, that they may search - It appears from Deu_

1:19-24 that this was done in consequence of the request of the people, after the following address of Moses: “And when we departed from Horeb, we went through all that great and terrible wilderness - and we came unto Kadesh-Barnea; and I said unto you, Ye are come unto the mountain of the Amorites, which the Lord our God doth give unto us. Behold the Lord thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged. And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said: We Will Send Men Before Us, And They Shall Search Us Out The Land and bring us word again, by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come. And the saying pleased me well, and I took twelve men of you, one of a tribe,” etc., etc. Nearly the whole of these verses is added here by the Samaritan.Every one a ruler - Not any of the princes of the people, (see Numbers 1) for these names are different from those; but these now sent were men of consideration and importance in their respective tribes.

GILL, "Send thou men,.... Which is rather a permission than a command; so Jarchi interprets it,"send men according to thy mind, I do not command thee, but if thou pleasest send;''this he observed was agreeable to Moses, and to the Israelites, and therefore granted it, or allowed them to take their own way, and which issued badly, as it always does, when men are left to their own counsel: that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel; called the land of Canaan, though it consisted of seven nations, from the principal of them; this God had given in promise to the children of Israel, and had now brought them to the borders of it; nay, had given them orders to go up and possess it; but they were for searching it first, to know what sort of a land it was, and which was the best way of entering into it, which is here permitted them, see Deu_1:21, of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man; excepting the tribe of Levi; the reason of which was because they were to have no inheritance in the land, Deu_10:9; but then, to make up the number twelve, the two sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, are reckoned as two tribes:

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everyone a ruler among them; a prince in his tribe; so were men of honour and credit, of power and authority, of prudence and probity, and who might be trusted with such an affair, and their report believed: they were not indeed princes of the highest rank, not the same that assisted in taking the numbers of the people, who were captains over their several tribes, as in Num_1:4, &c. but were inferior princes and rulers, perhaps rulers of thousands.

CALVIN, "2.Of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man. If all had been taken from one tribe, or from any single portion of the people, their fidelity might have been suspected by the others. God, therefore, would have each tribe assured by its own witness, in order that their report might be more unquestionable. All cause for jealousy was also to be taken away; lest, if any tribe had been passed over, it might have excepted against the messengers, whom it supposed to have been elected in contempt of it. This, then, was the advantage of the equal distribution, lest any sinister suspicion or offence might disturb the unanimity of the whole people. Secondly, it is required that they should be possessed of personal dignity, since God commands that chief men should be chosen, whose testimony would be of greater authority; for it would have been easy to throw discredit upon obscure individuals. Since, however, both precautions were unsuccessful, it appears from hence that there is no counsel so wise and salutary as not to be capable of perversion by the wickedness of mankind. Thus this excellent providence of God rendered the people the more inexcusable. At the same time, God has reminded us once for all by this example that, however those, who seemed to be like pillars, may totter and stumble, or even fall altogether, still our minds must be supported by faith, so as not to give way.Their names are enumerated, in perpetual remembrance of their ignominy, except in the case of two, Joshua and Caleb; for it was just that their crime should be handed down to all ages, and that the infamy of their perfidiousness should never be blotted out, since they endeavored, as far as in them lay, to bring to naught the promise and the grace of God.Moses gave the name of Jehoshua to the son of Nun in the spirit of prophecy, as a presage of the exalted function to which he was destined. Ambition is so rash, that men are often disappointed in the result, when they invent titles of honor of their own accord; but Moses was not induced by the blindness of affection to change the name Oshea into Jehoshua; but God directed his tongue and mind thus to commend, beforehand, him who (49) was to be the future minister of their preservation. Still it cannot be inferred with certainty from this passage at what time the new name was given him; for it is not specified that he was called Jehoshua at the time he was sent out; nay, it is probable that he had been previously thus distinguished, viz., from the period in which he had been associated with Moses as his companion and minister in all important matters.

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Calvin here alludes to the apparent contradiction arising from the fact that Joshua had already been called by his new name in Exodus 17:9; and Numbers 11:28, which, as Hengstenberg remarks, was a topic of discussion as early as the times of Justin Martyr. Hengstenberg reviews the three modes of meeting the difficulty proposed, viz., 1. That he was so called in the earlier passages by prolepsis. 2. That Moses now only renewed the name. 3. That a statement is here made of what had taken place a considerable time before. To this view he himself inclines, and says, “That the author here first mentioned that he, whom he had originally called simply Joshua, originally bore the name of Hoshea, was not without good reason. What had been hitherto related of Joshua, belonged to him as a servant of God; the sacred name was, therefore, properly employed. But here Hoshea must stand; for he went to spy out the land, not as a servant of Moses, but as one of the heads of the children of’ Israel,’ — one of the plenipotentiaries of the congregation.” — Genuineness of Pentateuch, vol. 2, p. 323.

COKE, "Numbers 13:2. Send thou men, that, &c.— It appears from Deuteronomy 1:22; Deuteronomy 9:23 that this motion to search the land of Canaan was made by the unbelieving multitude. Being come near to the borders of the land, God ordered them by Moses to go up, and take possession of it; but, forgetting the power and promises of God, the people were afraid to venture upon it, till some were sent to bring them intelligence what kind of country it was, and what sort of people they had to deal with; Moses, therefore, by divine direction, complies with the importunities of the people, and chooses a proper officer out of each tribe for that purpose: every one a ruler among them; for it was fit that men of authority and prudence should be sent, of ability to execute the trust, and of credit to be believed: their names shew plainly that they were not the persons, who, in the first chapter of this book, are called princes of the tribes: they must have been rulers only of some part, not of a whole tribe; perhaps some of those who were rulers of thousands, or rulers of hundreds; called heads of the people, Exodus 18:25. They were sent, according to the opinion of the Jews and St. Jerome, in the month Ab, which was the fifth of the second year; at the beginning of the month, which falls upon the nineteenth day of our July; see Bishop Patrick. We should just observe, that in many versions of the Bible, this chapter begins with the last verse of the foregoing chapter.

PETT, "Numbers 13:2‘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 shall you send a man, every one a prince among them.’Yahweh gave the command to send out spies or scouts to spy out the land of Canaan which He was giving to the children of Israel. A scout was to go out from each tribe, and each scout was to be a prince of the tribe. He intended that those who reported

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back would be men of substance, and men of authority.Note the emphasis on the fact that the land was God’s gift to them. Thus any failure to respond would be a refusal of God’s gift. Yet it was also on the other hand Yahweh’s assurance that they need not fear, for the gift was at His disposal and He could ensure its reception. All the tribes were to be involved (apart from Levi). The purpose of sending ‘princes’ was probably so that their word might carry authority with all the people. This was a ‘search and see’ expedition being carried out on their behalf in order to see how they would respond.This command of Yahweh was, however, a response to the people’s own ideas, for in Deuteronomy 1:22 we learn that the people had first approached Moses with a view to sending out scouts, which would be a normal procedure. God was here confirming His agreement with the plan. God regularly works in with men’s determining. The purpose of the people was in order to discover what lay ahead.

PULPIT, "Numbers 13:2Send thou men, that they may search the land. If this account of the mission of the spies be compared with that given in Deuteronomy 1:20-25, it may be seen in a striking instance how entirely different a colour may be put upon the same circumstances by two inspired narratives. No one indeed will affirm that the two records are contradictory, or even inconsistent, and yet they leave an entirely different impression upon the mind; and no doubt were intended to. It is important to note that the Divine inspiration did not in the least prevent two sacred authors (cf. 2 Samuel 24:1 with 1 Chronicles 21:1), or even the same author at different times, from placing on record very distinct and even strongly contrasted aspects of the same facts, according to the point of view from which he was led to regard them. In Deuteronomy 1:1-46, Moses reminds the people that on their arrival at Kadesh he had bidden them go up and take possession; that they had then proposed to send men before them to examine the land; that the proposal had pleased him so well that he had adopted it and acted upon it. It is unquestionably strange that facts so material should have been omitted in the historical Book of Numbers. It is, however, to be considered—1. That there is no contradiction between the two accounts. We may be certain from many a recorded example that Moses would not have acted on the popular suggestion without referring the matter to the Lord, and that it would be the Divine command (when given) which would really weigh with him.2. That the recital in Deuteronomy is distinctly ad populum, and that therefore their part in the whole transaction is as strongly emphasized as is consistent with the truth of the facts.3. That the narrative of Numbers is fragmentary, and does not profess to give a full

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account of matters, especially in such particulars as do not directly concern the Divine government and guidance of Israel. It is not, therefore, a serious difficulty that the record only begins here at the point when God adopted as his own what had been the demand of the people. If we ask why he so adopted it, the probable answer is that he knew what secret disaffection prompted it, and to what open rebellion it would lead. It was better that such disaffection should be allowed to ripen into rebellion before they entered their promised land. Miserable as the desert wandering might be, it was yet a discipline which prepared the nation for better things; whereas the invasion of Canaan without strong faith, courage, and self-restraint (such as they showed under Joshua) could but have ended in national disaster and destruction. Of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man. This was not part of the original proposition (Deuteronomy 1:22), but was agreeable to the general practice in matters of national concern, and was no doubt commanded in order that the whole people might share in the interest and responsibility of this survey. Every one a ruler among them. This does not mean that they were to be the tribe princes (as the names show), for they would not be suitable in respect of age, nor could they be spared for this service. They were "heads of the children of Israel" (verse 3), i.e; men of position and repute, but also no doubt comparatively young and active, as befitted a toilsome and hazardous excursion.

TRAPP, "Numbers 13:2 Send 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 a man, every one a ruler among them.Ver. 2. Every one a ruler amongst them.] That might be, as Uriah and Zachariah, [Isaiah 8:2] faithful witnesses; for lying lips become not a prince. [Proverbs 17:7]

3 So at the Lord’s command Moses sent them out from the Desert of Paran. All of them were leaders of the Israelites.

GILL, "And Moses, by the commandment of the Lord,.... By his power, permission, and leave, as Jarchi, that there might be no delay through his means:

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sent them from the wilderness of Paran; from Rithmah or Kadeshbarnea, which seem to be one and the same place in that wilderness: this, as before observed, was on the twenty ninth day of Sivan: See Gill on Num_13:1, all those were heads of the children of Israel; were not mean and vulgar men, but persons of rule, who bore some office of magistracy ant government among the people in their respective tribes.

JAMISON, "those men were heads of the children of Israel — Not the princes who are named (Num_10:14-16, Num_10:18-20, Num_10:22-27), but chiefs, leading men though not of the first rank.PETT, "Numbers 13:3‘And Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran according to the commandment of Yahweh, all of them men who were heads of the children of Israel.’Ever obedient to Yahweh’s command Moses sent men out from the wilderness of Paran, where the people were encamped at the oases of the Kadesh region, and all who were sent were chieftains.

TRAPP, "Numbers 13:3 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.Ver. 3. By the commandment of the Lord.] That is, by his permission; {See Trapp on "Numbers 13:1"} God’s command was, that they should forthwith, without any further search, go up and possess the land. [Deuteronomy 1:21] Now wicked men are esteemed unjust, because they act against God’s command, though according to his decree; like as believers are esteemed just, not because they obey God’s decree, but his command.

4 These are their names: from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua son of Zakkur;

HENRY 3-16, " The persons nominated that were to be employed in this service (Num_13:4, etc.), one of each tribe, that it might appear to be the act

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of the people in general; and rulers, person of figure in their respective tribes, some of the rulers of thousands or hundreds, to put the greater credit upon their embassy. This was designed for the best, but it proved to have this ill effect that the quality of the persons occasioned the evil report they brought up to be the more credited and the people to be the more influenced by it. Some think that they are all named for the sake of two good ones that were among them, Caleb and Joshua. Notice is taken of the change of Joshua's name upon this occasion, Num_13:16. He was Moses's minister, but had been employed, though of the tribe of Ephraim, as general of the forces that were sent out against Amalek. The name by which he was generally called and known in his own tribe was Oshea, but Moses called him Joshua, in token of his affection to him and power over him; and now, it should seem, he ordered others to call him so, and fixed that to be his name henceforward. Oshea signifies a prayer for salvation, Save thou; Joshua signifies a promise of salvation, He will save, in answer to that prayer: so near is the relation between prayers and promises. Prayers prevail for promises, and promises direct and encourage prayers. Some think that Moses designed, by taking the first syllable of the name Jehovah and prefixing it to his name, which turned Hoshea into Jehoshua, to put an honour upon him, and to encourage him in this and all his future services with the assurances of God's presence. Yet after this he is called Hoshea,Deu_32:44. Jesus is the same name with Joshua, and it is the name of our Lord Christ, of whom Joshua was a type as successor to Moses, Israel's captain, and conqueror of Canaan. There was another of the same name, who was also a type of Christ, Zec_6:11. Joshua was the saviour of God's people from the powers of Canaan, but Christ is their Saviour from the powers of hell.

COFFMAN, ""And these were their names: Of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur. Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori. Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh. Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph. Of the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun. Of the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu. Of the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi. Of the tribe of Joseph, namely, of the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi. Of the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalii. Of the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael. Of the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi. Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi. These are the names of the men that Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun Joshua."Note that the tribe of Levi is not mentioned and that both Manasseh and Ephraim appear as the tribe of Joseph. This came about from Jacob's adoption of Ephraim and Manasseh as his sons with full rank with the twelve sons of Jacob. It is easy to memorize these names if they are arranged so as to allow the alliteration, thus:SHAMMUA; SHAPHAT, and SETHUR; AMMIEL; GADDIEL; GEUEL; IGAL; NAHBI; PALTI; GADDI; CALEB and JOSHUA.

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"Shammua ..." means "heard," the name appearing also in 2 Samuel 5:14; Nehemiah 11:17; 12:18."Shaphat ..." means "judge." This was also the name of Elisha's father."Sethur ..." means "hidden.""Ammiel ..." means "God is my kinsman." The name also appears in the story of Mephibosheth (2 Samuel 9:4)."Gaddiel ..." means "God is my fortune." This is the full form of the name Gad."Geuel ..." means "majesty of God." It occurs nowhere else in the Bible."Igal ..." means "he will redeem." One of David's heroes (2 Samuel 23:36)."Nahbi ..." means "hidden.""Palti ..." means "God's deliverance." Also the name of Michal's husband (1 Samuel 25:44)."Gaddi ..." another form of "Gad.""Caleb ..." means "dog" and could have been applied to him because of his Gentile ancestry. He was a Kenizzite (Numbers 32:12).[6]"Hoshea ..." means "desire of salvation." Moses changed the name to Joshua by adding the prefix "Jeh" for Jehovah, giving the meaning of "divinely appointed, head of salvation," or "Savior." The name as changed is the same as "Savior", or "Jesus."[7]We cannot leave the discussion of the name Joshua without noticing the fantastic proposition advanced by some critics to the effect that the P author of this passage gave the name of Hoshea instead of Joshua, and then invented the story that Moses changed his name, "in order to defend his view that the name Jehovah could not have been known before Moses, and so presumably not at the time of Joshua's birth!"[8] What an insight this gives to the critical NONSENSE about the name Jehovah having been unknown before Moses. The name of Jehovah appears in the name of Moses' mother, Jochebed! It was known extensively by the patriarchs of old, as any student of the Bible may read for himself. The air castle that members of the critical community have built upon Exodus 6:3 by means of their erroneous translation of the passage crumbles into nothing in the light of the truth. It is not true that God said that He was not known prior to the burning bush as "Jehovah." The proper translation of the verse in question is: "By my name Jehovah was I not known unto your fathers?"

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The scholarship that supports this is superior in every way to that which denies it. Exodus 6:3 dogmatically affirms the very truth it is alleged to deny!Now look at the allegation regarding Hoshea: the "editor of P" was like the critical scholars today ignorant of the true rendition of the passage in Exodus (how this could have been true in a prior source of Exodus is indeed a mystery, and also this editor perverted the name of Joshua to defend his position!) Indeed! Indeed! How blind is unbelief!Those interested in a more extensive discussion of this question are invited to see our exegesis of Exodus 6:3 in this series of commentaries."And Moses called Hoshea Joshua ..." This was an exceedingly significant prophecy. "Moses was looking beyond all the dismal grief and failure about to be manifested in the people to that Greater Salvation that would at last appear in Jesus Christ."[9] Whitelaw thought it was "an obvious difficulty" that Joshua had already been called by his new name in Exodus 17:9 and in all the other places where he is previously mentioned in the Bible.[10] What difficulty? The text does not say that this new name was given on the occasion where it is recorded here, but even if that should be inferred, this narrative written near the end of the forty-year journeyings of Israel and long after the event here would naturally have referred to Joshua by the name under which he would be known for all ages. Prolepsis is the technical word for this. "The new name may have been given earlier, but if the change was made at this time, the earlier reference would be proleptic. The new name might have been given after Joshua's defeat of the Amalekites (Exodus 17)."[11]PETT, "Numbers 13:4-15‘And these were their names: Of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur. Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori. Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh. Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph. Of the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun. Of the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu. Of the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi. Of the tribe of Joseph, namely, of the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi. Of the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli. Of the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael. Of the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi. Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.’The names of the chosen scouts were now given. They were different from the princes of chapter 1 but that was to be expected. Those were the supreme heads of the tribe, these were younger princes, the men who would also be responsible to lead into battle. The use of ‘Hoshea’ instead of Joshua confirms that the list is indeed ancient. No later generation would have inserted his name in that fashion. PULPIT, "Numbers 13:4

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These were their names. None of these names occur elsewhere, except those of Caleb and Joshua. The order of the tribes is the same as in Joshua 1:1-18; except that Zebulun is separated from the other sons of Leah, and placed after Benjamin, while the two sons of Joseph are separated from one another. In Joshua 1:11 "the tribe of Joseph" is explained to be "the tribe of Manasseh;" elsewhere it is either common to both, or confined to Ephraim (see Revelation 7:8, and cf. Ezekiel 37:16). No spy was sent for the tribe of Levi, because it was now understood to have no territorial claims upon the land of promise, and to stand altogether by itself in relation to the national hopes and duties.

5 from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat son of Hori;6 from the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh;

PULPIT, "Numbers 13:6Caleb the son of Jephunneh. In Numbers 32:12 he is called "the Kenezite" ( הקנזי ), which appears in Genesis 15:19 as the name of one of the ancient races inhabiting the promised land. It is possible that Jephunneh may have been connected by descent or otherwise with this race; it is more likely that the similarity of name was accidental. The younger son of Jephunneh, the father of Othniel, was a Kenaz ( קנז ), and so was Caleb's grandson (see on Joshua 15:17; 1 Chronicles 4:13, 1 Chronicles 4:15). Kenaz was also an Edomitish name.TRAPP, "Verse 6Numbers 13:6 Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh.Ver. 6. Caleb.] A hearty man, according to his name; as Bishop Hooper, martyr, was called hearty Hooper; and as one of our Richards was called Coeur-de-lion. It is now but two days since, from a sweet friend, (a) living at Hartford in New England, I received a loving letter, dated Sept. 12, 1659, and therein this following passage, "Old Mr John Wilson, pastor at Boston, (b) is in very good health, a hearty old good man still." A hearty good man indeed; I have for forty years almost known him to be a cordial Caleb, one who from his youth up, hath "fulfilled after God - followed him fully," and been of "another spirit" than the most are found to be. And to hear

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that the Lord still lengtheneth out his life, and keepeth up his young zeal with his old discretion, which was Mr Greenham’s great desire to his last, as it is no small comfort unto me; so, for the good respect I do deservedly bear to that good old man, I could not but here tell my reader so. Oh how well may he, with a very little variation, take up Caleb’s words to Joshua, hic fidus Achates, and say, "Forty years old was I" when many worthy zealots of old England "sent me to espy out this good land, and I brought them word again, as it was in my heart. Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me, made the heart of the people melt; but I wholly followed the Lord my God. And now behold the Lord hath kept me alive these forty and five years. And now, lo, I am well toward fourscore year old: As yet I am as strong this day as I was many years since: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now for the Lord’s wars, both to go out and to come in." [Joshua 14:7-8; Joshua 14:10-11] I add no more but, Go forth in this thy might, thou valiant man: and do thou still "worthily in Ephrata," and be "famous in Bethlehem." Serus in coelum redeas, Iohannes; come thou to thy grave in a lusty old age, (c) "like as a shock of corn cometh in his season." [Job 5:26]

7 from the tribe of Issachar, Igal son of Joseph;8 from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea son of Nun;9 from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti son of Raphu;10 from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel son of Sodi;11 from the tribe of Manasseh (a tribe of Joseph), Gaddi son of Susi;COKE, "Numbers 13:11. Of the tribe of Joseph, &c.— That is to say, of that part of the tribe of Joseph whereof Manasseh was the chief. Mention is made of the tribe of Ephraim, the other branch of the tribe of Joseph, in the 8th verse. The name of Joseph was common to each; but Poole is of opinion, that it is given in this particular manner to Manasseh, to shew in the stronger point of view the crime of the chief of this tribe, who conducted himself so unworthily of his great forefather Joseph. Ainsworth, however, thinks that Manasseh is only mentioned thus, as being the eldest.

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12 from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel son of Gemalli;13 from the tribe of Asher, Sethur son of Michael;14 from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi son of Vophsi;15 from the tribe of Gad, Geuel son of Maki.

BARNES, "CLARKE, "GILL, "HENRY, "JAMISON, "K&D, "CALVIN, "

16 These are the names of the men Moses sent to explore the land. (Moses gave Hoshea son of Nun the name Joshua.)

BARNES, "Oshea, Hoshea, or Hosea, the name also of the last king of Israel and the first minor prophet, means “deliverance” or and by the hand of him who bore the title of “God’s salvation.” Jehoshua was contracted (compare Neh_8:17) into Jeshua.

CLARKE, "And Moses called Oshea Jehoshua - Oshea, Heb. הושע should be written Hoshea: the word signifies saved, or a savior, or salvation; but

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he shall save, or the salvation of God; a letter, says Calmet, of the ,יהושעincommunicable name of God, being added to his former name. This was not the first time in which he had the name Joshua; see Exo_17:9 (note), and the note there. Some suppose he had this change of name in consequence of his victory over Amalek; see Exo_17:13, Exo_17:14.

GILL, "These are the names of the men which Moses sent to spy out the land,.... Which is observed after the catalogue is given of them, Num_13:4; and this is repeated that their names may be taken notice of, which stand on record to the disgrace of the greater number of them, and to the honour of two only, Joshua and Caleb; and on the former the following remark is made: and Moses called Oshea the son of Nun, Jehoshua; whether it was at this time that Moses gave him this name is not certain; if it was, then he is called so before by anticipation, for he is several times called so before this, and even the first time we hear of him, Exo_17:9; wherefore Chaskuni reads it, Moses had called; but Jarchi thinks it was now given him, and that Moses prayed for him יה יושיעך, "Jah" or "Jehovah" save thee from the counsel of the spies: the name is the same with Jesus, as appears from Heb_4:8; and a type he was of Christ the Saviour, whose name is so called, because he saves his people from their sins, Mat_1:21; and brings them to heaven, as Joshua was the instrument of saving the Israelites and bringing them into the land of Canaan.

JAMISON, "Oshea — that is, “a desire of salvation.” Jehoshua, by prefixing the name of God, means “divinely appointed,” “head of salvation,” “Saviour,” the same as Jesus [Mat_1:21, Margin].COKE, "Numbers 13:16. Moses called Oshea—Jehoshua— Upon what occasion Moses gave him this name, is uncertain; but we find him called Joshua, Exodus 17:9 when he went to fight with the Amalekites. The exchange of a person's name was a mark of honour, as appears from Genesis 17:5; Genesis 17:15 and Genesis 32:28. Moses, therefore, by changing the name of the son of Nun from Oshea (which signifies save thou) to Joshua, (which signifies he shall save) designed to foreshew that it was with reason his parents had given him that name, since he was truly to be the Saviour and deliverer of his people. Joshua is of the same import with Jesus; and so it is translated by the LXX, Acts 7:45. Hebrews 4:8. Being appointed to save the people, and bring them into possession of the promised land, he was a proper type, says Bishop Kidder, of the Messiah, the Saviour of the world. If the name of each of these rulers whom Moses chose conveyed an expressive meaning, one might believe that their opinion had some foundation, who pretend, that Moses chose Joshua because his name conveyed such a fortunate omen. The heathens were always remarkably careful not to employ in their most important affairs, those whose names might be construed into any sinister or unfortunate omen. See Cicero,

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de Deor. Nat. lib. 1: &c. Orat. pro P. Quintio. BENSON, "Numbers 13:16. Jehoshua — Oshea denotes a desire of salvation, signifying, Save, we pray thee; but Jehoshua, or Joshua, includes a promise of salvation, He will save. So this was a prophecy of his succession to Moses in the government, and of the success of his arms. Joshua is the same name with Jesus, of whom Joshua was a type. He was the Saviour of God’s people from the powers of Canaan, Christ from the powers of hell.PETT, "Numbers 13:16‘These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Hoshea, the son of Nun, Joshua.Confirmation is given that these were the names of the scouts who were sent out. And one of them was Hoshea, the son of Nun. To him Moses had given the name Joshua (Yehoshua), because he was supremely a man of Yahweh. That was why he had chosen him as his ‘servant’, his second-in-command. The prefix signified Yahweh, as did the Yo in the name of Moses’ mother or ancestor Yochebed. Here we learn for the only time that Joshua was a man of princely descent.The name Hoshea means ‘he saves’. The name Joshua means ‘Yahweh is salvation’.

PULPIT, "Numbers 13:16Moses called Oshea the son of Nun Jehoshua. The change was from הושע (Hoshea, help or salvation) to יהושע (Jehoshua—the same name with the first syllable of the sacred name prefixed, and one of the vowel points modified). It was afterwards contracted into ישוע (Jeshua; cf. Nehemiah 8:17), and has come to us in its current form through the Vulgate. The Septuagint has here ἐπωνόμασε τὸν αὐσὴ ιησοῦν, and so the name appears in the New Testament. It is an obvious difficulty that Joshua has already been called by his new name at Exodus 17:9, and in every other place where he has been mentioned. In fact he is only once elsewhere called Hoshea, and that in a place (Deuteronomy 32:44) where we should certainly not have expected it. There are two ways of explaining the difficulty, such as it is. We may suppose that the change of name was really made at this time, as the narrative seems (on the face of it) to assert; and then the previous mentions of Joshua by his subsequent and more familiar name will be cases of that anticipation which is so common in Scripture. Or we may suppose, what is perhaps more in harmony with the course of Joshua's life, that the change bad been already made at the time of the victory over Amalek. In that case the Vav consec. in ויקרא (and … called) must be referred to the order of thought, not of time, and a sufficient reason must be shown for the interpolation of the statement in this particular place. Such a reason may fairly be found in the probable fact that the names of the spies were copied out of the tribal registers, and that Joshua still appeared under his original name in those

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registers. As to the significance of the change, it is not easy to estimate it aright. On the one hand, the sacred syllable entered into so many of the Jewish names that it could not have seemed a very marked change; on the other hand, the fact that our Saviour received the same name because he was our Saviour throws a halo of glory about it which we cannot ignore. In the Divine providence Hoshea became Joshua because he was destined to be the temporal saviour of his people, and to lead them into their promised rest.

TRAPP, "Numbers 13:16 These [are] the names of the men which Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Oshea the son of Nun Jehoshua.Ver. 16. And Moses called Oshea the son of Nun Jehoshua.] His name was now changed from Save us O God, to God shall save us. Under the law which brings us, as it were, into a wilderness, we may desire, wish, and pray that there were a Saviour: but under the gospel, we are sure of salvation, and that our Jehoshua hath bound himself "to fulfil all righteousness" for us.

WHEDON, "16. Oshea — Hebrew, help, is changed into Jehoshua or Joshua, Hebrew, Jehovah-help. See Introduction to Joshua, page 7. It was an occasional custom for Hebrews to change their names if, at any point in their lives, there was a radical change of character or a marked transition from obscurity to distinction. Genesis 17:5; Genesis 32:28. It is to be noted that the exact time when Moses made this change is not indicated here. The change may have been previously made, while attention is called to it here. He is called Joshua in Exodus 17:9; Exodus 17:13; Exodus 24:13; Exodus 32:17; Exodus 33:11; Numbers 11:28.

17 When Moses sent them to explore Canaan, he said, “Go up through the Negev and on into the hill country.

BARNES, "Southward - Rather, “by the Negeb,” or south-country; a well-defined tract of territory forming the southernmost and least fertile portion of the land of Canaan and of the subsequent inheritance of Judah. It

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extended northward from Kadesh to within a few miles of Hebron, and from the Dead Sea westward to the Mediterranean (see especially Jos_15:21-32).Into the mountain - The hill-country of southern and central Canaan, mostly within the borders of Judah and Ephraim. It commences a few miles south of Hebron, and extending northward to the plain of Jezreel, runs out eventually northwest-ward into the sea in the headland of Carmel.

GILL, "And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan,.... He sent them from Kadeshbarnea, as Caleb affirms, Jos_14:7, and said unto them, go ye up this way southward; pointing as it were with his finger which way they should go, even up such a hill southward; and which, as Aben Ezra observes, was not the south of the camp, but the south of the land of Canaan; and who further observes, that it is well known that Egypt, from whence the Israelites now came, was to the south of the land of Israel, of which this is a demonstration; the latitude of Egypt is less than thirty degrees, and the latitude of Jerusalem is thirty three, and the wilderness of Paran was in the south of the land of Egypt: it should be rendered by "the south", as in Num_13:22; or from the "south" (p), since the Israelites must go northward, as a learned man (q) observes, to enter into the land of Canaan: now this south part of Canaan afterwards belonged to the tribe of Judah, and lying southward, and mountainous, was dry and barren, Jos_15:1; and was, as Jarchi says, the dregs of the land of Israel; and here, as he observes, the same method was taken as merchants do, who, when they show their goods, show the worst first, and then the best: and go up into the mountain; which was inhabited by the Amorites, Deu_1:44; and was afterwards called the mountainous or hill country of Judea, Luk_1:39.

HENRY 17-22, " The instructions given to those spies. They were sent into the land of Canaan the nearest way, to traverse the country, and to take account of its present state, Num_13:17. Two heads of enquiry were given them in charge, 1. Concerning the land itself: See what that is (Num_13:18, and again, Num_13:19), see whether it be good or bad, and (Num_13:20) whether it be fat or lean. All parts of the earth do not share alike in the blessing of fruitfulness; some countries are blessed with a richer soil than others. Moses himself was well satisfied that Canaan was a very good land, but he sent these spies to bring an account of it for the satisfaction of the people; as John Baptist sent to Jesus, to ask whether he was the Christ, not to inform himself, but to inform those he sent. They must take notice whether the air was healthful or no, what the soil was, and what the productions; and, for the better satisfaction of the people, they must bring with them some of the fruits. 2. Concerning the inhabitants - their number, few or many - their size and stature, whether strong able-bodied men or weak, - their habitations, whether they lived in tents or houses, whether in

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open villages or in walled towns, - whether the woods were standing as in those countries that are uncultivated, through the unskillfulness and slothfulness of the inhabitants, or whether the woods were cut down, and the country made champaign, for the convenience of tillage. These were the things they were to enquire about. Perhaps there had not been of late years such commerce between Egypt and Canaan as there was in Jacob's time, else they might have informed themselves of these things without sending men on purpose to search. See the advantage we may derive from books and learning, which acquaint those that are curious and inquisitive with the state of foreign countries, at a much greater distance than Canaan was now from Israel, without this trouble and expense.IV. Moses dismisses the spies with this charge, Be of good courage,intimating, not only that they should be themselves encouraged against the difficulties of this expedition, but that they should bring an encouraging account to the people and make the best of every thing. It was not only a great undertaking they were put upon, which required good management and resolution, but it was a great trust that was reposed in them, which required that they should be faithful.

JAMISON, "Get you up this way ... , and go up into the mountain — Mount Seir (Deu_1:2), which lay directly from Sinai across the wilderness of Paran, in a northeasterly direction into the southern parts of the promised land.COFFMAN, ""And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get up this way by the South, and go up into the hill-country: and see the land, what it is; and the people that dwell therein, whether they are strong or weak, whether they are few or many; and 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; and what the land is, whether it is fat or lean, whether there is wood therein or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the first-ripe grapes.""Get you up this way by the South ..." Literally, "by the Negeb"[12] The Negeb is called the South Country and is a well-defined area lying from Kadesh North to the vicinity of Hebron, and covering the whole area between the Jordan and Dead Sea valley to the Mediterranean."The first-ripe grapes ..." "The first-ripe grapes came in late July or early August, but the full vintage came in September and October."[13] This corresponds exactly with the time elapsed since their leaving Sinai.BENSON, "Verse 17-18Numbers 13:17-18. Southward — Into the southern part of Canaan, which was the

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nearest part, and the worst too, being dry and desert, and therefore fit for them to enter and pass through with less observation. Into the mountain — Into the mountainous country, and thence into the valleys, and so take a survey of the whole land. What it is — Both for largeness, and for nature and quality.PETT, "Verses 17-252). The Venture Into Canaan (Numbers 13:17-25).The scouts then went out in accordance with Moses’ command, investigated the land and returned. This can be outlined as follows:a The scouts sent out to spy the land (Numbers 13:17).b The land to be thoroughly investigated for its goodness (Numbers 13:18-20 a).c It was the time of firstripe grapes (Numbers 13:20 b).d They search the land up to Rehob and Labo of Hamath (Numbers 13:21).d They ascend by the South and come to Hebron (Numbers 13:22).c At Eshcol they cut down grapes, pomegranates and figs (Numbers 13:23).b The goodness of the land revealed in its being called Eshcol because of the wonderful grapes (Numbers 13:24).a They returned from spying after forty days (Numbers 13:25).We can now look at this in more detail.The Scouts Sent Out To Spy Out The Land To Test Out Its Goodness (Numbers 13:17-18).Numbers 13:17-18‘And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, “Get you up this way by the South, and go up into the hill-country, and see the land, what it is, and the people who dwell in it, whether they are strong or weak, whether they are few or many.” ’Moses gave detailed instructions to the scouts. They were to go up by the South, by the Negeb which was on the southern borders of Canaan, and into the hill country, that long range of mountains which was on the east of Canaan, just to the west of the Jordan, mountains that were the backbone of the land, stretching on northward until they turned westwards into the Galilean hills. He wanted to know its

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substance, and who dwelt there, whether they were strong or weak, and whether they were few or many. This would clearly determine what their next action should be.He had good reason for the direction he chose. That was where Abraham had spent many years. It was very much ‘the land of their fathers’. Knowledgeable about his people’s history his eyes were especially fixed on that portion of the land. Possibly also he recognised that it would be easier to capture the hill country, where there would be no chariots and fewer cities, dealing with the chariots later.The Scouts Were To Bring Back News of the Strength and Goodness Of the Land (Numbers 13:19-20).

PULPIT, "Numbers 13:17Get you up this way southward. Rather, "get you up there ( זה ) in the Negeb." The Negeb, meaning literally "the dryness," was the south-western district of Canaan, which bordered upon the desert, and partook more or less of its character. Except where springs existed, and irrigation could be carried out, it was unfit for settled habitation. See Joshua 15:19; 1:15, where the same word is used. Go up into the mountain. From the Negeb they were to make their way into the mountain or hill country which formed the back-bone of Southern Palestine, from the Wady Murreh on the south to the plain of Esdraelon on the north. In after ages it formed the permanent center of the Jewish race and Jewish power. Cf. 1:9 where the three natural divisions of Southern Palestine are mentioned together: חהר ( ἡ ὀρεινή), the mountain; הגגב ( ὁ νότος), the steppe; השפלה ( ἡ πεδινή), the maritime plain.

TRAPP, "Numbers 13:17 And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this [way] southward, and go up into the mountain:Ver. 17. Go up into the mountain.] This was the great mountain of Seir, which encloseth Palestine on that side.

WHEDON, " 17. Southward — Hebrew, Negeb, or South-Country. “As a geographical term the name has been entirely ignored in the English version, where the word is invariably translated ‘the south,’ (as a point of the compass;) and the misapprehension has given rise to several absurd contradictions in terms. Thus, when the spies went up from Kadesh we are told that Moses ‘said unto them, Get you up this way southward,’ [R.V., ‘by’ (marg. ‘into’) ‘the South;’] ‘and they went up by the South, and came unto Hebron.’ As Hebron certainly lay to the north of Kadesh, this express mention of the South is not only meaningless, but inaccurate. But if we render the word ‘South Country,’ applying it to the mountain plateau in the north-west corner of the Tih, all difficulty vanishes, and the words of the text are

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geographically exact.” — E.H. Palmer. The Negeb rises in a vast steppe, of about eighty miles from south to north, and gradually passes in successive terraces into the hill country of Beer-sheba. The most southerly of these, Jebel Magrah, is a great plain of fifty or sixty miles from east to west. Over all this region there still are found fertile spots, with grass and water, and signs of ancient populousness and prosperity appear in every direction. Here, at Kadesh-barnea, on the eastern slope of the hills, in a wady noted for its pastures and abundant springs, Moses chose his headquarters, in anticipation of presently passing on to Canaan. This was their rallying point and centre during more than thirty-eight years. Joshua 10:41, note. The Negeb literally signifies dry, or parched. If we assume that Moses attached to the Negeb the simple idea of “the dry land,” there will be no need of supposing that the term is proleptically used.The mountain — Western Palestine is an elevated ridge or mountain running from south to north between the Dead Sea and the Jordan valley on the east and the Shephelah, or sea-coast plain, on the west. Joshua 9:1, note. The different portions of this mountainous region, or backbone of the country, were subsequently named the mountains of Judah, the mountains of Ephraim, and the mountains of Galilee. This ridge is intersected only by one valley — that of Jezreel.

18 See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many.

CLARKE, "See the land, what it is - What sort of a Country it is; how situated; its natural advantages or disadvantages.

And the people - whether they be strong or weak - Healthy, robust, hardy men; or little, weak, and pusillanimous.

GILL, "And see the land what it is, and the people that dwelleth therein,.... The situation and condition of the country, and the nature, temper, disposition, and constitution of the inhabitants, by which it might be judged whether it was a desirable thing to possess it, and whether it was practicable to subdue and take it:

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whether they be strong or weak, few or many; whether able-bodied men fit for war, and of spirit, strength, and courage, or feeble and pusillanimous, weak and timorous; and whether their number was small or great, by which they would be capable of judging whether they were in a state and condition to defend themselves or not, and whether a conquest of them was easy or not; the last of the two things in the preceding clause is first particularly explained and enlarged upon, as is usual in the Hebrew language.K&D, "Num_13:18-20

They were to see the land, “what it was,” i.e., what was its character, and the people that dwelt in it, whether they were strong, i.e., courageous and brave, or weak, i.e., spiritless and timid, and whether they were little or great, i.e., numerically; (Num_13:19) what the land was, whether good or bad, sc., with regard to climate and cultivation, and whether the towns were camps, i.e., open villages and hamlets, or fortified places; also (Num_13:20) whether the land was fat or lean, i.e., whether it had a fertile soil or not, and whether there were trees in it or not. All this they were to search out courageously (התחזק, to show one's self courageous in any occupation), and to fetch (some) of the fruits of the land, as it was the time of the first-ripe grapes. In Palestine the first grapes ripen as early as August, and sometimes even in July (vid., Robinson, ii. 100, ii. 611), whilst the vintage takes place in September and October.

CALVIN, "18.And see the land what it is. The counsel of Moses had this object, that the people might be made aware how rich and fertile the land was; for a barren country does not support a large population; and the healthfulness of a locality is inferred from the rigor of its inhabitants, tie, therefore, chiefly insists on the goodness of the land and its abundant production of fruits. Still, perhaps, God would intentionally have the Israelites forewarned, that they would have to do with strong and powerful enemies; lest they might be alarmed and discouraged at suddenly beholding them. But the main point was, that the pleasantness and fertility of the land might allure them to take possession of it.PULPIT, "Whether they be strong or weak, few or many. It would appear that Moses was guilty of some indiscretion at least in giving these directions. Whether the people were strong or weak, many or few, should have been nothing to the Israelites. It was God that gave them the land; they had only to take possession boldly.

TRAPP, "Numbers 13:18 And see the land, what it [is]; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they [be] strong or weak, few or many;Ver. 18. See the land.] Two and two likely he sent them, and by several ways: as our Lord also did his seventy disciples.

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WHEDON, " 18. Strong or weak — Before the power of God, who had promised the complete conquest of Canaan, this distinction vanishes; the strong become weak, and the many are as the few. But since only the ultimate fact of conquest was revealed to the faith of Israel, and not the method, it was natural that Moses should proceed to the conflict with all the caution which characterizes the worldly commander who trusts solely in his battalions.

19 What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad? What kind of towns do they live in? Are they unwalled or fortified?

BARNES, "In tents - i. e. in open unwalled villages.GILL, "And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad,.... Whether the air is good, the climate temperate, and the earth well watered, and has good convenience of springs, fountains, and rivers, and so wholesome or healthful; or otherwise, which is the first thing they were directed to observe, though here put in the second place: and what cities they be they dwell in, whether in tents or strong holds; whether in tents, as the Israelites now lived, and as the Kedarenes, as Aben Ezra notes, and other Arabians, who encamped in tents, or who dwelt in villages, and unwalled towns, unfortified cities, according to the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan; or whether in fortified cities, towns, and garrisons; by which it would appear whether it would be easy to come at them, and fall upon them, or difficult to subdue and conquer them; for if their cities were fortified, it would not be so easy to take them, and would require time. Jarchi thinks, that by this it might be known whether they were men of strength and courage, or whether weak and fearful persons; seeing if they dwelt in villages they were strong men, and depended on their own strength, but if they dwelt in fortified cities, they were weak.COKE, "Numbers 13:19. Whether in tents, or in strong holds— This is rendered by the Vulgate and the LXX. whether in cities with walls or without walls. Houbigant renders it, after the Samaritan, whether they be weak or strong, referring to the cities, and to the mode of expression in these verses, strong or weak, few or many, good or bad, fat or lean; see his note.

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PETT, "Numbers 13:19-20“And 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, and what the land is, whether it is fat or lean, whether there is wood in it, or not. And be of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the time of the first-ripe grapes.’He also wanted to know what the country was like. Was it good or bad, what cities there were, whether the people dwelt in encampments or strongholds, whether the land was fat or lean, and whether there was wood in it or not. This would then determine which part they should invade. And they were to be brave in their efforts and bring back examples of the fruit of the land.It Was The Time of First-ripe Grapes (Numbers 13:20 b).It is then added that this was the time of the first ripe grapes. Thus they would be expected to bring back at least some grapes. The time of the first ripe grapes would be around July. Thus the ‘eleven day’ journey from Sinai (Deuteronomy 1:2) had taken about two months. But Deuteronomy had in mind a normal caravan, travelling constantly. This was a whole people on the move, and with many delays.

WHEDON, " 19. What the land is — Fertile or barren; cultivable or necessarily waste.Tents, or in strong holds — The inquiry whether the Canaanites dwelling in cities lived in tents or in strong holds presents a difficulty, for a city of tents is something unheard of. Here the Chaldee, the Septuagint, the Vulgate, and the Targums all read, “whether they live in cities that are walled or open.”

20 How is the soil? Is it fertile or poor? Are there trees in it or not? Do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land.” (It was the season for the first ripe grapes.)

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BARNES, "The time ... of the firstripe grapes - The first grapes ripen in Palestine in July and August: the vintage is gathered in September and October. This indication of date tallies with what we should have inferred from the previous narrative. For the Israelite host had quitted Sinai on the 20th day of the second month Num_13:10, Num_13:11, or about the middle of May: since then they had spent a month at Kibroth-hattaavah and a week at Hazeroth, and had accomplished, in all, from 150 to 200 miles of march: it therefore must have been at least the beginning of July, and may have been a month later, when the spies were despatched into the land of promise.

CLARKE, "The land - whether it be fat or lean - Whether the Soil be rich or poor; which might be known by its being well wooded, and by the fruits it produced; and therefore they were desired to examine it as to the trees, etc., and to bring some of the fruits with them.

GILL, "And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean,.... That is, what the soil of it is, whether it be rich and fertile, or whether it be poor and barren, which would be seen by the fruits it produced, this being now the fruitful season of the year; and so the Targum of Jonathan,"and what is the praise of the land, whether its fruits are fat or lean;''plump and full, rich and juicy, or otherwise, as their grapes, olives, &c. whether it was a land flowing with milk and honey, Exo_33:3, abounding with all good things, and those of the best sort, or not: whether there be wood thereon or not; timber for building, and other manual operations, or wood for fuel, which are great conveniences in a country; though the Targum of Jonathan interprets it of fruit-bearing trees, which bear fruits fit for eating, or not, as apples, pears, figs, pomegranates, &c. and be ye of good courage; and not be afraid of being taken up for spies, suggesting, that the power and providence of God would protect and preserve them, in which they should put their trust, and be of good heart: and bring of the fruit of the land; as a sample and specimen of what it brought forth, which would serve to encourage and animate the people in general, to go up and possess it: now the time was the time of the first ripe grapes; when they and the other summer fruits were coming to their perfection; and which was a proper season to see them in, and bring a sample of them; though Chaskuni suggests, that it was a more dangerous time to bring off fruit, because the keepers of the vineyards were then there; and hence they needed

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strengthening, and are bid to be of good courage; the Targum of Jonathan is,"the day on which they went was the twenty ninth of the month Sivan, the time of the first ripe grapes;''and as this month answers to part of our May and part of June, and it being at the latter end of that month, it must be about the middle of June; by which we may observe the forwardness of grapes in the land of Canaan, the time of vintage now drawing nigh.JAMISON, "Now the time was the time of the first grapes — This was in

August, when the first clusters are gathered. The second are gathered in September, and the third in October. The spies’ absence for a period of forty days determines the grapes they brought from Eshcol to have been of the second period.COKE, "Numbers 13:20. Now the time was the time of the first ripe grapes— The spies were forty days in searching the land; so that this time refers to that of their return, not of their setting out; see note on Numbers 13:2.REFLECTIONS.—As they were now on the borders of the land, they had no more to do, than to go in and take possession; but their unbelief, Deuteronomy 1:22 suggested the necessity of sending spies. They were not satisfied with God's promise, but would see for themselves; so ready are we to indulge our own wicked reasonings, rather than simply submit to divine revelation. God permits Moses to gratify them; choice is made of proper persons, and their instructions given them concerning the soil, the inhabitants, and cities. Moses encourages them in their employment, that, boldly acquitting themselves, they might be examples of courage to their brethren: nothing more animating, than to follow those whose fidelity and zeal have been tried. PULPIT, "And what the land is. It is impossible to suppose that Moses needed himself to be informed on such particulars as are here mentioned. The intercourse between Egypt and Palestine was comparatively easy and frequent (see on Genesis 1:7), and no educated Hebrew could have failed to make himself acquainted with the main features of his fathers' home. We may see in these instructions a confirmation of the statement in Deuteronomy 1:1-46; that it was at the desire of the people, and for their satisfaction, that the spies were sent. The time of the first-ripe grapes. The end of July: the regular vintage is a month or more later.

WHEDON, " 20. Wood — Hebrew, trees. Either fruit trees or other trees for making military engines, for houses, or for fuel.Be ye of good courage — Literally, encourage yourselves. Their perilous enterprise demanded great coolness and courage. No mercy is shown to a convicted spy. It required courage also to make a report recommending an immediate advance against a mighty foe.

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Bring of the fruit — Literally, take of the fruit.Time of… first ripe grapes — This is one of the very few notes of time in this book. It was about the first of August. See Introduction, (4.)

21 So they went up and explored the land from the Desert of Zin as far as Rehob, toward Lebo Hamath.

BARNES, "The wilderness of Zin was the northeastern portion of the wilderness of Paran.

Rehob (“mod.” Khurbeh) was probably the Beth-rehob of Jdg_18:28, near Dan-Laish; and apparently to the north of it, since it gave its name to a Syrian kingdom 2Sa_8:3. The southern approach to Hamath from the plain of Coele-Syria, lay between those two ranges of Lebanon called Libanus and Antilibanus. A low screen of hills connects the northernmost points of these two ranges; and through this screen the Orontes bursts from the upper Coele-Syrian hollow into the open plain of Hamath.

CLARKE, "From the wilderness of Zin - The place called; צן Tsin, here, is different from that called סין Sin or Seen. Exo_16:1; the latter was nigh to Egypt, but the former was near Kadesh Barnea, not far from the borders of the promised land.

“The spies having left Kadesh Barnea, which was in the desert of Paran, see Num_13:26, they proceeded to the desert of Tsin, all along the land of Canaan, nearly following the course of the river Jordan, till they came to Rehob, a city situated near Mount Libanus, at the northern extremity of the Holy Land, towards the road that leads to Hamath. Thence they returned through the midst of the same land by the borders of the Sidonians and Philistines, and passing by Mount Hebron, rendered famous by the residence of Abraham formerly, and by the gigantic descendants of Anak at that time, they passed through the valley of the brook of Eshcol, where they cut down the bunch of grapes mentioned Num_13:23, and returned to the Israelitish camp after an absence of forty days,” Num_13:25. See Calmet on this place.

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GILL, "So they went up and searched the land,.... Went up the mountains as they were directed, and passed through the whole land; diligently inquired into everything material belonging to it, according to their instructions, and made their observations on it, and on the inhabitants, and their habitations: from the wilderness of Zin unto Rehob, as men come to Hamath; this wilderness, from whence they went, seems to be the same with the wilderness of Paran, called Zin; perhaps from the multitude of thorns in it; but different from the wilderness of Sin, Exo_16:1, which was nearer Egypt; but this was on the south quarter of the land of Canaan, along by the coast of Edom, Num_34:3; Rehob, they are said to come to first from thence, was in the tribe of Asher in later times, Jos_19:28; and lay to the north or northwest of the land of Canaan. Jerom says (r), that in his times there was a village called Rooba, four miles from Scythopolis. Hamath was the northern boundary of the land of Israel, and was in the tribe of Naphtali, when it came into the hands of the Israelites, and lay to the northeast, as the former place to the northwest, Num_34:7; so that their direction, as they went, was south and north, and west and east: their journey is described by Jarchi thus; they went on the borders of it, length and breadth, in the form of the capital of the letter γ, "gamma"; they went on the south border from the east corner to the west corner, as Moses commanded them: "get you up this way southward", Num_13:17; the way of the southeast border unto the sea, which is the western border; and from thence they returned, and went on all the western border by the sea shore, until they came to Hamath, which is by Mount Hor, at the northwest corner; but Hamath was on the northeast; nor did they go thither, it was too far off for them, but they went as far as Rehob, which was "as men go to Hamath", as it should be rendered, that is, it lay in the way to Hamath.

HENRY 21-25, "We have here a short account of the survey which the spies made of the promised land. 1. They went quite through it, from Zin in the south, to Rehob, near Hamath, in the north, Num_13:21. See Num_34:3, Num_34:8. It is probable that they did not go altogether in a body, lest they should be suspected and taken up, which there would be the more danger of if the Canaanites knew (and one would think they could not but know) how near the Israelites were to them; but they divided themselves into several companies, and so passed unsuspected, as way-faring men. 2. They took particular notice of Hebron (Num_13:22), probably because near there was the field of Machpelah, where the patriarchs were buried (Gen_23:2), whose dead bodies did, as it were, keep possession of that land for their posterity. To this sepulchre they made a particular visit, and found the adjoining city in the possession of the sons of Anak, who are here named. In that place where they expected the greatest encouragements they met with the greatest discouragements. Where the bodies of their ancestors kept possession for them the giants kept possession against them. They ascended by the south, and came to Hebron, that is, “Caleb,” say the Jews, “in

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particular,” for to his being there we find express reference, Jos_14:9, Jos_14:12, Jos_14:13. But that others of the spies were there too appears by their description of the Anakim, v. 33. 3. They brought a bunch of grapes with them, and some other of the fruits of the land, as a proof of the extraordinary goodness of the country. Probably they furnished themselves with these fruits when they were leaving the country and returning. The cluster of grapes was so large and so heavy that they hung it upon a bar, and carried it between two of them, Num_13:23, Num_13:24. The place whence they took it was, from this circumstance, called the valley of the cluster,that famous cluster which was to Israel both the earnest and the specimen of all the fruits of Canaan. Such are the present comforts which we have in communion with God, foretastes of the fulness of joy we expect in the heavenly Canaan. We may see by them what heaven is.

JAMISON 21-24, "Song they ... searched the land — They advanced from south to north, reconnoitering the whole land.

the wilderness of Zin — a long level plain, or deep valley of sand, the monotony of which is relieved by a few tamarisk and rethem trees. Under the names of El Ghor and El Araba, it forms the continuation of the Jordan valley, extending from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Akaba.Rehob — or, Beth-rehob, was a city and district situated, according to some, eastward of Sidon; and, according to others, it is the same as El Hule, an extensive and fertile champaign country, at the foot of Anti-libanus, a few leagues below Paneas.as men come to Hamath — or, “the entering in of Hamath” (2Ki_14:25), now the valley of Balbeck, a mountain pass or opening in the northern frontier, which formed the extreme limit in that direction of the inheritance of Israel. From the mention of these places, the route of the scouts appears to have been along the course of the Jordan in their advance; and their return was by the western border through the territories of the Sidonians and Philistines.

K&D 21-22, "Journey of the Spies; Their Return, and Report. - Num_13:21. In accordance with the instructions they had received, the men who had been sent out passed through the land, from the desert of Zin to Rehob, in the neighbourhood of Hamath, i.e., in its entire extent from south to north. The “Desert of Zin” (which occurs not only here, but in Num_20:1; Num_27:14; Num_33:36; Num_34:3-4; Deu_32:51, and Jos_15:1, Jos_15:3) was the name given to the northern edge of the great desert of Paran, viz., the broad ravine of Wady Murreh, which separates the lofty and precipitous northern border of the table-land of the Azazimeh from the southern border of the Rakhma plateau, i.e., of the southernmost plateau of the mountains of the Amorites (or the mountains of Judah), and runs from Jebel Madarah(Moddera) on the east, to the plain of Kadesh, which forms part of the desert of Zin (cf. Num_27:14; Num_33:36; Deu_32:51), on the west. The

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south frontier of Canaan passed through this from the southern end of the Dead Sea, along the Wady el Murreh to the Wady el Arish (Num_34:3). -“Rehob, to come (coming) to Hamath,” i.e., where you enter the province of Hamath, on the northern boundary of Canaan, is hardly one of the two Rehobs in the tribe of Asher (Jos_19:28 and Jos_19:30), but most likely Beth-rehob in the tribe of Naphtali, which was in the neighbourhood of Dan Lais, the modern Tell el Kadhy (Jdg_18:28), and which Robinson imagined that he had identified in the ruins of the castle of Hunin or Honin, in the village of the same name, to the south-west of Tell el Kadhy, on the range of mountains which bound the plain towards the west above Lake Huleh (Bibl. Researches, p. 371). In support of this conjecture, he laid the principal stress upon the fact that the direct road to Hamath through the Wady et Teim and the Bekaa commences here. The only circumstance which it is hard to reconcile with this conjecture is, that Beth-rehob is never mentioned in the Old Testament, with the exception of Jdg_18:28, either among the fortified towns of the Canaanites or in the wars of the Israelites with the Syrians and Assyrians, and therefore does not appear to have been a place of such importance as we should naturally be led to suppose from the character of this castle, the very situation of which points to a bold, commanding fortress (see Lynch's Expedition), and where there are still remains of its original foundations built of large square stones, hewn and grooved, and reminding one of the antique and ornamental edifices of Solomon's times (cf. Ritter, Erdkunde, xv. pp. 242ff.). - Hamath is Epiphania on the Orontes, now Hamah (see at Gen_10:18).After the general statement, that the spies went through the whole land from the southern to the northern frontier, two facts are mentioned in Num_13:22-24, which occurred in connection with their mission, and were of great importance to the whole congregation. These single incidents are linked on, however, in a truly Hebrew style, to what precedes, viz., by an imperfect with Vav consec., just in the same manner in which, in 1Ki_6:9, 1Ki_6:15, the detailed account of the building of the temple is linked on to the previous statement, that Solomon built the temple and finished it;

(Note: A comparison of 1 Kings 6, where we cannot possibly suppose that two accounts have been linked together or interwoven, is specially adapted to give us a clear view of the peculiar custom adopted by the Hebrew historians, of placing the end and ultimate result of the events they narrate as much as possible at the head of their narrative, and then proceeding with a minute account of the more important of the attendant circumstances, without paying any regard to the chronological order of the different incidents, or being at all afraid of repetitions, and so to prove how unwarrantable and false are the conclusions of those critics who press such passages into the support of their hypotheses. We have a similar passage in Jos_4:11., where, after relating that when all the people had gone through the Jordan the priests also passed through with the ark of the covenant (Jos_4:11), the historian proceeds in Jos_4:12, Jos_4:13, to describe the crossing of the two tribes and a half; and another in Judg 20, where, at the very commencement (Jdg_20:35), the issue of the whole is related, viz., the defeat of the Benjamites; and then after that there is a minute description in Jdg_20:36-46 of the manner in which it was effected. This style of narrative is also

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common in the historical works of the Arabs.)so that the true rendering would be, “now they ascended in the south country and came to Hebron (ויבא is apparently an error in writing for הענק and there were ,(ויבאו the children of Anak,” three of whom are ,ולידיmentioned by name. These three, who were afterwards expelled by Caleb, when the land was divided and the city of Hebron was given to him for an inheritance (Jos_15:14; Jdg_1:20), were descendants of Arbah, the lord of Hebron, from whom the city received its name of Kirjath-Arbah, or city of Arbah, and who is described in Jos_14:15 as “the great (i.e., the greatest) man among the Anakim,” and in Jos_15:13 as the “father of Anak,” i.e., the founder of the Anakite family there. For it is evident enough that הענק(Anak) is not the proper name of a man in these passages, but the name of a family or tribe, from the fact that in Num_13:33, where Anak's sons are spoken of in a general and indefinite manner, ענק בני has not the article; also from the fact that the three Anakites who lived in Hebron are almost always called הענק הענק Anak's born (Num_13:22, Num_13:28), and that ,ולידי בני(sons of Anak), in Jos_15:14, is still further defined by the phrase הענק ולידי(children of Anak); and lastly, from the fact that in the place of “sons of Anak,” we find “sons of the Anakim” in Deu_1:28 and Deu_9:2, and the “Anakim” in Deu_2:10; Deu_11:21; Jos_14:12, etc. Anak is supposed to signify long-necked; but this does not preclude the possibility of the founder of the tribe having borne this name. The origin of the Anakites is involved in obscurity. In Deu_2:10-11, they are classed with the Emim and Rephaim on account of their gigantic stature, and probably reckoned as belonging to the pre-Canaanitish inhabitants of the land, of whom it is impossible to decide whether they were of Semitic origin or descendants of Ham. It is also doubtful, whether the names found here in Num_13:21, Num_13:28, and in Jos_15:14, are the names of individuals, i.e., of chiefs of the Anakites, or the names of Anakite tribes. The latter supposition is favoured by the circumstance, that the same names occur even after the capture of Hebron by Caleb, or at least fifty years after the event referred to here. With regard to Hebron, it is still further observed in Num_13:22, that it was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt. Zoan - the Tanis of the Greeks and Romans, the San of the Arabs, which is called Jani, Jane in Coptic writings - was situated upon the eastern side of the Tanitic arm of the Nile, not far from its mouth (see Ges. Thes. p. 1177), and was the residence of Pharaoh in the time of Moses. The date of its erection is unknown; but Hebron was in existence as early as Abraham's time (Gen_13:18; Gen_23:2.).

COFFMAN, ""So they went up, and spied out the land from the wilderness of Zin unto Rehob, to the entrance of Hamath. And they went up by the South, and came unto Hebron; and Ahiman, Sheshal, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were there. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt). And they came unto the valley of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and

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they bear it upon a staff between two; they brought also of the pomegranates, and of the figs. That place was called the valley of Eshcol, because of the cluster which the children of Israel cut down from thence.""To the entrance of Hamath ..." Throughout the Bible, Hamath is repeatedly referred to as the North gateway to Palestine. Jeroboam restored the ancient Solomonic empire "from the entrance of Hamath," etc. (2 Kings 14:25)."And came unto Hebron ..." This was a very old city, dating from a time about 1600 B.C.[14] or even as early as 2000 B.C.[15] Hebron was known to the patriarchs under its older name Kiriath-Arba. Arba was the father of Anak (Joshua 15:13), and gave Kiriath-Arba its name (City of Arba).[16] Descendants of Arba through Anak, the Anakim, mentioned here as Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, could have been descendant tribes, not merely individuals. They were still in the vicinity of Hebron when Caleb became their eventual destroyer (Joshua 15:14)."Seven years before Zoan ..." Who but Moses could have known when Zoan, the great Egyptian city of Tanis, a magnificent city on the Nile Delta and having a summer residence of the Pharaohs, was founded? Whitelaw was correct in the discernment that such information shows that "Moses had access to the archives of Egypt through the priests who had provided his education in Egypt."[17] This comment noting that Hebron was founded even before Tanis has no connection whatever in the context, appearing as totally irrelevant and unnecessary. But this insertion into the holy record of a fragment of history so minute and unimportant proves that "No one but Moses could have written it."[18] No later writer could have had any such information, and there could have existed no reason whatever for his inventing it. Many apparently trivial things such as this afford cumulative evidence of the Divinity of the Pentateuch that defies all denials."One cluster of grapes ..." How big, really, was it and why did they appoint two men to carry it? Most current commentators suppose that it was carried in such a manner in order to preserve the grapes, and not because of the size of the cluster. We have no opinion about it, but the diversity of views on this is of interest. Adam Clarke testified that he himself had cut down such a cluster that weighed 20 pounds.[19] Pliny is credited with the statement that bunches of grapes were known to be larger than an infant, and "Paul Lucas declared that he had seen bunches of grapes at Damascus that weighed over forty-five pounds"![20]COKE, "Numbers 13:21. From the Wilderness of Zin, &c.— Not that which is called the Wilderness of Sin, Exodus 16:1 for that lay near to Egypt, south-west of Canaan; but this was a wilderness on the south-east of Canaan, not far from Kadesh Barnea, chap. Numbers 34:3. Joshua 1:3. Rehob was a city in the north of Canaan near the sea coast, not far from Zidon, which fell to the lot of the tribe of Asher, Joshua 19:28. Hamath, afterwards called Epiphania, was not far from Rehob, and bounded Judea on the north; (see chap. Numbers 34:8.) so that the spies took a survey of the whole land, from one end of it to the other, south and north;

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observing, as they passed along, those parts which lay east and west; see Numbers 13:29 and the note on Numbers 13:26. BENSON, "Numbers 13:21. Zin — In the south of Canaan, differing from the wilderness of Sin, which was nigh unto Egypt. To Hamath — From the south they passed through the whole land to the northern parts of it; Rehob was a city in the north-west part, Hamath a city in the north-east.PETT, "They Searched Out The Whole Land To The Farthest North (Numbers 13:21).Numbers 13:21‘So they went up, and spied out the land from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob, to Labo of Hamath.’So the scouts went and searched out the land from the extreme south, the wilderness of Zin, up to Rehob and Labo of Hamath in the extreme north. Judges 18:28 confirms that Rehob was on the furthest northern borders of Canaan. Thus the examination of the land was complete and lengthy. They were determined to do a good job and so exceeded their instructions. The scouts almost certainly split up so as to cover more ground, and later rendezvoused.Labo of Hamath is testified to in inscriptions, but the alternative ‘the entering in of Hamath’ (its borders) must always be seen as an alternative possible rendering of the Hebrew.

PULPIT, "Numbers 13:21From the wilderness of Zin. The extreme southern boundary of the promised land (Numbers 34:3, Numbers 34:4; Joshua 15:1, Joshua 15:3). There seems to be but one marked natural feature which could have been chosen for that purpose—the broad sandy depression called the Wady Murreh, which divides the mountain mass of the Azazimeh from the Rakhmah plateau, the southern extremity of the highlands of Judah. The plain of Kudes communicates with it at its upper or western end, and maybe counted a part of it. Unto Rehob, as men come to Hamath. Septuagint, ἕως ροὸβ εἰσπορευομένων αἰμάθ. Hamath, now Hamah, was in Greek times Epiphaneia, on the Orontes, outside the limits of Jewish rule. The southern entrance to it lay between the ranges of Libanus and Anti-libanus (see note on Numbers 34:8). The Rehob here mentioned is not likely to have been either of the Rehobs in the territory of Asher (Joshua 19:28-30), but the Beth-rehob further to the east, and near to where Dan-Laish was afterwards built ( 18:28). It lies on the route to Hamath, and was at one time a place of some importance in the possession of the Syrians (2 Samuel 10:6).

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WHEDON, "21. Wilderness of Zin — This is not to be confounded with the desert of Sin near Egypt. Exodus 16:1, note. The desert of Zin is sometimes spoken of as though it were identical with Kadesh, or a whole of which Kadesh is a part. Deuteronomy 32:51. Palmer thinks that he solves all difficulties by defining the wilderness of Zin as “the southeast corner of the desert Et Tih, between “Arabah and the head of Wady Garai-yeh.” This accords with his identification of Kadesh with Ain Gadis. Joshua 10:41, note. But Dr. Strong’s party, in 1874, located Kadesh at ‘Ain Weibeh, not far from Mount Hor.Rehob — This is the name of two places in the extreme north of the Holy Land: (1) that mentioned in Judges 18:28, note, and (2) that one situated in the tribe of Asher, farther west. Joshua 19:28. It is possible that there was another Rehob in Asher, allotted to the Levites. Joshua 21:31. The first of these three is supposed to be referred to in this verse.As men come to Hamath — Hamath, the metropolis of Upper Syria, is a city in the valley of the Orontes. Its present population is 30,000. The adjacent country, afterward called Coele Syria, was the ancient kingdom of Hamath. The route from Palestine to this city, commonly called “the entering in of Hamath,” is a matter of dispute, because there are several passes in the Lebanons. See Joshua 13:5, note. It is probable that the spies made explorations far north of Mount Hermon, in territory which was never conquered by Israel.

22 They went up through the Negev and came to Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, lived. (Hebron had been built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)

BARNES, "The progenitor of the Anakim was Arba “the father of Anak” Jos_15:13, from whom the city of Hebron took its name of Kirjath-Arba. Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai were probably not individual warriors, but names of three tribes of the Anakim. Hence, we find them still in existence half a century later, when Caleb, who now brought tidings of them, became their eventual destroyer Jos_15:14.

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Now Hebron ... - This parenthesis explains that these two cities had a common founder, and were built, or perhaps, at least in the case of Zoan (Tanis, see Exo_1:8, note; Exo_2:5, note) rebuilt, by the Hyksos, to which nations, once the conquerors of Egypt, the Anakim perhaps belonged. The Hyksos fortified and garrisoned Zoan as a defense of their Eastern frontier.

CLARKE, "Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt - The Zoan of the Scriptures is allowed to be the Tanis of the heathen historians, which was the capital of Lower Egypt. Some think it was to humble the pride of the Egyptians, who boasted the highest antiquity, that this note concerning the higher antiquity of Hebron was introduced by Moses. Some have supposed that it is more likely to have been originally a marginal note, which in process of time crept into the text; but all the versions and all the MSS. that have as yet been collated, acknowledge it.

GILL, "And they ascended by the south,.... When they returned, after they had searched the land, then they came into the south country again, which was in their way to Kadesh, where the camp of Israel remained; they are said to ascend, because of the hill country they again came to; for their coming to Hebron, and carrying a cluster of grapes from that place, not far from thence, was upon their return: and came unto Hebron; which was in the hill country of Judea, in the tribe of Judah afterwards, which before was called Kirjatharba; in the original text it is, "he came" (s), Caleb, and he only, according to Jarchi and the Rabbins in Abendana; and certain it is that he was there, and he had this place on which his feet trod given him for an inheritance, Jos_14:9; and it is very probable that the spies did not go together, but perhaps singly, and at most but two together, which seems to be the case here by what follows: where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were; where Anak, and these his three sons, dwelt, who were giants; and perhaps from thence Hebron before this was called Kirjatharbah, "the city of the four"; or from Arba, the father of Anak: now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt; or Tanais, as the Targum of Jonathan, whence one of the nomes of Egypt was called the Tanitic nome: it was the metropolis of that country, and may be observed, to abate the pride and vanity of that kingdom, which boasted of its antiquity. Josephus says (t), that the inhabitants of Hebron not only reckoned it more ancient than any of the cities of the land, but than Memphis in Egypt, accounting it (then in his time) 2300 years old; but who it was built by is not certain; Jarchi thinks it is possible that Ham built Hebron for Canaan his younger son, before he built Zoan for Mizraim his eldest son; which does not seem likely.

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CALVIN, "22.And they ascended by the south, and came unto Hebron. Their direct course was not, indeed, towards the south, but they proceeded along the southern border, until they came to Rehob and Hamath, after having passed the mountains. Hebron, however, in which Abraham had sojourned, is specified from amongst the other cities; and it is probable that the three sons of the giant, who are here named, were in possession of that city. But some think that Anak is not a proper name, and is used, by enallage of the number, for giants. In fact, giants are elsewhere called Anakim. Nor is there any doubt but that these three, who are mentioned, were formidable from their great stature and strength, as we gather from the book of Joshua. It is, then, equivalent to saying that this city was then possessed by warlike men, famous for their prowess. It will, however, appear from the end of the chapter, that Anak was the proper name of a man, whose sons were of excessive height. The antiquity of the city is afterwards signalized by comparison, viz., that it was founded seven years before Zoan, one of the chief cities of Egypt, and of which mention is often made in Scripture. Heathen writers call it Tanis; (50) and it is situated on one of the seven famous mouths of the Nile, which is called from the city, Ostium Taniticum. Now, since the Egyptians gloried in their antiquity above all other nations, it is evident that the land of Canaan was well peopled immediately after the deluge; and this is a sign of its great fertility, for if the neighboring countries had been more so, they would. not have settled themselves there by preference, when they were at liberty to make their choice. A prolepsis is to be noted in the name of the valley of Eshcol: for it was afterwards that it began to be so called by the Israelites in memory of the remarkable cluster of grapes which Moses states to have been brought from hence; and this is immediately after specified,COKE, "Numbers 13:22. And came unto Hebron— See Genesis 13:18. The clause respecting Hebron in this verse appears to be thrown in to humble the pride of the Egyptians, who boasted themselves as the first of mortals, and their nation as of the greatest antiquity; see Ezekiel 29:3. Diod. Sic. lib. i. Justin, lib. ii. c. 1. BENSON, "Numbers 13:22. By the south — Moses having described their progress from south to north, more particularly relates some memorable places and passages. They came — Hebrew, He came; namely, Caleb, as appears from Joshua 14:9; Joshua 14:12; Joshua 14:14. For the spies distributed their work among them, and went either severally, or by pairs; and it seems the survey of this part was left to Caleb. Anak — A famous giant, whose children these are called, either more generally, as all giants sometimes were, or rather more specially because Arbah, from whom Hebron was called Kiriath-arbah, was the father of Anak, Joshua 15:13. And this circumstance is mentioned as an evidence of the goodness of that land, because the giants chose it for their habitation. Before Zoan — This seems to be noted to confront the Egyptians, who vainly boasted of the antiquity of their city Zoan above all places.PETT, "They Also Searched Out The Hill Country To The East Around Hebron (Numbers 13:22).

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Numbers 13:22‘And they went up by the South (the Negeb), 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).It is stressed that in obedience to what Moses had said they also went up by the South, the Negeb, and ascended the hill country to Hebron (Numbers 13:17). The Negeb was the extreme south of Canaan, a land which could only be cultivated by the careful use of groundwater utilising irrigation techniques, evidence for which has been discovered. Hebron was a well established city in the hill country, in a more fertile area. There they discovered that three well known ‘sons of Anak’ dwelt in the area. The sons of Anak were infamous as being very large and fearsome warriors. Compare Joshua 15:14; Judges 1:10.A note is given so as to emphasise Hebron’s great prestige. It was an ancient city even older than Zoan. ‘Seven years’ indicates a divinely perfect length of time. God’s hand was on its founding. This mention demonstrates that the readers were expected to know of Zoan, which was probably Tanis in the Nile delta near the land of Goshen, a clear indication of the authenticity of the account. Had it been written for a later generation a different, more relevant example could have been found.

PULPIT, "Numbers 13:22And came unto Hebron. This and the following details of their journey are appended to the general statement of Numbers 13:21 in that inartificial style of narrative still common in the East. On the name Hebron, and the perplexities which it causes, see on Genesis 13:18; Genesis 23:2. Where Amman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were. ילידי הענק "Anak's progeny." Septuagint, γενεαὶ ἐνάχ, means simply "descendants of Anak." The Beni-Anak (Beni-Anakim in Deuteronomy 1:28; Anakim in Deuteronomy 2:10, &c.) were a tribe whose remote and perhaps legendary ancestor was Anak son of Arba (see on Joshua 14:15). These three chiefs of the Beni-Anak are said to have been expelled from Hebron fifty years later by Caleb (Joshua 15:14; 1:20). The gigantic size which the Anakim shared with the Emim and Rephaim, other remnants of the aboriginal inhabitants, may have been accompanied by remarkable longevity; or they may have been quite young at the time of this visit; or, finally, they may not have been individuals at all, but families or clans. Now Hebron was built seven years before Zean in Egypt. Hebron was in existence at the time of Abraham. Zoan was Tanis, near the mouth of the eastern branch of the Nile (see on Psalms 78:12, Psalms 78:43). If it be true that the Pharaoh of the exodus had his royal residence at Zoan, Moses may have had access to the archives of the city, or he may have learnt the date of its foundation from the priests who gave him his Egyptian education. That there was any real connection between the two places is extremely problematical, nor is it possible to give any

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reason for the abrupt insertion here of a fragment of history so minute and in itself so unimportant. There is, however, no one but Moses to whom the statement can with any sort of likelihood be traced; a later writer could have had no authority for making the statement, and no possible reason for inventing it.

TRAPP, "Numbers 13:22 And they ascended by the south, and came unto Hebron; where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, [were]. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)Ver. 22. Was built seven years before Zoan.] And so was one of the ancientest cities of the world, seeing it did contend with the ancientest and chiefest city of Egypt. [Isaiah 19:11] Hebron signifies an association: there lay buried those three reverend couples, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob and Leah. [Genesis 23:19; Genesis 35:27-29] Here David began his reign over Israel, [2 Samuel 2:1] and hither came Mary to visit Elizabeth. [Luke 1:39]

WHEDON, "Verse 2222. By the south — See Numbers 13:17, note. They descended by Hebron and explored the route into the Negeb, or South, (properly capitalized by the R.V.,) by the western edge of the mountains. In one of these extensive valleys — perhaps in Wady Hanein, where miles of grape mounds even now meet the eye — they cut the gigantic cluster of grapes.Hebron — An ancient city twenty miles south of Jerusalem, described in Joshua 10:3, note. “It is plausibly conjectured that on leaving the wilderness of Paran they first entered the Negeb, or South-Country, and passed up the eastern side of the land ‘unto Rehob, as men come to Hamath,’ in the extreme north, and then descended along the central and western slopes, and from the valley of Eshcol (Hebron) bore the grapes, pomegranates, and figs, and so brought verbal and tangible report of the country. This is the most satisfactory way of explaining the seeming contradiction in the account as given in Numbers 13:21-22.” — Ridgaway.The children of Anak — A race of giants in stature (Anak literally signifying long-necked) and strength. Anak is regarded as the name of a race rather than that of an individual. Of this race there were near Hebron three tribes, whose chiefs were Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai. “That there were in times past men of extraordinary size is a tradition wonderfully prevalent to this day all over the East. It not only runs through legendary lore, but is embodied in numerous monuments of a more substantial character. The truth appears to be that there were amongst the governing races of primitive times certain families of great stature. This peculiarity was carefully perpetuated and increased by such marriage restrictions as tended to that result, and something similar has been found amongst the inhabitants of the Pacific islands.” — W.M. Thomson. Notwithstanding their terrific aspect they were

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dispossessed by Joshua and utterly driven from the land, except a small remnant of refugees to Philistia, who were, perhaps, the ancestors of Goliath of Gath. Joshua 11:21-22. Their chief city, Hebron, fell to the lot of Caleb, who drove out the three tribes of the Anakim. Joshua 15:14. Zoan in Egypt was situated on the eastern border of the Nile delta. Its classical name was Tanis, and its Egyptian name Avaris, “departure,” the point of departure for caravans going north and east. It is supposed to have been seized by the shepherd kings about 2080 B.C., and to have been made the seat of their dynasty in Lower Egypt. Here, according to the Egyptian records, they built a temple to Set, the Egyptian Baal, and reigned 511 years. The past few years have been rich in discoveries of historical value in San, the site of ancient Zoan. Obelisks, sphinxes, sculptures, and historical tablets attest its former magnificence. The connexion here of Hebron with Zoan suggests that the founders of both cities were of the same race. It is evident that the writer was well versed in Egyptian history.

23 When they reached the Valley of Eshkol,[a] they cut off a branch bearing a single cluster of grapes. Two of them carried it on a pole between them, along with some pomegranates and figs.

GILL, "The place was called the brook of Eshcol,.... That is, in later times: because of the cluster of grapes which the children of Israel cut down from thence; the word "Eschol" signifying a "cluster"; and this cluster was typical of Christ, who may be compared to this, as he is to a cluster of camphire, Son_1:14; there being in him a "cluster" of all perfections, of all the perfections of deity, the whole fulness of the Godhead dwelling bodily in him; and of all human perfections, he being in all things like unto his people, excepting sin; and there being also a cluster of all the graces and gifts of the Spirit without measure in him, as man; and of all the blessings of grace for his people, as Mediator; and of all the exceeding great and precious promises of the covenant of grace. The "staff", on which this was carried, may denote the ministration of the Gospel, which may seem mean and despicable in itself, but is the means of carrying the name of Christ, and the things of Christ, about in the world; see Act_9:15; and the "two" men which bore it, may signify the prophets of the Old Testament, and the

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ministers of the New, who both agree and join together in setting forth the person, offices, and grace of Christ. Moreover, this cluster may be an emblem of the Spirit of God, and his grace, and of the rich experience the people of God have of it in this present lift, while travellers in the wilderness, as a taste and earnest of the future glory and happiness in the heavenly Canaan.JAMISON, "they came unto the brook of Eshcol — that is, “the torrent of

the cluster.” Its location was a little to the southwest of Hebron. The valley and its sloping hills are still covered with vineyards, the character of whose fruit corresponds to its ancient celebrity.and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes — The grapes reared in this locality are still as magnificent as formerly - they are said by one to be equal in size to prunes, and compared by another to a man’s thumb. One cluster sometimes weighs ten or twelve pounds. The mode of carrying the cluster cut down by the spies, though not necessary from its weight, was evidently adopted to preserve it entire as a specimen of the productions of the promised land; and the impression made by the sight of it would be all the greater because the Israelites were familiar only with the scanty vines and small grapes of Egypt.

K&D 23-24, "The spies also came into the valley of Eshcol, where they gathered pomegranates and figs, and also cut down a vine-branch with grapes upon it, which two persons carried upon a pole, most likely on account of its extraordinary size. Bunches of grapes are still met with in Palestine, weighing as much as eight, ten, or twelve pounds, the grapes themselves being as large as our smaller plums (cf. Tobler Denkblätter, pp. 111, 112). The grapes of Hebron are especially celebrated. To the north of this city, on the way to Jerusalem, you pass through a valley with vineyards on the hills on both sides, containing the largest and finest grapes in the land, and with pomegranates, figs, and other fruits in great profusion (Robinson, Palestine, i. 316, compared with i. 314 and ii. 442). This valley is supposed, and not without good ground, to be the Eshcol of this chapter, which received its name of Eshcol (cluster of grapes), according to Num_13:24, from the bunch of grapes which was cut down there by the spies. This statement, of course, applies to the Israelites, and would therefore still hold good, even if the conjecture were a well-founded one, that this valley received its name originally from the Eshcol mentioned in Gen_14:13, Gen_14:24, as the terebinth grove did from Mamre the brother of Eshcol.

COKE, "Numbers 13:23. They came unto the brook of Eshcol— The original word signifies a brook or valley. Valley appears much more proper for this place, as it seems rather uncouth to say, they cut down a branch from a brook. The reason for the name Eshcol is given in the 24th verse. Some have thought that they bare this cluster of grapes upon a staff or bier, (see chap. Numbers 4:10.) merely on account

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of its size and weight; and, accordingly, authors are cited to prove, that the vines and grapes in those eastern countries are of an extraordinary magnitude, Huetius, in his Quaest.—Alnet mentions bunches of grapes in some islands of the Archipelago, of thirty-six or forty pounds weight; and Pliny describes bunches of grapes in Africa which exceed the size of young children, quae infantum puerorum magnitudinem exsuperant. Strabo, in his Geog. lib. 2: reports, that in many provinces of the East, there are vine trees, which two men cannot encompass. Adam Olearus, an eye-witness, confirms the same thing; Itin. Pers. par. 3: p. 584. See Scheuchzer, who, notwithstanding these accounts of the largeness of the grapes, is of opinion, that they were carried on a bier, rather for the conveniency of preserving them from being bruised, than on account of the enormity of the weight. The reader will find in Calmet, on the place, a further account of the largeness of the grapes in many parts of the East.REFLECTIONS.—The spies immediately proceed on their errand; and having passed unsuspected through the land, perhaps in separate parties, they might on their return unite at Hebron, a place of great antiquity, and possessed by the sons of Anak, near unto which lay Machpelah, the burying-place of the patriarchs. They bring back with them a specimen of the land, enough to confirm God's declaration, and to confute their own subsequent evil report. These grapes were a proof of the goodness of that land, and an earnest of their possessing it. Note; When faith goes up to spy out the heavenly Canaan, the present joys of believing are the foretastes of eternal bliss.BENSON, "Numbers 13:23-24. Upon a staff — Either for the weight of it, considering the length of the way they were to carry it, or for the preservation of it whole and entire. In those eastern and southern countries there are vines and grapes of an extraordinary bigness, as Strabo and Pliny affirm. Eshcol — That is, a cluster of grapes, as the word signifies.

PETT, "They Cut Down A Bunch of First-ripe Grapes Along With Pomegranates and Figs (Numbers 13:23).Numbers 13:23‘And they 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 (or ‘litter’) between two. They brought also of the pomegranates, and of the figs.’The area around Hebron was famous for its grapes. The valley of Eshcol was presumably nearby. Eshcol was the name of one of Abraham’s confederates, living in that very area some hundreds of years before (Genesis 14:13; Genesis 14:24). It is not therefore too surprising to find there a valley called by that name. There they found luscious grapes, together with pomegranates and figs which they bore back on a litter or pole, in order to demonstrate the fruitfulness of the land.

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PULPIT, "Numbers 13:23The brook of Eshcol. Rather, "the valley of Eshcol," for it is not a land of brooks. Probably between Hebron and Jerusalem, where the grapes are still exceptionally fine, and the dusters of great size. They bare it between two on a staff, not on account of its weight, but simply in order not to spoil it. Common sense dictates the like precaution still in like cases.TRAPP, "Numbers 13:23 And they came unto the brook of Eshcol, 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.Ver. 23. And they bare it between two.] Christum utrique portamus, ut botrum Israelitae, tum illi qui adventum Christi antecesserunt, tum nos, &c. So Christ is borne between the believers of both Testaments.

WHEDON, " 23. The brook of Eshcol — A wady near Hebron. Says Tristram: “The walk up the valley revealed to us for the first time what Judah was everywhere else in the days of its prosperity. Bare and stony as are the hillsides, not an inch of space is lost. Terraces, where the ground is not too rocky, support the soil. Ancient vineyards cling to the lower slopes; olive, mulberry, almond, fig, and pomegranate trees fill every available cranny to the very crest, while the bottom of the valley is carefully tilled for corn, carrots, and cauliflowers, which will soon give place to melons and cucumbers. The culture is equal to that of Malta. Those who doubt the ancient records of the population, or the census of David, have only to look at this valley and by the light of its commentary to read the story of those cities.” Dr. Robinson says of the vineyards of Eshcol that “they are very fine, and produce the best grapes in all the country, and pomegranates and figs, as well as apricots, quinces, and the like, still grow there in great abundance.” Chap. Numbers 32:9, note.Between two upon a staff — On the return of the spies from the north they plucked a sample cluster and carried it upon a staff, not because of its great weight, but for the better protection of the grapes against being bruised. There are clusters of grapes produced in Palestine which weigh twelve pounds. By careful culture bunches weighing nearly twenty pounds have been produced. “The vine was the emblem of the nation on the coins of the Maccabees, and in the colossal cluster of golden grapes which overhung the porch of the second temple; and the grapes of Judah still mark the tombstones of the Hebrew races in the oldest of their European cemeteries at Prague.” — Stanley. Pomegranates — A rich, delightful fruit of the apple kind, sometimes called “grained apples,” of somewhat the same medicinal virtues as the quince; its juice is like wine. It is ever-green, and forms rather a collection of stems, like coppice-wood,

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than a single tree, nor does it often exceed eight or ten feet in height. The general colour of the fruit is a dull russet-green. The outside rind is thin but tough, and its bitter juice is an indelible blue dye used by native dyers of cotton fabrics. The size is about that of the orange. Within, the grains are arranged in compartments as compactly as corn on the cob, and closely resemble those of the pale red corn, except that they are nearly transparent and very beautiful. This fruit is agreeable to the taste and pleasant to the eye. Figs are very wholesome and nutritious food when dried. The fig-tree belongs to the natural order of the breadfruit family, the trunk being often three feet in diameter. The ancient Greek wrestlers ate figs when training for the contest.BI 23-24, "The place was called the brook Eshcol, because of the cluster of grapes.Grapes of EshcolI. The true inquirers into the divine will ever have their reward. There are grapes for every student of God’s Book.II. The region promised to the good is rich in blessing. Their highest enjoyments on earth are only the taste of a few grapes of the heavenly world.III. The vast majority of the human family have ever been marked by meanness of soul. Not only did these specimens fail to inspire the millions of Israel to go and take possession of the land, but even ten out of the twelve discoverers lost heart. Talk not of majorities! (Homilist.)

Glimpses of the promised landI. Consider the narrative itself.

1. The evil report. Not one word of encouragement do they offer—no reference do they make to that Divine protection which they had experienced during their perilous search—no exhortation do they utter, urging the people to obey the Divine command. Their report was essentially an “evil” one, calculated to dishearten the people—to raise prejudices in their minds. Now the conduct of these spies has always, and I think rightly, been regarded as illustrative of the conduct of those who are dismayed by the difficulties which attend a religious life. For it cannot be denied that these are numerous and formidable. This does not admit of a doubt and it ought not to be concealed.2. Very different was the testimony which Caleb and Joshua bore. These faithful men thought and acted for themselves. Singularity for its own sake is always to be avoided, since it may arise from a desire to attract notice and thus be the mere offspring of vanity. But when truth is concerned, then, though we should stand alone, it becomes us to avow it. There never was a more false or dangerous maxim than that the voice of the people is the voice of God: it is much more frequently the voice of the devil—the voice of impulses which he has excited and of passions which

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he has stirred.II. Consider the spiritual lessons which this narrative suggests. Glimpses of the promised land! No Christian is without them, for there are foretastes of heaven even on earth.

1. There are glimpses of the promised land which we obtain by faith. God has discovered to us in His Word a better country, and though a wise reserve is maintained, yet much information is afforded us with regard to it.2. There are glimpses of the promised land which we obtain when we possess the first-fruits of the Spirit. In the grace that you now receive you have a type of the glory which is yet to be revealed. In the peace which you now enjoy, you have a type of the perfect happiness you will soon experience. In the purity which you now possess you have a type of the spotless holiness in which you will be hereafter arrayed. In the communion which you now hold with God you have a type of that more intimate fellowship which is the privilege of heaven.3. Glimpses of the promised land are often vouchsafed to the Christian at an early stage of his experience. But there was much for us to learn, and God sent us into the wilderness to learn it. After all, our experience was superficial—our feelings were stronger than our principles—our faith needed trial, and so, like the Israelites we have been “led about and instructed.” Do not complain, therefore, because your experience is not what it once was. God gave you, at the outset of your Christian career, a glimpse of the promised land, and the memory of this may cheer you now when you mourn because of the travel and toil of the wilderness.4. Glimpses of the promised land are often enjoyed by the believer at the close of life. This is not invariably the case, but it frequently is so, as a reward for eminent piety. (H. J. Gamble.)

A cloister of gospel grapesStrabo states that in Bible times and in Bible lands there were grape-vines so large that it took two men with outstretched arms to reach round them, and he says there were clusters two cubits in length, or twice the length from the elbow to the tip of the long finger. And Achaieus, dwelling in those lands, tells us that during the time he was smitten with fever one grape would slake his thirst for the whole day. No wonder, then, that in these Bible times two men thought it worth their while to put their strength together to carry down one cluster of grapes from the promised land. But I bring you a larger cluster from the heavenly Eshcol—a cluster of hopes, a cluster of prospects, a cluster of Christian consolations; and I am expecting that one taste of it will rouse up your appetite for the heavenly Canaan.

1. First, I console you with the Divinely sanctioned idea that your departed friends are as much yours now as they ever were. That child, O stricken mother! is as much yours this morning as in the solemn hour when God put it against your heart and said as of old, “Take this child 69

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and nurse it for Me, and I will give thee thy wages.” It is no mere whim. It is a Divinely-planted principle in the soul, and God certainly would not plant a lie, and He would not culture a lie!2. But I console you again with the fact of your present acquaintanceship and communication with your departed friends.3. I console you still further with the idea of a resurrection. On that day you will get back your Christian dead. There is where the comfort comes in. And oh, the reunion; oh, the embrace after so long an absence! Comfort one another with these words. (T. de Witt Talmage.)

EshcolContemplate that cluster which they bear—that earnest of rich fields. These grapes are proof of Canaan’s exuberant fertility. So, too, there is a heavenly Eshcol before faith’s eye. It shows delicious clusters. The joy before Christ cheered His heart. The joy before us should gird up our loins. This cluster was the vine’s perfection. So, too, perfection is the essence of our heaven. Nothing can enter there to stain, &c. Oh, what a contrast to our present state I In the true Eshcol’s cluster there is this richer fruit; Jesus is seen. This is the crown of heaven. The rising of the sun makes day. The presence of the king constitutes the court. The revelation of the Lord, without one intervening cloud, is the grand glory of the endless kingdom. Believer, what will it be to gaze on the manifested beauty of Him who is altogether lovely! What, to comprehend all that Jesus is! What, never to lose sight of Him! Are you a traveller towards this heaven? (Dean Law.)

Foretastes of heavenLand-birds of beautiful plumage greeted Columbus days before his eye caught a glimpse of the New World. A more southern voyager found himself in the fresh water of the Amazon before discovering the continent whence they came. So at the close of life’s voyage do birds of paradise come hitherward, careering on bright wings, and the river of life sends its refreshing current far out into the briny sea of this world.The pomegranatePeople in the East have always been fond of using fruits and flowers as symbols. Thus lots of pomegranates were carved as sacred emblems upon Jachin and Boaz, the two chief pillars in the temple (1Ki_7:18), embroidered on the priest’s garments (Exo_28:33).I. Our religion should be delightful. The pomegranate is delightful to every sense; for it gladdens the eye, and is a favourite ornament. Its leaf is bright green and lustrous; its wood is yellow and graceful; its blossom is well shaped and scarlet. The good is the beautiful, beautiful with God’s beauty. The pomegranate is also very fragrant. It sweetens the air and breathes benediction all around. You should behold flowers and plants not with the

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eyes of the gardener who plants them, nor of the child who plucks them, nor of the merchant who buys them, but of the Christian who finds in them sweet suggestions of the love of God. The pomegranate is also delightful to the taste, for its juice is very delicious. It was also in Bible times very delightful to the mind: for, like the olive it was an emblem of peace. Invading armies cut down the fruit trees, and one of the first to fall before the sword and fire was the pomegranate, as it was a shrub rather than a tree. This was one reason why it was so popular, as it was a sign of long-continued peace. It was thus a token of the religion of peace.II. Our religion, like the pomegranate, should be very useful. It was good for medicine. Every part of it had healing virtue, and it heals several of the diseases that are most common in the East—sore throat, dysentery, &c. You know that all green things are literally for the healing of the nations. The religion of Jesus, when real in the heart, always sweetens the breath of society and heals many sores. Our plant is also good for drink. It is very juicy, and has a remarkable quality of quenching thirst in these hot climes. Its delicate juice is often manufactured into wine, and is a great favourite with the sick, and indeed with all classes. It is also good for food. Do not suppose that the religion of Jesus is good for the world to come but not good for this. It is the sincere Christian alone who gets out of this present life all the good it can yield him. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you.III. Our religion, like the pomegranate, should be very fruitful—fruitful both in ourselves and in the world. When our Saviour speaks of the fruit bearing of His disciples, He means such rich fruit as you find on the Syrian soil, and under the wonder-working Syrian sun. We never see anything like it in our cloudy clime. Why, the seeds in one pomegranate might soon fill a grove, if none of them were spoiled. I was allured the other day to a splendid horse-chestnut. I pulled one of its blossoms, but I was disgusted with it, and at once flung it away. It was ruffled and bedashed with rain, bored through by flies, discoloured with dust—I flung away the ragged, blighted, deflowered thing. Many a beautiful and promising young life soon becomes like that outcast blossom. One of the darkest things to me in the world is the ease with which a fine young life is sometimes injured. But if you yield your heart early to Christ, and gladly take Him as your Teacher, Saviour, and Guide, how delightful, useful, and fruitful your life may become—it may grow as the pomegranate. You can set no bounds to the possibilities of good that belong to the very humblest Christian. A portrait of Dante was discovered lately; he was ,holding a pomegranate in his hand. Perhaps it had charmed the poet as an emblem of what he desired to be. (James Wells, D. D.)

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because of the cluster of grapes the Israelites cut off there.

GILL, "The place was called the brook of Eshcol,.... That is, in later times: because of the cluster of grapes which the children of Israel cut down from thence; the word "Eschol" signifying a "cluster"; and this cluster was typical of Christ, who may be compared to this, as he is to a cluster of camphire, Son_1:14; there being in him a "cluster" of all perfections, of all the perfections of deity, the whole fulness of the Godhead dwelling bodily in him; and of all human perfections, he being in all things like unto his people, excepting sin; and there being also a cluster of all the graces and gifts of the Spirit without measure in him, as man; and of all the blessings of grace for his people, as Mediator; and of all the exceeding great and precious promises of the covenant of grace. The "staff", on which this was carried, may denote the ministration of the Gospel, which may seem mean and despicable in itself, but is the means of carrying the name of Christ, and the things of Christ, about in the world; see Act_9:15; and the "two" men which bore it, may signify the prophets of the Old Testament, and the ministers of the New, who both agree and join together in setting forth the person, offices, and grace of Christ. Moreover, this cluster may be an emblem of the Spirit of God, and his grace, and of the rich experience the people of God have of it in this present lift, while travellers in the wilderness, as a taste and earnest of the future glory and happiness in the heavenly Canaan.PETT, "The Land Proved To Be Good Even From the Names of Its Valleys (Numbers 13:24)Numbers 13:24‘That place was called the valley of Eshcol, because of the cluster which the children of Israel cut down from there.’“Eshcol” means ‘cluster’. The description here is a play on words and does not necessarily mean that they were giving the place a new name, only that they were giving a significance to the name. It was called by that name because it produced such luscious grapes, of which came the grapes that they had brought back. Thus even the names of the valleys demonstrated the land’s fruitfulness. PULPIT, "Numbers 13:24

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The place was called the brook Eshcol, because of the cluster. It is very probable that it was already known as the valley of Eshcol, from the friend of Abraham, who bore that name and lived in that neighbourhood (Genesis 14:13, Genesis 14:24). If so it is an admirable instance of the loose way in which etymologies are treated in the Old Testament: what the place really received was not a new name, but a new signification to the old name; but this appeared all one in the eyes of the sacred writer.

25 At the end of forty days they returned from exploring the land.

BARNES, "After forty days - They had no doubt in this time explored the whole land. However, it was with the southern part that the Israelites expected to have to deal immediately: and accordingly it is that which is particularly referred to in the following verses, Hebron and its vicinity above all.GILL, "And they returned from searching the land after forty days. The Targum of Jonathan adds, on the eighth day of the month Ab, which answers to part of July and part of August; so that this must be towards the latter end of July: some Jewish writers (k) say it was the ninth of Ab; hence the tradition, that it was decreed on the ninth of Ab concerning their fathers, that they should not enter into the land (l).

K&D 25-29, "In forty days the spies returned to the camp at Kadesh (see at Num_16:6), and reported the great fertility of the land (“it floweth with milk and honey,” see at Exo_3:8), pointing, at the same time, to the fruit they had brought with them; “nevertheless,” they added (כי only“ ,אפסthat”), “the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are fortified, very large: and, moreover, we saw the children of Anak there.” Amalekites dwelt in the south (see at Gen_36:12); Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites in the mountains (see at Gen_10:15-16); and Canaanites by the (Mediterranean) Sea and on the side of the Jordan, i.e., in the Arabah or Ghor (see at Gen_13:7 and Gen_10:15-18).

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CALVIN, ".And they returned from searching of the land. The activity and diligence of the twelve men is commended, who in so short a time examined the whole of the land from the desert of Sin to the sea, and along the whole course of the Jordan; and this, too, in the hottest part of the year, when the grapes were beginning to ripen. Thus far, then, they faithfully executed the task intrusted to them. In their report, also, there seems to be nothing unworthy of honest men. They had been commanded by Moses to consider the inhabitants of the land, whether they were strong or weak, and also whether the cities were fortified; and they relate nothing which was not true and fully ascertained by them. In a word, at first sight their relation contains nothing worthy of reprehension. Nevertheless, we may gather from the context that the ten of them, whose desire was to turn away the people, spoke in such discouraging terms of their difficulties, that they produced exactly the contrary effect to what Moses had hoped. No other accusation, however, is as yet alleged against them, than that, by maliciously and deceptively inspiring despondency, they held back the people from entering the land. Although, therefore, they had not openly lied, they were wanting in sincerity. Perhaps, too, the whole of their address is not recorded; because Moses deemed it sufficient to state their perversity of feeling, in that they added to their praises of the land an exception, which overwhelmed the people’s minds with fear. From whence also we gather a useful admonition, that crafty sophists avail nothing with God, when they endeavor to cover their deceit by tortuous prevarication’s. Wherefore, if we desire to approve our discourse to God, we must take care to lay aside all such unfair evasions, and, rejecting all disguise, to speak simply and from the heart. The ten spies, then, lay a foundation of good faith, in order that they may afterwards be more competent to deceive. The land, they say, is a good one, except that the people are strong; and what is this but that there was little hope that the Israelites would obtain the blessing promised them by God, and that the attempt must by no means be made? With the same view they thunder out (51) the names of several nations, in order to increase the alarm; for, after having reported that they had seen the sons of Anak, they state that their contests would be too arduous with the various peoples, who would advance from all sides to resist them.COFFMAN, "Verse 25"And they returned from spying out the land at the end of forty days. And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us; and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. Howbeit the people that dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. Amalek dwelleth in the land of the South; and the Hittite, and the Jebusite, and the Amorite, dwell in the hill-country; and the Canaanite dwelleth by the sea, and along by the side of the Jordan.""The wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh ..." One of these names most certainly referred

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to a large area, and Kadesh referred to a particular station that served as the headquarters of Israel for some 38 years after the events of this chapter."Kadesh was the scene of a great number of important events described in the following chapters of Numbers, and it stands out as the most important and conspicuous place of Israel's encampment after their departure from Sinai."[21] The most important event of all, however, was the rebellion of Israel in this very chapter. It drastically changed the course of their history.The spies, at least the ten faithless ones, had gone on that expedition looking for reasons why they should NOT try to take Canaan, and, of course, they found what they were seeking. They presented their report very skillfully, pretending to be very factual and objective in their report, but the facts they presented were designed for one thing only, that of discouraging the people from moving as God commanded.Note that obtrusive "howbeit" (Numbers 13:28). They meant only one thing, "WE CANNOT TAKE THE LAND." The whole trouble here was that the leaders simply did not believe God.It is a bad sign when unbelief sends out sense to be its scout, pretending to verify God's Word by human confirmation. Not to believe God unless a jury of twelve of ourselves agrees is the same as not believing God at all, for it is not God but their own contemporaries that they believe after all.[22]BENSON, "Numbers 13:25. They returned after forty days — It is a wonder the people had patience to stay forty days, when they were just ready to enter Canaan, under all the assurances of success they could have from the divine power, proved by a constant series of miracles, that had hitherto attended them. But they distrusted God, and chose to be held in suspense by their own counsels, rather than to rest upon God’s promise! How much do we stand in our own light by unbelief!PETT, "The Scouts Return, Having Been Successful (Numbers 13:25).Numbers 13:25‘And they returned from spying out the land at the end of forty days.’The whole procedure had taken forty days. This was not only a reasonable amount of time for their endeavours (they would not hang about) but also indicated a period of testing as ‘forty’ so often does (Genesis 7:4; Genesis 7:12; Exodus 24:18). The land was being tested out for its possibilities and its dangers, and the people were being tested as they waited. It was now time to see the result of the test.

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Report on the Exploration26 They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land.

BARNES, "Kadesh is usually identified with Ain-el-Weibeh, which lies in the Arabah, about 10 miles north of the place in which Mount Hor abuts on that valley, (or with Ain-Gadis in Jebel Magrah).GILL, "And they went, and came to Moses, and to Aaron,.... They proceeded on their journey from Eshcol, till they came to the camp of Israel; and as soon as they came there, went directly to Moses and to Aaron, before they went into their own tents, as Aben Ezra observes: and to all the congregation of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; that is, Kadeshbarnea, as appears from Jos_14:7; called for brevity's sake Kadesh; but is by some thought to be different from the Kadesh in Num_20:1; to which the Israelites came not until thirty eight years after this time: this Kadesh was in the wilderness of Paran, and the same with Rithmah, or was near it, where the Israelites were now encamped, and had remained all the time the spies were gone: the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan call this place Rekem, as they do in Gen_16:14, and brought back word unto them, and to all the congregation: to Moses and Aaron, and the principal heads of the body of the people assembled together: to these they related an account of their tour through the land of Canaan, what they had met with, and what observations they had made, agreeably to the instructions that had been given them when they set out: and showed them the fruit of the land; which they had brought with them, the bunch of grapes, pomegranates, and figs.

HENRY, "It is a wonder how the people of Israel had patience to stay forty 76

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days for the return of their spies, when they were just ready to enter Canaan, under all the assurances of success they could have from the divine power, and a constant series of miracles that had hitherto attended them; but they distrusted God's power and promise, and were willing to be held in suspense by their own counsels, rather than be brought to a certainty by God's covenant. How much do we stand in our own light by our unbelief! Well, at length the messengers return, but they agree not in their report.I. The major part discourage the people from going forward to Canaan; and justly are the Israelites left to this temptation, for putting so much confidence in the judgment of men, when they had the word of God to trust to. It is a righteous thing with God to give those up to strong delusions who will not receive his truth in the love of it.JAMISON, "they came ... to Kadesh — an important encampment of the

Israelites. But its exact situation is not definitely known, nor is it determined whether it is the same or a different place from Kadesh-barnea. It is supposed to be identical with Ain-el-Weibeh, a famous spring on the eastern side of the desert [Robinson], or also with Petra [Stanley].COKE, "Numbers 13:26. To Kadesh— Or Kadesh Barnea: thus the place is marked out from whence they were sent; see the note on chap. Numbers 12:16 and Numbers 20:1. "A late ingenious author," says Dr. Shaw, "has situated Kadesh Barnea at eight hours, or twenty miles, distance only from Mount Sinai; which, I presume, cannot be admitted, for various reasons: because several texts in Scripture insinuate, that Kadesh lay at a much greater distance: thus, in Deuteronomy 1:19 it is said, they departed from Horeb through that great and terrible wilderness, (which supposes by far a greater extent of time and place,) and came to Kadesh Barnea; and in Deuteronomy 9:23. When the Lord sent you from Kadesh Barnea to possess the land, which (Numbers 20:16.) is described to be a city in the utmost part of the border of Edom; the border of the land of Edom and that of the land of promise being contiguous, and, in fact, the very same; and farther Deuteronomy 1:2 it is expressly said, that there are eleven days journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir to Kadeash Barnea, which, from the context, cannot be otherwise understood, than of marching along the direct road; for Moses here intimates how soon the Israelites might have entered upon the borders of the land of promise, if they had not been a stubborn and rebellious people; whereas a number of their stations betwixt Sinai and Kadesh, as they are particularly enumerated, Numbers 33. (each of which must have been at least one day's journey) appear to be twice as many, or twenty-one, in which they are said with great truth and propriety, Psalms 107:4 to have wandered in the wilderness out of the way, and in Deuteronomy 2:1 to have encompassed mount Seir, rather than to have travelled directly through it. If then we allow ten miles for each of these eleven days journey, (and fewer, I presume, cannot well be insisted upon) the distance of Kadesh from mount Sinai will be about an hundred and ten miles. That ten miles a day (I mean in a direct line, without considering the deviations which are every where more or less) were equivalent to one day's journey, may be further proved from the history of these spies, who

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searched the land from Kadesh to Rehob, as men come to Haramath, and return in forty days. Rehob then, the farthest point of this expedition to the northward, may well be conceived to have been twenty days journey from Kadesh; and, therefore, to know the true position of Rehob will be a material point in this disquisition. Now, from Joshua 19:29-30 and Judges 1:31 it appears, that Rehob was one of the maritime cities of the tribe of Asher, and lay, in travelling, as we may suppose, by the common or nearest way, along the sea coast ( המת לבא —), not, as we render it, as men come to Hamath, but as men go towards Hamath; in going to Hamath, or in the way or road to Hamath; for, to have searched the land as far as Hamath, and to have returned to Kadesh in forty days, would have been altogether impossible. Moreover, as the tribe of Asher did not reach beyond Sidon (for that was its northern boundary), Joshua 19:28. Rehob must have been situated to the southward of Sidon, upon or (being a derivative, perhaps, from רחב rachab, latum esse) below in the plain, under a long chain of mountains, which runs east and west through the midst of that tribe; and as these mountains, called by some the mountains of Saron, are all along, except in the narrow which I have mentioned near the sea, very rugged and difficult to pass over; the spies, who could not well take another way, might imagine they should run too great a risk of being discovered, in attempting to pass through it; in these eastern countries a watchful eye was always, as it is still, kept upon strangers, as we may collect from the history of the two angels at Sodom, Genesis 19:5 and of the spies at Jericho, Joshua 2:2 and from other instances. If, then, we fix Rehob upon the skirts of the plains of Acre, a little to the south of this narrow road, (the Schala Tyriorum, as it was afterwards named,) somewhere near Egdippa, the distance betwixt Kadesh and Rehob will be about two hundred and ten miles; whereas by placing Kadesh twenty miles only from Sinai or Horeb, the distance will be three hundred and thirty; and, instead of ten miles a day, according to the former computation, the spies must have travelled near seventeen, which for forty days successively seems to have been too difficult an expedition in this hot and consequently fatiguing climate, especially as they were on foot, or footpads, as מרגליםmeragelim, their appellation in the original, may probably import. These geographical circumstances, therefore, thus corresponding with what is actually known of those countries at this time, should induce us to situate Kadesh, as I have already done, one hundred and ten miles to the northward of mount Sinai, and forty-two miles to the westward of Eloth, near Callah Nahar, i.e. the castle of the river or fountain, (probably the Ain Mishpat) a noted station of the Mahometans in their pilgrimage to Mecca;" see Travels, p. 318.

PETT, "Verse 263). The Scouts Report Back (Numbers 13:26 to Numbers 14:1).Once the scouts arrived back they immediately reported to Moses. What resulted can be summarised as follows:a The scouts report back to Moses, Aaron and ‘all the congregation’ (Numbers

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13:26)b The scouts describe the land and the awesome sons of Anak (Numbers 13:27-29).c Caleb stills the people (Numbers 13:30 a)c Caleb says, ‘let us go forward’ (Numbers 13:30 b).b The scouts report evil of the land and the awesome sons of Anak (Numbers 13:31-33).a ‘All the congregation’ lift up their voice and cry and weep (Numbers 14:1).Numbers 13:26‘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.’The scouts returned to Kadesh in the wilderness of Paran to Moses and Aaron in order to report, but note the stress on the fact that they also reported to ‘all the congregation’. They brought word of what they had done and seen, and produced the fruit of the land for inspection. This brings out that the spying was not just military, otherwise the reports could have been restricted to Moses, Aaron and the officers. It was in order to face the whole people up with the decision whether to go forward or not.As Moses’ representative Joshua would immediately have rejoined Moses, who would no doubt have been awaiting his special report. He probably felt that there was no need for him to accompany the other eleven, feeling it better that the people should hear the report from independent witnesses and not from one whom they would see as one of Moses’ cronies. He would be standing with Moses and Aaron to hear the report of the other eleven to the people.

WHEDON, "Verse 2626. Paran — See Numbers 10:12; Numbers 12:16, notes.Kadesh — Numbers 20:16; Numbers 33:36, notes.Showed them the fruit — In confirmation of their report of the excellence of the land.

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27 They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit.

CLARKE, "We came unto the land, etc. - It is astonishing that men so dastardly as these should have had courage enough to risk their persons in searching the land. But probably though destitute of valor they had a sufficiency of cunning, and this carried them through. The report they brought was exceedingly discouraging, and naturally tended to produce the effect mentioned in the next chapter. The conduct of Joshua and Caleb was alone magnanimous, and worthy of the cause in which they were embarked.

GILL, "And they told him,.... Moses, who was the chief ruler whom they addressed, and to whom they directed their speech: and said, we came unto the land whither thou sentest us; the land of Canaan, which they were sent by Moses to spy; this was said by ten of them or by one of them as their mouth; for Caleb and Joshua did not join with them in the following account, as appears from Num_13:30, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; they own that the land answered to the description which the Lord had given of it when it was promised them by him, Exo_3:8, and this is the fruit of it; pointing to the bunch of grapes, the pomegranates and figs; not that these were a proof of its flowing with milk and honey, at least in a literal sense, but of the goodness and fruitfulness of the land: though the luxury of Bacchus, the god of wine, is by the poet (m) described, not only by a fountain of wine, but by rivers of milk and flows of honey.

HENRY 27-31,"1. Observe their report. (1.) They could not deny but that the land of Canaan was a very fruitful land; the bunch of grapes they brought with them was an ocular demonstration of it, Num_13:27. God had promised them a land flowing with milk and honey, and the evil spies themselves own that it is such a land. Thus even out of the mouth of adversaries will God be glorified and the truth of his promise attested. And yet afterwards they contradict themselves, when they say (Num_13:32), It is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; as if, though it had milk, and

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honey, and grapes, yet it wanted other necessary provision; some think that there was a great plague in the country at the time they surveyed it, which they ought to have imputed to the wisdom of the divine Providence, which thus lessened the numbers of their enemies, to facilitate their conquests; but they invidiously imputed it to the unwholesomeness of the air, and thence took occasion to disparage the country. For this unreasonable fear of a plague in Canaan, they were justly cut off immediately by a plague in the wilderness, Num_14:37. But, (2.) They represented the conquest of it as altogether impracticable, and that it was to no purpose to attempt it. The people are strong (Num_13:28), men of a great stature (Num_13:32), stronger than we, Num_13:31. The cities are represented as impregnable fortresses: they are walled and very great, Num_13:28. But nothing served their ill purpose more than a description of the giants, on whom they lay a great stress: We saw the children of Anak there (Num_13:28), and again, we saw the giants, those men of a prodigious size, the sons of Anak, who come of the giants, Num_13:33. They spoke as if they were ready to tremble at the mention of them, as they had done at the sight of them. “O these tremendous giants! when we were near them, we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, not only little and weak, but trembling and daunted.” Compare Job_39:20, Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper? “Nay, and so we were in their sight; they looked upon us with as much scorn and disdain as we did upon them with fear and trembling.” So that upon the whole matter they gave it in as their judgment, We are not able to go up against them (Num_13:31), and therefore must think of taking some other course.JAMISON, "they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou

sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey — The report was given publicly in the audience of the people, and it was artfully arranged to begin their narrative with commendations of the natural fertility of the country in order that their subsequent slanders might the more readily receive credit.BENSON, "Verses 27-29Numbers 13:27-29. They told him — In the audience of the people. The Amalekites in the south — Where we are to enter the land; and they who were so fierce against us that they came into the wilderness to fight with us, will, without doubt, oppose us when we come close by their land, the rather, to revenge themselves for their former loss. Therefore they mention them, though they were not Canaanites. In the mountains — In the mountainous country, in the south-east part of the land, so that you cannot enter there without great difficulty, both because of the noted strength and valour of those people, and because of the advantage they have from the mountains. By the sea — Not the mid-land sea, which is commonly understood by that expression, but the Salt or Dead sea; as appears, 1st, Because it is that sea which is next to Jordan; 2d, Because the Canaanites dwelt principally in those parts, and not near the mid-land sea. So these guard the entrance on the east side, as the others do on the south.

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PETT, "Numbers 13:27‘And they told him, and said, “We came to the land to which you sent us, and surely it flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.” ’First came the positive news. They had inspected the land and it really was a land flowing with milk and honey, and to prove it they produced its fruit. The promise of a land flowing with milk and honey was central to Israel’s expectations. The very words should have awakened faith. This was what Yahweh had promised them! And it was there for the taking. See Exodus 3:8; Exodus 3:17; Exodus 13:5; Exodus 33:3; Leviticus 20:24. TRAPP, "Verse 27Numbers 13:27 And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this [is] the fruit of it.Ver. 27. And this is the fruit of it.] Plutarch (a) tells of the Gauls, that after they had once a taste of the sweet wine of the grapes that grew in Italy, they inquired in what country such sweet wine was: and after they had understood where such grapes grew, they would never be at rest, till they had got that country. Sextus Rufus, writing of Cyprus, saith, Cyprus famosa divitiis, paupertatem populi Rom. ut occuparetur, solicitavit, Cyprus by her wealth tempted the Romans to seize it into their hands. The pearls usually cast out with the flood, and gathered with the ebb, drew Caesar’s affection for the conquest of Britain, as Suetonius (b) saith: God hath given us here a grape of the heavenly Canaan, to edge our desires. WHEDON, "27. Milk and honey — See Numbers 14:8, note. Thus far the report of the twelve is unanimous; they all commend the richness and fruitfulness of the soil. It is a common way with calumniators to begin by saying something good of the person or plan they wish to injure and to end by speaking evil of him or that they had first commended.BI, "It floweth with milk and honey.A land flowing with milk and honeyThe idea suggested is, that the true disciples of the Lord Jesus are expected to show to the world some illustration of the nature of the heavenly country to which they are journeying. In a sense they have been there, and have come back. But in what sense?

1. The idea with many persons is, that the future condition of man is so completely different from this, that it is out of the question to attempt to form a conception of it. Now, it is true, St. Paul tells us, “that eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the 82

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things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.” But it is also true, as the apostle goes on to say, that “ God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit.” Some people, then, are in a position to understand what the heavenly kingdom is like. They have true ideas about it—foretastes. In fact, “heaven” is really the expansion of a life begun here below. “He that hath the Son hath life.”2. What, then, has the true disciple to show as specimens of the produce of this unseen and unknown country? Briefly, the character of Christ reproduced in him, by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is faintly, imperfectly reproduced; still it is reproduced (see 2Co_1:21, “Hath Christed us”). There is the strength which overcometh the world, the peace which passeth understanding, the blessedness of communion with God, the soul-thirst for God ever renewed and ever satisfied.3. It is by the presentation of these fruits of the land that souls are won. No doubt there are some persons in the world to whom Christ and everything belonging to Christ, are only repulsive; and these will scrutinise the disciple with an unfriendly eye, and rejoice if ever they find, or fancy they find, any inconsistency in his conduct. But there are also many others of a different temper. They are halting between two opinions. They say, not of course in words, but by their feelings and manner, “Be Christ to us; let us see in you and through you what the Divine Master is, and how He will treat us if we venture to apply to Him”—or, to express it differently, “Show us the fruits of the heavenly land, of which you think so much and speak so much. You are amongst us as a citizen of the heavenly city (Php_3:20). Enable us to gather from your conduct what are the characteristics of that noble land, of that bright and glorious companionship.”4. And lastly, what is the practical conclusion to be drawn from the whole subject thus discussed? Surely it is this—that we, who profess to serve the Lord Jesus Christ, should be careful to recognise the responsibility laid upon us to give a good report, like Caleb and Joshua, and not a bad report, like the ten other spies, of the unseen land. We shall give a bad report if our lives are not attractive, and are not consistent. We shall give a good report if our characters glow, even feebly, with the inner light of the life of Christ; and if, by deed as well as by word, we cry, “ The conflict may be a formidable one, but it is not too formidable”; and if we trust as we should do, and may do, that we shall be more than conquerors through Him that loved us. (G. Calthrop, M. A.)

28 But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even 83

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saw descendants of Anak there.

GILL, "Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land,.... Though so plentiful and fruitful and desirable to enjoy, yet this objection lay against all hopes and even attempts to possess it, as they thought; the strength of the people, its present inhabitants, both in body and mind, being persons of a large, and some of a prodigious stature, and to all appearance men of valour and courage: and the cities are walled and very great; and so inaccessible, and able to hold out a long siege, and repel what force may be brought against them; so that to attack them would be to little purpose: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there: whom they had heard of before, and so had the congregation of Israel, and many terrible and frightful stories were told of them, and these they now saw with their eyes, and very formidable they appeared to them; this seems to prove that others beside Caleb and Joshua were at Hebron, where the sons of Anak lived, Num_13:22; and so they might, and yet not be together with them.COKE, "Numbers 13:28. We saw the children of Anak there— See Numbers 13:32-33 and Genesis 6:4. This exaggerated account of the cities and of the inhabitants was given with a view to discourage the people from attempting a country thus defended by walls almost impregnable, and by inhabitants as formidable in number as gigantic in size. PETT, "Numbers 13:28“However the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified, and very great, and moreover we saw the children of Anak there.”But then came the downside. The people in the land were strong, and their cities were well fortified, and very large. But what was even worse, the sons of Anak were there, the dreaded Anakim. It was probably the last that made the most impact. Superstitious dread accompanied talk about the Anakim. This was the language of unbelief.

TRAPP, "Numbers 13:28 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.

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Ver. 28. Nevertheless the people be strong.] Thus many amongst us wish very well to heaven, speak glorious things of it, and could gladly go to it; but there is a lion in the way: they complain, with these malcontents, of the strength of the Anakims, and the impossibility of the conquest. It is a hard thing doubtless, to watch continually against a spiritual enemy, to keep up the banks against the sea of lusts and passions; to bear daily crosses without stooping; to carry the cup of prosperity without spilling; to climb the hill of good duties without fainting; to go against the crowd without sweating; to bear the reproach of Christ without buckling, &c. But hard though it be, should we be discouraged? The sweetness of the honey makes the bears break in upon the hives, contemning the stings. The merchant refuseth no adventure for hope of gain: the hunter shrinketh at no weather for love of game: the soldier declineth no danger for desire of spoil. The sweetness of God’s face, though to be seen only in the dark glass of the ceremonies, cheered up those good souls, in their hard and tedious travel to Zion. {Psalms 84:6, &c.}

WHEDON, " 28. Nevertheless — This word introduces the godless majority report; godless because there is in it no reference to Jehovah. It is an infidel document; like those of some modern scientists, correct in its facts, but false and atheistic in its inferences. “Truly, the eye sees what it brings with it. They really went to look for dangers, and of course they found them.” The truth is told respecting the strength of the walled cities and the names of the Canaanitish tribes occupying different parts of the land. But the opinions expressed in Numbers 13:31 are glaringly disrespectful toward Him who had led Israel out of Egypt with his “stretched out arm,” and had promised to drive out all enemies from the promised land. Men are just as culpable for their opinions as for their acts, since opinions are the roots of conduct.Cities… walled,… very great — “The eyes of weak faith or unbelief saw the towns really towering up ‘to heaven.’ Deuteronomy 1:28. Nor did the height appear less even to the eyes of faith, which does not hide the difficulties from itself, that it may not rob the Lord who helps it over them of any of the praise that is justly his due.” — Schultz.

29 The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan.”85

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BARNES, "The Amalekites - See Num_14:25 note.The Canaanites - i. e. those of the Phoenician race: the word is here used in its narrow sense: compare Gen_10:15-18 note.

GILL, "The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south,.... On the southern side of the land of Canaan: not in it, for they were not Canaanites, but neighbours to them, and lay nearest to the camp of Israel, and at the entrance into the land of Canaan; and as they were enemies of Israel, as appears from an attack upon them quickly after they came from the Red sea, in Rephidim, Exo_17:8; and friends to the Canaanites, they would no doubt oppose their passage into their land, as they did, Num_14:43; this is one difficulty in the way of possessing the land hinted at, others follow:

HENRY, "2. Now, even if they had been to judge only by human probabilities, they could not have been excused from the imputation of cowardice. Were not the hosts of Israel very numerous? 600,000 effective men, well marshalled and modelled, closely embodied, and entirely united in interest and affection, constituted as formidable an army as perhaps was ever brought into the field; many a less has done more than perhaps the conquering of Canaan was, witness Alexander's army. Moses, their commander-in-chief, was wise and brave; and if the people had put on resolution, and behaved themselves valiantly, what could have stood before them? It is true the Canaanites were strong, but they were dispersed (Num_13:29): Some dwell in the south and others in the mountains; so that by reason of their distance they could not soon get together, and by reason of their divided interests they could not long keep together, to oppose Israel. The country being plentiful would subsist an army, and, though the cities were walled, if they could beat them in the field the strong-holds would fall of course into their hands. And, lastly, as for the giants, their overgrown stature would but make them the better mark, and the bulkiest men have not always the best mettle.

3. But, though they deserved to be posted for cowards, this was not the worst, the scripture brands them for unbelievers. It was not any human probabilities they were required to depend upon, but, (1.) They had the manifest and sensible tokens of God's presence with them, and the engagement of his power for them. The Canaanites were stronger than Israel; suppose they were, but were they stronger than the God of Israel? We are not able to deal with them, but is not God Almighty able? Have we not him in the midst of us? Does not he go before us? And is any thing too hard for him? Were we as grasshoppers before the giants, and are not they less than grasshoppers before God? Their cities are walled against us, but can they be walled against heaven? Besides this, (2.) They had had very great experience of the length and strength of God's arm, lifted up and made bare on their behalf. Were not the Egyptians as much stronger than they as the Canaanites were? And yet, without a sword drawn by Israel or a stroke struck, the chariots and horsemen of Egypt were quite routed and ruined; 86

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the Amalekites took them at great disadvantages, and yet they were discomfited. Miracles were at this time their daily bread; were there nothing else, an army so well victualled as theirs was, so constantly, so plentifully, and all on free cost, would have a might advantage against any other force. Nay, (3.) They had particular promises made them of victory and success in their wars against the Canaanites. God had given Abraham all possible assurances that he would put his seed into possession of that land, Gen_15:18; Gen_17:8. He had expressly promised them by Moses that he would drive out the Canaanites from before them (Exo_33:2), and that he would do it by little and little, Exo_23:30. And, after all this, for them to say, We are not able to go up against them, was in effect to say, “God himself is not able to make his words good.” It was in effect to give him the lie, and to tell him he had undertaken more than he could perform. We have a short account of their sin, with which they infected the whole congregation, Psa_106:24. They despised the land, they believed not his word. Though, upon search, they had found it as good as he had said, a land flowing with milk and honey, yet they would not believe it as sure as he had said, but despaired of having it, though eternal truth itself had engaged it to them. And now this is the representation of the evil spies.JAMISON, "The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south — Their

territory lay between the Dead and the Red Seas, skirting the borders of Canaan.Hittites ... dwell in the mountains — Their settlements were in the southern and mountainous part of Palestine (Gen_23:7).the Canaanites dwell by the sea — The remnant of the original inhabitants, who had been dispossessed by the Philistines, were divided into two nomadic hordes - one settled eastward near the Jordan; the other westward, by the Mediterranean.

K&D, "As these tidings respecting the towns and inhabitants of Canaan were of a character to excite the people, Caleb calmed them before Moses by saying, “We will go up and take it; for we shall overcome it.” The fact that Caleb only is mentioned, though, according to Num_14:6, Joshua also stood by his side, may be explained on the simple ground, that at first Caleb was the only one to speak and maintain the possibility of conquering Canaan.

PETT, "Numbers 13:29“Amalek dwells in the land of the South, and the Hittite, and the Jebusite, and the Amorite, dwell in the hill-country, and the Canaanite dwell by the sea, and along by the side of the Jordan.’They then described the spread of the different enemies in more depth. Amalek dwelt in the Negeb; the Hittites (around Hebron), the Jebusites (around Jerusalem)

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and Amorites (spread across the hills) dwelt in the hill country; and the Canaanites dwelt by the sea in the Coastal Plain and along by the side of the Jordan. That should have been some encouragement. At least the enemy were divided up and therefore more vulnerable. They would not have to fight them all at once. But the hearers simply saw them as indicating an unexpectedly difficult problem. It was a good deal more than they had expected. They were being faced up with what lay before them.

PULPIT, "The Amalekites. These descendants of Esau (see on Genesis 36:12) formed wild roving bands, which (like the Bedouins of the present day) infested rather than inhabited the whole country between Judaea and Egypt, including the Negeb. They are not numbered among the inhabitants of Canaan proper. The Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan. It is not easy to say in what sense the word "Canaanites" is used here. At one time it is the name of one tribe amongst many, all descended from Canaan, the son of Ham, which dwelt in the land of promise; at another time it is apparently synonymous with "Amorites," or rather includes both them and the allied tribes (cf. e.g; 1:9). It is possible, though far from certain, that "Canaanites" in this place may mean "Phoenicians," since Sidon was the first-born of Canaan (Genesis 10:15), and the northern portion of the maritime plain was certainly in their possession, and probably the upper part of the Ghor, or coast of Jordan. It would appear that the Philistines had not at this time made themselves masters of the plain, although they dwelt in some parts of it (see on Exodus 13:17).

WHEDON, " 29. Amalekites — See Exodus 17:8, note. This strong nomadic tribe occupied the Negeb, or south part of Canaan, and they encountered Israel in the battle of Rephidim, near Sinai.Hittites — Or children of Heth. See Joshua 1:4; Joshua 3:10, notes. One of the points at which modern Oriental research has done much to verify the historical accuracy of the Bible narrative is in the disclosure of the prominence of the Hittite empire in the olden time. Until recently the Hittites were known to the world only in the Bible record. Now they are recognised as one of the great world-powers in their day. The fullest compendium of facts bearing on this point is The Empire of the Hittites, by the Revelation Dr. William Wright, one of the secretaries of the British and Foreign Bible Society.Jebusites — These occupied Jerusalem and vicinity. Joshua 3:10, note.Amorites — these were the most formidable. See Joshua 3:10, note.In the mountains — These are in the north-east of Et Tih, about seventy miles long and from forty to fifty broad, extending northward to near Beer-sheba. See Deuteronomy 1:20, note.

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Canaanites — The term is here used in its narrow meaning of Lowlanders. See Joshua 3:10, note.

30 Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”

GILL, "And Caleb stilled the people before Moses,.... In his presence, they standing before him; or "unto Moses" (n), as they were coming to him with open mouth against him; for upon the above report of the spies they began to murmur and mutiny, and to speak against Moses for bringing them out of Egypt into a wilderness, feeding them with vain hopes of a country which they were never likely to enjoy; and in their wrath they might be making up to him, threatening to pull him to pieces, but were restrained by Caleb, who signified he had something to say to them, to which they attended, he being one of the spies, and for their principal tribe, the tribe of Judah, that went foremost; the Targum of Jonathan is,"Caleb silenced the people, and they attended to Moses;''or hearkened to him, to what he said, which though not here related, is in Deu_1:29; which yet they did not give credit to, though they heard what he had to say: and said, let us go up at once and possess it; without any delay, there is nothing more to be done than to enter and take possession; this he said, trusting to the promise of God, who is faithful, and to his power who is able to perform: for we are well able to overcome it; especially having God on their side, who had promised to bring them into it, and put them in the possession of it; and indeed, humanly speaking, they seemed quite sufficient for such an undertaking, being upwards of six hundred thousand men fit for war, Num_1:46, marshalled under their proper standards, with captains over each tribe, and having such brave, wise, and courageous commanders and generals, Moses and Joshua, who had given signal instances of their prudence and bravery already. What is it such an army, under proper directions, might not undertake? One would think, in all human probability, they were able to conquer a much greater country than the land of Canaan.

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HENRY, " Caleb encouraged them to go forward, though he was seconded by Joshua only (Num_13:30): Caleb stilled the people, whom he saw already put into a ferment even before Moses himself, whose shining face could not daunt them, when they began to grow unruly. Caleb signifies all heart, and he answered his name, was hearty himself, and would have made the people so if they would have hearkened to him. If Joshua had begun to stem the tide, he would have been suspected of partiality to Moses, whose minister he was; and therefore he prudently left it to Caleb's management at first, who was of the tribe of Judah, the leading tribe, and therefore the fittest to be heard. Caleb had seen and observed the strength of the inhabitants as much as his fellows, and upon the whole matter, 1. He speaks very confidently of success: We are well able to overcome them, as strong as they are. 2. He animates the people to go on, and, his lot lying in the van, he speaks as one resolved to lead them on with bravery: “Let us go up at once,one bold step, one bold stroke more, will do our business; it is all our own if we have but courage to make it so: Let us go up and possess it.” He does not say, “Let us go up and conquer it;” he looks upon that to be as good as done already; but, “Let us go up and possess it; there is nothing to be done but to enter, and take the possession which God our great Lord is ready to give us.” Note, The righteous are bold as a lion. Difficulties that lie in the way of salvation dwindle and vanish before a lively active faith in the power and promise of God. All things are possible, if they be but promised, to him that believes.

K&D, "As these tidings respecting the towns and inhabitants of Canaan were of a character to excite the people, Caleb calmed them before Moses by saying, “We will go up and take it; for we shall overcome it.” The fact that Caleb only is mentioned, though, according to Num_14:6, Joshua also stood by his side, may be explained on the simple ground, that at first Caleb was the only one to speak and maintain the possibility of conquering Canaan.

CALVIN, "30.And Caleb stilled the people before Moses. That is, he restrained the murmurs of the people before Moses, against whom they had begun to rise tumultuously. Hence it appears that much was said on both sides which is passed over in silence, for there would have been no need of restraining the violence of the people, unless the contention had waxed warm. His words, however, show what was the state of the whole case and question, viz., that the ten treacherous spies had dissuaded the people from foolishly advancing to the land, which it was impossible to win; and urged them not to attack rashly very powerful enemies, to whom they would be far from equally matched. But Caleb opposes them with the confidence of victory. We (he says) shall conquer the land, and upon this he grounds his exhortation. Moreover, there is no doubt but that, relying on God’s promise, he believed that they would, be successful, and thus boldly foretold it, whilst the others took not at all into consideration that, with the banner of the Lord before them, the people would come into the promised inheritance.

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This does not appear to accord with what Moses relates in Deuteronomy 1:0, where he absolves the spies, and casts the whole blame on the people; but the contradiction is easily reconciled, for there he had no other object than to assert the criminality of the Israelites, who, by their contumacy, had for a long time impeded the fulfillment of God’s promise. Omitting, therefore, that part of the history which did not affect the matter in hand, he only adverts to that which convicted them of wicked ingratitude, i.e., that the fertility of the land was commended by the spies; and consequently, since the people were abundantly assured of God’s liberality, that they sinned grossly by rejecting it. He, therefore, states their crime to have been, that they were rebellious against the mouth or word of Jehovah, viz., because they had refused to follow Him when He invited them.What Moses here ascribes to Caleb alone, he elsewhere attributes to Joshua also. It is plain, then, that Caleb spoke for both of them, and that Joshua was prudently and modestly silent, lest a tumultuous altercation should arise. It may, however, be probably conjectured that the bravery and firmness of him, who is praised, was the more conspicuous, whilst the honesty of Moses is perceivable, inasmuch as, by his preference of Caleb, he obscures and diminishes the praise due to his own minister.

COFFMAN, ""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. But the men that went up with him said, We are not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. And they brought up an evil report of the land which they spied out unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of great stature. And there we saw the Nephilim, the sons of Anak, who come of the Nephilim: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight."This crooked rebuttal on the part of the majority is called "an evil report," and the basic meaning of such a charge lays a mighty challenge as to the veracity of what that majority said. The commentators have tried to make their report "accurate," and "in keeping with the facts," but look at that line which says:"It is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof ..." That was simply a bold and unprincipled LIE, designed to scare the people into following the false leaders. We have no patience with the commentators who make this a TRUTHFUL declaration, affirming that it means the land was so fruitful that people continually fought over it, and the consequent wars were what ate up the inhabitants, but that is not the LAND'S doing so! There is another falsehood here.True, they saw the sons of Anak, and they mentioned the "giants" in their first report; but note the change: "All the people that we saw were men of great stature." So, they saw a few giants and then cried that "all the people" were giants!

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Yes, their report was evil, false, inaccurate, exaggerated, slanted, and perverted to serve their lack of faith. It is not the first time, nor the last, that a majority has shouted a lie to persuade the thoughtless to follow them instead of the true leaders. "How exaggerated and one-sided is the distrust of God's promises ..."[23]Caleb's magnificent challenge here stands out as the words of a true believer: "Let us go up at once and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it."Such noble words are worthy to be the motto of any church or of any believer. They sprang from a heart of faith. Caleb's confidence was not in Caleb, but in the God of Israel. The "giants" of Canaan struck no fear into his courageous heart, for he, like Paul, knew "Whom he had believed" and was sure of his ability in that strength to overcome."They brought up an evil report of the land ..." The Hebrew from which this is translated is, "They made go at a defamation of the land."[24] This has the effect as making their charges to be falsehoods, and certainly this nonsense about the land eating up the people must rank as the yarn of a champion liar!"The Nephilim ..." is translated "giants" in the Septuagint (LXX), and that is probably the true meaning of it. "They are mentioned elsewhere only in Genesis 6:4."[25]In regard to the questions that naturally arise concerning those "giants," Plaut has the following: "The Anakites were long understood to denote `giants.' Although anthropology has no evidence that men of unusual size lived in Palestine during that period, nevertheless the reason for the tradition is clear. "The existing dolmens and the size and strength of the Canaanite fortresses suggest that only giants could have built them. We find this same idea among the Greeks, who reported that huge walls of their ancient cities had been built by the Cyclopes, giant artisans from Asia Minor. This tradition has led to the expression `Cyclopean masonry,' to describe the huge blocks used in constructing some ancient cities."[26]The Biblical description of Goliath gives his height at "six cubits and a span," (1 Samuel 17:4), namely about 10 feet! There are occasional giants in nearly every country. The famous Cape Breton Giant was a person of great size, as attested by the wax image clad in clothes actually worn by him, and exhibited in the museum at Halifax, Nova Scotia. Ethan Allen Crawford of Vermont was also a man of incredible strength who lifted a horse up a thirty-foot cliff! A few of our current basketball stars approach giant stature.The next chapter reveals what a nation of cry-babies Israel was at this time, and this is an appropriate place to take a closer look at what we shall call:

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THE LOST GENERATIONText: "Surely they shall not see the land that I sware unto their fathers."Intro: There is a world of interest in this tragic story of a lost generation. Their generation had begun in glorious success. Through God's blessing, they had been liberated from slavery in Egypt. In their immediate past history, there were the astounding wonders of the Red Sea crossing, the destruction of their enemies in the sea, the glory of the fiery, cloudy pillar, the thunders of Sinai, the holy Covenant, the manna, and such miracles as humanity had never before seen. Yet they were defeated, lost, and condemned to die in the wilderness. From their tragic mistakes, there may be gleaned precious truth that might prevent other generations from following their pathetic example. Why did they fail?I. They had a morbid fear of the dangers. Schooled in slavery and reared in servitude they were, in a word, cowards. They were afraid someone might get hurt.II. They had no regard for liberty to which they were called, and they even contemplated stoning Joshua and Caleb and returning as slaves of Pharaoh! They were willing that their little children should have holes drilled in their ears marking them the chattels of Pharaoh, rather than suffer the hardships incumbent upon all who would be free.III. They allowed themselves to fall into "unbelief." When it is recalled that they had every conceivable reason for believing in God, how almost incredible is the record that they let genuine faith slip away! Many Christians are confronted with the same temptation.IV. They lost their self-respect. Read those lines again about the grasshoppers! What an amazing self-depreciation appears. "We were in our sight as grasshoppers!"V. They accepted the majority report. What a devilish thing is "the majority"! They gave heed to what "the majority said," not to what God said. All over the world today, many so-called "believers" are willing to take the "majority opinion" on any vital question - baptism, the Lord's Supper, the inspiration of the Bible, or anything else. Majorities are practically always wrong, as they proved to be here.VI. They were thinking merely of what they personally could do, and not about the power of the Lord.VII. They had a small eye upon themselves, a big eye upon their enemies, and no eye at all upon God.Shammua, Shaphat, and Sethur, etc., these were mighty men, princes in Israel, but

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they were shamefully and tragically wrong. We should never look upon the excellence or the rank of men, nor their appearance of being in the majority, as any kind of a safe criterion by which one may find it safe to follow them. The majority report ruined the thousands of Israel for a whole generation; and may we add, tearfully, it is still ruining countless thousands of others today.COKE, "Numbers 13:30. And Caleb stilled the people, &c.— In the next chapter we have a more full account of the consequences of the report made by the spies, and of Caleb's and Joshua's behaviour. BENSON, "Numbers 13:30. Caleb — Together with Joshua, as is manifest from chap. Numbers 14:6-7; Numbers 14:30; but Caleb alone is here mentioned, possibly because he spake first and most, which he might better do, because he might be presumed to be more impartial than Joshua, who, being Moses’s minister, might be thought to speak only what he knew his master would like. Stilled the people — Which implies either that they had begun to murmur, or that by their looks and carriage, they discovered the anger which boiled in their breasts.Before Moses — Or, toward Moses, against whom they were incensed, as the man who had brought them into such sad circumstances. Let us go up and possess it. He does not say, Let us go up and conquer it. He looks on that to be as good as done already: but, Let us go up and possess it! There is nothing to be done but to enter without delay, and take the possession which our great Lord is now ready to give us! Thus difficulties that lie in the way of salvation, vanish away before a lively faith.

PARKER, ""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."— Numbers 13:30"The Lord said to Moses, Send thou men that they may search the land of Canaan which I give unto the children of Israel."—Men were accordingly sent, being told to "see the land, what it is; and the people that dwell therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many; 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 strongholds."—In a word, they were to make a full survey of the land and its inhabitants, and to report to Moses.—"So they went up, and searched the land from the wilderness of Zin unto Rehob, as men come to Hamath."—After forty days" search they returned, bringing with them a branch with one cluster of grapes, and also a specimen of the pomegranates and the figs.—On the whole, their report was very gloomy.—They had, of course, some good things to say about the productiveness of the land, but they gave a very alarming account of the people: "All the people that we saw in it are men of great stature—we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight."—Caleb was a man of another spirit: he stilled the people before Moses, and said, "Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it."

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This incident sets forth vividly some of the difficulties which lie in the way of the higher kingdom, the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ; and it is in this view that we shall regard the graphic narrative.I. The kingdom of heaven challenges the inquiry of all men.—It addresses an appeal to human reason, and to human trust.—Though itself a Revelation , and therefore not to be handled as a common thing, nor to be tested by common instruments, yet Christianity invites the most careful inquest.—It does not seek to rest upon the human intellect as a burden, but to shine upon it as a light; it does not fasten itself upon the human heart as an excrescence, but blesses and enriches it with a new and mightier life.—If Christianity may be represented under the image of a land, such as ancient Canaan, then it is fair to say of it, that it offers right of way over its hills and through its valleys, that its fruits and flowers are placed at the disposal of all travellers, and that he who complains that the land is shut against him speaks not only ungratefully but most falsely.There are not wanting men who say that Christianity forbids inquiry.The kingdom of heaven is the highest revelation of the mind of God to the mind of man.—The mind must be at its highest possible point of energy in order to lay hold of the doctrines which constitute that revelation.—To get the mind to this point requires the excitement of the heart; for mind is never fully alive whilst the moral powers are dormant.—When the heart is moved in its deepest passions, and the mind is set in its highest key, the man is prepared to enter upon the great studies to which he is invited by the Gospel.It is certainly true, and ought to be taken account of in this connection, that some people have peculiar notions of what is meant by inquiry.—In the first instance, they dismiss everything like reverence; in the next place, they make themselves the standard and measure of all truth; and in the third place, they seek to materialise and debase everything that is spiritual and heavenly.—This is not inquiry, it is insolent self-sufficiency; it is not the spirit of a student seeking light; it is the spirit of a braggart who thinks the sun inferior to his spark.—The tone of mind must be in harmony with the subject considered; in every department of intellectual life it is required that a student be self-controlled, patient, docile; that his temper be subdued, and that his conclusions be reached through long and earnest watching of processes.—This is required in all sciences, why not in the science of sciences—the knowledge and worship of the true God?2. Different reports will, of course, be brought by the inquirers.—It was so in the case of the spies: it will be so in all inquiry.—The result of the survey will be according to the peculiarities of the surveyors.—As streams are impregnated by the soils over which they flow, so subjects are affected by the individualism of the minds through which they pass.—Thus Christianity may be said to be different things to different minds.—To the speculative man it is a great attempt to solve deep problems in theology; to the controversialist it is a challenge to debate profound

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subjects on new ground; to the poet it is a dream, a wondrous vision many-coloured as the rainbow, a revelation many-voiced as the tunes of the wind or the harmonies of the sea.—Each inquirer will have his own way of reporting the result of his inquiry.—Christian testimony is not of one unchanging sort.—One Christian will report his experiences in highly intellectual phraseology, as if God had entered his heart through the shining chambers of his mind; another will show that he has reached peace through many a stormy conflict with doubt; another will speak the language of music as though he had been taught it in intercourse with the angels; another will stammer by reason of sobs and tears.—Yet the subject is the same, the result is the same—this is the diversity that is unity—

PETT, "Numbers 13:30‘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.” ’But Caleb saw the situation clearly. He firstly sought to quieten their fears. Then he urged that they immediately mobilise and enter the land in order to conquer it, for he was confident that they could take possession of it and overcome those who would oppose them. His eyes were on Yahweh and the fruitfulness of the land. He had no doubt that with Yahweh with them they would have no difficulty in possessing it.Joshua, standing with Moses, said nothing. He had not only gone as a tribal chieftain, but as Moses’ representative. On returning he would have taken his place with Moses, and all knew that he would do whatever Moses said. Thus he wisely kept out of the discussions. The arguing was therefore left to Caleb, who would later turn out to be such a powerful chieftain by defeating the selfsame Anakim (Joshua 15:13-14). The people would recognise that he was unbiased. This mention of only Caleb actually authenticates the narrative.

PULPIT, "Caleb stilled the people. That Caleb alone is named here, whereas Joshua is elsewhere joined with him in the matter (as in Joshua 14:6, 30), has been considered strange; but it is not difficult to supply a probable explanation. Joshua was the special companion and minister of Moses, his alter ego in those things wherein he was employed: for that reason he may very well have given place to Caleb as a more impartial witness, and one more likely to be listened to in the present temper of the people; for it is evident from Deuteronomy 1:1-46, that that temper had already declared itself for evil (see on Numbers 14:24).

WHEDON, "Verse 3030. Caleb — The spy from the tribe of Judah here begins the minority report, which

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is characterized by an unwavering trust in Jehovah. “A discrepancy indicating diversity of author-ship is here again alleged, in that here and in Numbers 14:24, as well as in Deuteronomy 1:36, Caleb is spoken of alone; whereas in Numbers 14:30; Numbers 26:65; Numbers 32:12, Caleb and Joshua are spoken of as having acted together on this occasion, Caleb being first named, and in Numbers 14:6, it is Joshua and Caleb. The simple explanation of which is, that in the first instance, when the spies were making their report to Moses, Caleb was outspoken in his declaration that the people had no real cause for fear; and subsequently, when the murmurs of the people were louder and more pronounced, and took the form of open rebellion against Moses and Aaron, (Numbers 14:2-4,) Joshua and Caleb were both active in endeavouring to suppress the disturbance by encouraging the people and bringing them to a sense of their duty. Numbers 13:6, etc. Comp. Joshua 14:6, where Caleb, in referring to this event, in speaking to Joshua first joins both together, ‘me and thee,’ and then proceeds to describe his own share in the transaction without any allusion to Joshua.” — Dr. Edersheim.Stilled the people — The bitter wail of despair was resounding through the vast throng.Let us go up at once — Genuine faith grasps a present God and an instantaneous salvation. Caleb was wise to counsel going up to the assault at once, for there is no better cure for fear than action. Old soldiers say that the trying time is when waiting to begin the battle. Hesitation weakens resolution. When we are sure that any thing is God’s will the sooner we are at work doing it the better for ourselves and for the vigour of our efforts.For we are well able — The ground of Caleb’s confidence is stated in Numbers 14:8-9. This report is a marvel of condensation, terseness, and vigour — just what we should expect from a speaker who is permitted to utter but one sentence amid the uproar of a mob.BI, "Let us go up at once, and possess it.The ancient Canaan a type of heavenI. In what respects the ancient canaan was a type of heaven.

1. It was a promised land, and the right of possession was founded on the promise.2. It was a land in which God was peculiarly present.3. It was a land of fruition.4. It was a free gift.

II. The Israelites had dangers, difficulties, and discouragements in the wilderness, in their way to Canaan; so have Christians in their progress to heaven.1. There are formidable foes to be encountered. The corrupt heart, the

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evil world, and that apostate spirit, the devil.2. There are adversaries in timid and faint-hearted associates.3. The Israelites in their progress were made dependent on the Lord for all things.

III. The resolution—“let us go up at once, and possess it.”1. The title to it is sure. It is pledged in Christ; as heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. He is our Joshua and is gone to take possession for us.2. We have means and ordinances by which needed strength is supplied, and we are invited and enjoined to feed in the spiritual manner, and to drink of the spiritual rock.3. Here we have many foretastes of the good land. (Sketches of Four Hundred Sermons.)

Difficulties in the way1. The kingdom of heaven challenges the inquiry of all men. It addresses an appeal to human reason, and to human trust. Though itself a revelation, and therefore not to be handled as a common thing, nor to be tested by common instruments, yet Christianity invites the most careful inquest. It does not seek to rest upon the human intellect as a burden, but to shine upon it as a light. ]f Christianity may be represented under the image of a land, such as ancient Canaan, then it is fair to say of it, that it offers right of way over its hills and through its valleys, that its fruits and flowers are placed at the disposal of all travellers, and that he who complains that the land is shut against him speaks not only ungratefully but most falsely.2. Different reports will, of course, be brought by the inquirers. The result of the survey will be according to the peculiarities of the surveyors. As streams are impregnated by the soils over which they flow, so subjects are affected by the individualism of the minds through which they pass. Thus Christianity may be said to be different things to different minds. To the speculative man it is a great attempt to solve deep problems in theology; to the controversialist it is a challenge to debate profound subjects on new ground; to the poet it is a dream, a wondrous vision many-coloured as the rainbow, a revelation many-voiced as the tunes of the wind or the harmonies of the sea.

(1) Some inquirers will see all the hindrances.(2) All will confess that there is something good in the laud.(3) Those who hold back by reason of the difficulties will come to a miserable end.

(a) We don’t escape by false reasoning.(b) We don’t escape by fear.

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Application:1. Some have shown the spirit of Caleb—what is voter testimony?2. Will you resolve, in Divine strength, to follow the Lord fully? (J. Parker, D. D.)

The decision and exertion incumbent upon Christians in all thingsI. The passage serves to illustrate the believer’s duty in general. “Go forward.” This is the command of God to His people, with reference to every obligation that devolves upon them, and at every critical moment, amidst all our difficulties we encounter from the world. Nothing but this heroism will suit the dignity and the decision of Christian character.II. The passage serves to illustrate the more special duty of the people of God with reference to missionary exertion. And that I conceive to be one of the pressing duties of the Church of Christ in the present day. (W. H. Cooper.)

The magnanimous character and wisdom of Caleb1. He “stilled the people.” Stillness engenders thoughtfulness.2. He seeks to secure unity of faith. “Let us go up.”3. Promptness. “At once.”4. He directs their minds to their ability.

Conclusion: The world belongs to Christ by creation and by preservation. In God’s name the Church may claim Christ’s prerogative for the conquest of the world. (W. Mudge.)

Good witnesses for GodI. God hath ever had some witnesses of his truth Nicodemus. Joseph of Arimathea. And how can it be otherwise, for the truth shall never decay from the earth, but be spread abroad from place to place, and from generation to generation for ever (Psa_119:89). We perish, for all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man is as the flower of the field, but the word of the Lord abideth for ever (1Pe_1:24). God will have this never to die, never to wither. He hath the hearts of all men in His own hand, to turn them at His pleasure (Act_9:15). So saith Christ, “I tell you if these should hold their peace, the stones would cry” (Luk_19:40), and therefore He can never be without some witness to maintain His truth.

1. This teacheth us that God is most glorious and powerful, and will be known in the earth (Psa_8:1-2; Mat_21:15; Act_14:17).2. Great is His truth and prevaileth; He hath always had a Church upon

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the face of the earth, and He never forsaketh it, though multitudes conspire against it, it shall have the upper hand at last.3. Be not discouraged when the truth is oppressed, because God is able to maintain it, and raiseth up His enemies oftentimes to defend it.4. This should persuade every one of us how to carry ourselves, namely, that we should not take any approbation or liking of the evil of other, neither ought we to imitate any in sin, how holy soever they seem to be, neither give consent to them by our practice, forasmuch as God’s hand hath overtaken them at one time or other.

II. The evil of others, yea, although they be many, may not re followed of us. The reasons.1. Whatsoever is in itself evil cannot be made good and lawful by any example, nor by many examples. It cannot be warranted by the law of man, much less by the pure law of God Himself.2. No greatness, no multitude can save a man from judgments due to the least sin; for though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not go unpunished (Pro_5:1-23; Pro_11:21). This serveth to reprove many carnal and formal Christians that oftentimes encourage themselves in evil, and strengthen themselves by the example of others.3. We may gather from hence a reproof of ignorant recusants grounding only upon their forefathers; such as can give no other reason of their religion but that they were born and bred in it (Psa_78:8).

III. It is the duty: of God’s children to exhort and stir up one another to good things. And that for divers reasons.1. We are quickly hardened in sin. We are quickly dull to all good; exhortation made by others setteth an edge upon us, and putteth life into us (Pro_27:17).2. Such as continue to the end are made partakers of Christ, and with Him of all other graces; this ought to provoke us to practise this duty, the rather seeing so great fruit cometh by it, the blessing of all blessings, Christ Jesus is made ours (Heb_3:13-14).3. We have other reasons used by the same apostle (Heb_10:25-26). Fearful judgments remain for all backsliders.4. The day of the Lord draweth near, and we must take heed that it take us not unprepared; we must therefore stir up ourselves and others to look for it and to long after it. Lastly, we see evil men do it in evil and to evil. They labour by all means to make others as bad as themselves. This also we see in this place, much more therefore ought we to teach and instruct one another, and be helpers to the most holy faith one of another. (W. Attersoll.)

A campaign for God

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The Israelites sent twelve spies into Paran and Kadesh to reconnoitre. I suppose they wanted to see if God’s word was true. That’s always the way with unbelievers. God had said to them, “Go over. I’ll help you. It will be yours. It’s a land flowing with milk and honey. All you’ve got to do is to go and take it.” But they thought they would first find out for themselves what it was worth, and whether they would be able to take it. They brought back what we would call in these days a majority and minority report. Ten said that it would be impossible to take the country. All admitted that what God had told them was true about the milk and honey. Only Caleb and Joshua confirmed the Lord in regard to taking the land. All admitted that the land was good, but ten said they saw giants, and walls, and castles, and that the Israelites would not be able to overcome these. I can imagine these fellows in camp, telling their comrades that they had stood alongside these giants, and had been obliged to look up to see their faces, and that they were to them but as grasshoppers. When we believe, we are able to overcome giants, and walls and everything. A lie generally travels faster than the truth. It is an old saying that a lie will go round the world before the truth can get his boots on to follow him. The world always seems to rejoice whenever anything goes wrong with religion. So thus he went round the camp and found favour with the Jews. “I would rather go back to Egypt and make bricks without straw again. I would rather hear the crack of the slaveholder’s whip again, than encounter these terrors.” That’s the way the Israelites talked, and that is the talk of the unbeliever. I am one of the spies sent out to look at the promised land. I have found it flowing with milk and honey. Let us say whether we fear anything now. Let us go up at once and take the land. I tell you that it is good. If Caleb’s voice had prevailed, the Israelites might have saved forty years in the wilderness. To-day I say that four-fifths of the professed children are not able to reach the land, simply on account of their unbelief. Many persons have told me that I mustn’t expect so great a success as I had in the old country. If I don’t expect it, I won’t have it. We must go at once and take the land. We are able to do it. “Their defence has gone from them.” How easy it is for God to pour out His blessings in such profusion that we will not be able to receive them. That was the difference between Caleb and Joshua and the ten. The ten got their eyes on the walls and the giants, but Caleb and Joshua lifted theirs above and saw Him on His throne. They said that it was easy for God to give them that country as He promised. They remembered how easily He had taken them across the Red Sea; how He had fed them with manna in the wilderness, and how He had made the water gush forth from the barren rock. If God wishes to aid you, then you are well able to go up and take the land. That is the difference between a man who has God with him, and the one who has not. The greatest difficulty we have to encounter is, therefore, the unbelief so current among Christians. Oh, would that God would sweep it away! Our God is able to do it. Let us not limit the power of the Holy One of Israel. Look upward and see Him who sitteth on the right hand of God, and press forward. (D. L. Moody.)

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Was Caleb, then, a giant—larger than any of the sons of Anak? Was he a Hercules and a Samson in one? Was his arm so terrific that every stroke of it was a conquest? We are not told so; the one thing we are told about Caleb is that he was a man of “another spirit.” That determines the quality of the man. Character is a question of spirit. It is an affair of inward and spiritual glow. Caleb had been upon the preliminary search; Caleb had seen the walls, and the Anakim, and the fortresses, and he came back saying, We can do this, not because we have so many arms only, or so many resources of a material kind, but because he was a man of “another spirit.” In the long run, spirit wins; in the outcome of all history, spirit will be uppermost. The great battles of life are not controversies of body against body, but, as far as God is in them, they are a question of spirit against body, thought against iron, prayer against storming and blustering of boastful men. While the cloud hangs over the field, and the dust of the strife is very thick, and the tumult roars until it deafens those who listen, we cannot see the exact proportions, colours, and bearings of things; but if we read history instead of studying the events of the day which have not yet settled themselves into order and final meaning, we shall discover that spirit is mightier than body, that “knowledge is power,” that “righteousness exalteth a nation,” and that they who bear the white banner of a pure cause ultimately triumph because God is with them. (J. Parker, D. D.)

Difficulties may be overcome“It is impossible!” said some, when Peter the Great determined on a voyage of discovery; and the cold and uninhabited region over which he reigned furnished nothing but some larch-trees to construct his vessels. But, though the iron, the cordage, the sails, and all that was necessary, except the provisions for victualling them, were to be carried through the immense deserts of Siberia, down rivers of difficult navigation, and along roads almost impassable, the thing was done; for the command of the sovereign and the perseverance of the people surmounted every obstacle.

31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.”

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GILL, "But the men that went up with him,.... With Caleb, all but Joshua: the other ten said, we be not able to go up against the people; this they had not said before, though they plainly suggested it, and, to make the people believe this, had represented the inhabitants of the land of Canaan in the light they did; but now, in direct opposition to Caleb, fully expressed it, giving this reason for it: for they are stronger than we; being both of a larger size and more numerous.

K&D, "But his companions were of an opposite opinion, and declared that the people in Canaan were stronger than the Israelites, and therefore it was impossible to go up to it.

BENSON, "Numbers 13:31. The men — All of them, Joshua excepted. Stronger — Both in stature of body and numbers of people. Thus they question the power, and truth, and goodness of God, of all which they had such ample testimonies.

PETT, "Numbers 13:31‘But the men who went up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.”However, the men who had gone with him took the opposite view. They claimed that they could not possibly go up against these people, because they were stronger than the Israelites. Their eyes were fixed firmly on the Anakim.

PULPIT, "For they are stronger than we. In point of numbers the enormous superiority of the Israelites over any combination likely to oppose them must have been evident to the most cowardly. But the existence of numerous walled and fortified towns was (apart from Divine aid) an almost insuperable obstacle to a people wholly ignorant of artillery or of siege operations; and the presence of giants was exceedingly terrifying in an age when battles were a series of personal encounters (cf. 1 Samuel 17:11, 1 Samuel 17:24).

WHEDON, " 31. We be not able — The majority had not asserted this before, but had left the people to draw this inference. Now they are evidently enraged at the brave words of Caleb. Faith is always a reproof to unbelief, as holiness is a rebuke to sin.

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32 And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size.

BARNES, "A land that eateth up ... - i. e. it is a land which from its position is exposed to incessant attacks from one quarter and another, and so its occupants must be always armed and watchful.

CLARKE, "Men of a great stature - anshey middoth, men of אנשי מדותmeasures - two men’s height; i. e., exceedingly tall men.

GILL, "And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel,.... Before, they gave a good report of the land itself, as a very fruitful one, answering to their expectations and wishes; but now they change their language, and give a different account of it; which shows their want of integrity, and to what length an opposition carried them, to say things contrary to their real sentiments, and to what they themselves had said before: saying, the land through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; the meaning seems to be, that it was so barren and unfruitful that it did not produce food sufficient for the inhabitants of it, who were ready to starve, and many did starve through want, and so was the reverse of what they had before said; for which reason, Gussetius (o) thinks the sense is, that the land was the food and nourishment of its inhabitants, and that there was such plenty in it that it wanted not any foreign assistance in any respect whatever. Some think that it was continually embroiled in civil wars, in which they destroyed one another; but then this was no argument against, but for their going up against them, since through the divisions among themselves they might reasonably hope the better to succeed; or it ate them up with diseases, as the Targum of Jonathan adds, and so they would represent it, though a

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fruitful land, yet a very unhealthful one, in which the natives could not live, and much less strangers; and so Aben Ezra and Ben Gersom interpret it of the badness of the air of the country, as being very unwholesome and pernicious. Jarchi represents them as saying, that wherever they came they saw them burying their dead, as if there was a plague among them; and be it so that there was, which is not unlikely, since the Lord promised to send hornets before them, which some interpret of diseases sent, Exo_23:28; and which was in their favour, since hereby the number of their enemies would be lessened, and they would be weakened, and in a bad condition to oppose them: and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature; or men of measures (p), of a large measure, above the common measure of men; but it may be justly questioned whether they spoke truth; for though they might see some that exceeded in height men in common, yet it is not credible that all they saw were of such a size; since they were not only at Hebron and saw the giants there who were such, but they went through the land, as in the preceding clause, and all they met with cannot be supposed to be of such a measure.

JAMISON, "a land that eateth up the inhabitants — that is, an unhealthy climate and country. Jewish writers say that in the course of their travels they saw a great many funerals, vast numbers of the Canaanites being cut off at that time, in the providence of God, by a plague or the hornet (Jos_24:12).

men of a great stature — This was evidently a false and exaggerated report, representing, from timidity or malicious artifice, what was true of a few as descriptive of the people generally.K&D, "Thus they spread an evil report of the land among the Israelites, by

exaggerating the difficulties of the conquest in their unbelieving despair, and describing Canaan as a land which “ate up its inhabitants.” Their meaning certainly was not “that the wretched inhabitants were worn out by the laborious task of cultivating it, or that the land was pestilential on account of the inclemency of the weather, or that the cultivation of the land was difficult, and attended with many evils,” as Calvin maintains. Their only wish was to lay stress upon the difficulties and dangers connected with the conquest and maintenance of the land, on account of the tribes inhabiting and surrounding it: the land was an apple of discord, because of its fruitfulness and situation; and as the different nations strove for its possession, its inhabitants wasted away (Cler., Ros., O. v. Gerlach). The people, they added, are ת מד .men of measures,” i.e., of tall stature (cf“ ,אנשיIsa_45:14), “and there we saw the Nephilim, i.e., primeval tyrants (see at Gen_6:4), Anak's sons, giants of Nephilim, and we seemed to ourselves and to them as small as grasshoppers.”CALVIN, "32.But the men that went up with him said. We here see, as in a mirror, how impiety gradually gathers audaciousness in evil. At the outset, the authors of

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the rebellion were ambiguous in their expressions, and contented themselves with obscure insinuations; they now throw aside all shame, and openly and acrimoniously oppose the address of Caleb, which was certainly nothing less than casting discredit on God’s words, and setting at naught His power. God had promised to give the land to the Israelites; they deny that He will do so. He had afforded them many proofs that nothing is difficult to Him: they deny that His aid will suffice against the forces of their enemies. Moreover, they at length break out into such impudence, that in their falsehood they contradict themselves. They had confessed that the land was rich; they now declare that it consumes or devours its inhabitants, which is entirely the reverse. For this is equivalent to saying, that the wretched men, who cultivated it, wore themselves out with their assiduous labors; or, at ally rate, that it was pestilential from the inclemency of its climate; either of which statements was utterly false. The mode in which some understand it, viz., that the giants (52) in their violence committed indiscriminate slaughter, is without foundation; for this evil was by no means to be feared by the people, after the extermination of the inhabitants. I do not doubt, then, but that it means that the cultivation of the land was difficult, and full of much inconvenience.At the end of the last verse, where it is said, “as grasshoppers,” etc., I think the words are inverted, and ought to be thus connected; “As grasshoppers are despised in our eyes, so we were looked down upon by these giants on account of our lowness of stature.” COKE, "Numbers 13:32. And they brought up an evil report of the land— The evil report consisted of the particulars immediately following: they said, that it was a land which ate up the inhabitants thereof; an expression which cannot mean, as some have supposed, that the country was unfertile, and apt to eat up and consume its inhabitants by famine; for they had before confessed it to be a plentiful land, flowing with milk and honey. The two things, for which they seem desirous to bring an evil report upon the land, are, the number and strength of the inhabitants; and as their extraordinary strength and size are specified in the latter part of this verse, and in the 33rd, so I apprehend their number is expressed in the second clause, a land which eateth up the inhabitants thereof. "A land eating up, or rather meat for, its own inhabitants; that is, sufficient only for the food and support of the numerous and large inhabitants which throng it." A learned foreigner Mr. C. A. Heuman, paraphrases these difficult words thus: "The number of the inhabitants so great, that they eat up all the land in such a manner, that we shall have nothing to subsist upon; much less should we be able to drive them out; for they are giants." This appears the most rational interpretation; for if we are to understand the phrase of the land's eating up its inhabitants in that sense in which, doubtless, it is sometimes used in Scripture, (Leviticus 26:38. Ezekiel 36:13-14.) namely, of consuming its inhabitants; there seems no reason why the people should have been afraid to go up against the inhabitants of a land which itself destroyed them. But if it be said, that the evil report was brought upon the land itself, (and the reply of Caleb and Joshua in the next chapter, Numbers 13:7-8 is immediately levelled against such a calumny,) the reader then must understand the phrase as expressive of the badness and

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unhealthful nature of the country.REFLECTIONS.—After forty days waiting, the spies return; and they who had sent them in unbelief, and tempted God by their distrust, are now justly left to stumble at their own inventions; the men who were sent greatly disagree in report and sentiment, and, as is too commonly the case, the few faithful are rejected amidst the multitude of gain-sayers. Where the things of God are concerned, they who follow the multitude will infallibly err. (1.) The coward-heart magnifies every object and increases every difficulty. (2.) Unbelief says of our spiritual enemies as they did of the sons of Anak, they are too mighty for us. (3.) Caleb rises to contradict so false and dishonorable a representation, and to encourage the people immediately to go up and possess the land. He affirms that they are able; and well he might: 600,000 men with Moses at their head,—what need they fear; but this is the least of their strength; God is in the midst of them, his pillar leads the way, his power they have repeatedly experienced; miracles for their safety were common, and might be expected, when assurances of their victory had been so repeatedly given from God, and Canaan promised to be their possession. Note; (1.) Zeal for God dares every danger. (2.) Faith makes men confident of success. Though earth and hell, and all the powers of both, conspire against the believer, to obstruct his way to heaven, he goes on in the strength of the Lord and the power of his might, conquering and to conquer. BENSON, "Numbers 13:32. Eateth up its inhabitants — Not so much by civil wars, for that was likely to make their conquest more easy; but rather by the unwholesomeness of the air and place, which they guessed from the many funerals which, as some Hebrew writers, not without probability, affirm they observed in their travels through it; though that came to pass from another cause, even from the singular providence of God, which, to facilitate the Israelites’ conquest, cut off vast numbers of the Canaanites, either by a plague, or by the hornet sent before them, as is expressed Joshua 24:12. Le Clerc, indeed, explains this of their being liable to be destroyed, or eaten up, by the incursions of many neighbouring enemies, in which sense the same phrase is used Ezekiel 36:12. The Jews, however, take it to be meant of famine, by which the country was wont to consume its inhabitants, and which they suppose to have distressed it at that time.But the spies had before acknowledged it to be a plentiful land, a land flowing with milk and honey. Many, therefore, understand the expression as denoting the number of the inhabitants, and would translate the original words, The land is meat for its inhabitants; that is, the inhabitants devour and eat up all the produce of the land.

PETT, "Numbers 13:32-33‘And they 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

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land that eats up its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are men of great stature. And there we saw the Nephilim, the sons of Anak, who come of the Nephilim, and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.” ’The result was that their report was totally discouraging. Indeed it was falsified. They gave an ‘evil report’ about the land. They said that it was a land which ‘ate up its inhabitants’. That signified that living conditions were difficult, and a living hard to come by (see Leviticus 26:38; Ezekiel 36:13). They were arguing that it was not a good land to live in. They were deliberately putting the people off. This contradicted their previous comment about its fruitfulness. Different spies would, of course, have seen different terrain, but whether they saw fruit or whether they saw barrenness would depend on what they looked at.The truth was that they were put off because they were awed as a result of the height of some of the inhabitants. Those, they said, were men of great stature, and they included the dreaded Anakim, who it was rumoured were some of the Nephilim. The latter name referred to the superstitions of the time. The Nephilim were thought of as god-like men who had lived in the time of the ancients, as referred to in Genesis 6:4. Anyone of unusual size could expect to be linked with the Nephilim. This was enough to frighten everyone. So while on the one hand Caleb looked at Yahweh, the Almighty, the other scouts, and the people looked at the Nephilim. Whom we look at very often determines what we are and what we do.Note the deliberate exaggeration which could only produce fear. ‘Compared with them we saw ourselves as grasshoppers, tiny and insignificant, and they looked on us as the same, to be dismissed or trodden on at will.’ What hope could there be against such people? In fact as Deuteronomy points out such people had been defeated by both the Moabites (Deuteronomy 2:10) and the Ammonites (Deuteronomy 2:20-21), and could be by the Israelites. The gross exaggeration both as regards the goodness of the land and as regards its inhabitants came from craven fear. If the leaders were not able to have trust in Yahweh, what hope was there for their people?

PULPIT, "Numbers 13:32A land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof. This cannot mean that the people died of starvation, pestilence, or other natural causes, which would have been contrary to facts and to their own report. It must mean that the population was continually changing through internecine wars, and the incursions of fresh tribes from the surrounding wastes. The history of Palestine from first to last testifies to the constant presence of this d anger. The remarkable variation in the lists of tribes inhabiting Canaan may be thus accounted for. All the people … are men of great stature, אגשי מדות "men of measures. " Septuagint, ἄνδρες ὑπερμήκεις. The "all" is an exaggeration very natural to men who had to justify the counsels of cowardice.

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WHEDON, "Verse 3232. A land that eateth up the inhabitants — This cannot mean that the land was sterile and the inhabitants dying of famine. It may refer to some pestilence whose ravages were noted by the spies. Calvin “thinks that the wretched inhabitants were worn out by the laborious task of cultivating it.” But it is more reasonable to suppose that from the central position of Canaan among the powerful Oriental empires it was an apple of discord, and that the people were constantly embroiled in wasting wars to maintain their independence. Hence Israel would be decimated in conquering it, and diminished, or eaten up, in defending it. See Ezekiel 36:13-15, for a confirmation of this exegesis. “It is remarkable how rapidly unbelief grows when it has once found expression. At first it was only a suggestion.Numbers 13:28-29. Then, when Caleb had tried to still the fears to which it had given rise, it became an assertion. Numbers 13:31. Lastly, it assumed the form of ‘an evil report of the land’ itself, as of one ‘that eateth up the inhabitants thereof,’ (Numbers 13:32,) — where the people are consumed by pestilence or exterminated by constant warfare of fierce races, against whom it were hopeless to attempt contending. That, if such were the views and feelings of the great majority of their best and most trusted men, the people should have risen in rebellion, need not, perhaps, surprise us. But it indicated how thoroughly unprepared Israel was for the possession of the land. Viewed from the human stand-point, the history of the Bible is one of constant disappointments.” — Dr. Edersheim.Men of a great stature — Hebrew, men of measures; that is, of tall stature. See the dimensions of King Og’s bedstead, Deuteronomy 3:11.

33 We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”

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CLARKE, "There we saw the giants - nephilim. It is evident that they נפליםhad seen a robust, sturdy, warlike race of men, and of great stature; for the asserted fact is not denied by Joshua or Caleb.

Tales of gigantic men are frequent in all countries, but they are generally of such as have lived in times very remote from those in which such tales are told. That there have been giants at different times, in various parts of the earth, there can be no doubt; but that there ever was a nation of men twelve and fourteen feet high, we cannot, should not believe. Goliath appears to have been at least nine feet high: this was very extraordinary. I knew three young men in my own neighborhood, two of them brothers, each of whom was upwards of seven feet, the third was eight feet six inches, and these men were very well proportioned. Others I have seen of extraordinary stature, but they were generally disproportioned, especially in their limbs. These instances serve to prove the possibility of cases of this nature. The Anakim might appear to the Israelites as a very tall, robust nation; and in comparison of the latter it is very probable that they were so, as it is very likely that the growth of the Israelites had been greatly cramped with their long and severe servitude in Egypt. And this may in some measure account for their alarm. On this subject the reader is desired to turn back to the note on Gen_6:4 (note).Canaan was a type of the kingdom of God; the wilderness through which the Israelites passed, of the difficulties and trials to be met with in the present world. The promise of the kingdom of God is given to every believer; but how many are discouraged by the difficulties in the way! A slothful heart sees dangers, lions, and giants, every where; and therefore refuses to proceed in the heavenly path. Many of the spies contribute to this by the bad reports they bring of the heavenly country. Certain preachers allow “that the land is good, that it flows with milk and honey,” and go so far as to show some of its fruits; but they discourage the people by stating the impossibility of overcoming their enemies. “Sin,” say they, “cannot be destroyed in this life - it will always dwell in you - the Anakim cannot be conquered - we are but as grasshoppers against the Anakim,” etc., etc. Here and there a Joshua and a Caleb, trusting alone in the power of God, armed with faith in the infinite efficacy of that blood which cleanses from all unrighteousness, boldly stand forth and say: “Their defense is departed from them, and the Lord is with us; let us go up at once and possess the land, for we are well able to overcome.” We can do all things through Christ strengthening us: he will purify us unto himself, and give us that rest from sin here which his death has procured and his word has promised. Reader, canst thou not take God at his word? He has never yet failed thee. Surely then thou hast no reason to doubt. Thou hast never yet tried him to the uttermost. Thou knowest not how far and how fully he can save. Do not be dispirited: the sons of Anak shall fall before thee, if thou meet them in the name of the Lord of Hosts.

GILL, "And there we saw the giants,.... Not throughout the land, and yet it is so expressed, and in such connection with what goes before, that it might be

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so understood, and as they might choose it should; that as there were men everywhere of an uncommon size, and were generally so, there were some larger than they in all places, of a prodigious size, of a gigantic stature; and yet this was only in Hebron where they saw them: the sons of Anak; whose names are given, Num_13:22; and there were but three of them: which came of the giants; they, were of the race of giants; for not only Anak their father, but Arba their grandfather was one; Jos_14:15, and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers; little diminutive creatures in comparison of them; an hyperbolical exaggeration of the greatness of the giants, and of their own littleness: and so we were in their sight; but this they could not be so certain of, and could only make conjectures by their neglect or supercilious treatment of them. Jarchi makes them to speak of them more diminutively still, as that they heard those giants saying one to another,"there are ants in the vineyards like men.''

JAMISON, "there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak — The name is derived from the son of Arba, a great man among the Arabians (Jos_15:14), who probably obtained his appellation from wearing a splendid collar or chain round his neck, as the word imports. The epithet “giant” evidently refers here to stature. (See on Gen_6:4). And it is probable the Anakims were a distinguished family, or perhaps a select body of warriors, chosen for their extraordinary size.

we were in our own sight as grasshoppers — a strong Orientalism, by which the treacherous spies gave an exaggerated report of the physical strength of the people of Canaan.BENSON, "Numbers 13:33. We were in our own sight as grasshoppers — Thus their fear magnified these sons of Anak above measure, so that in comparison of them they thought themselves as weak and contemptible as insignificant insects. And so we were in their sight — An hyperbole, signifying that the Anakims looked down upon them with the utmost contempt.

PULPIT, "Numbers 13:33The giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants, את־הנפילים בני ענק מן־הנפלים. The Nephilim, Beni-Anak, of the Nephilim. The Septuagint has only τοὺς γίγαντας. The Nephilim are, without doubt, the primaeval tyrants mentioned under that name in Genesis 6:4. The renown of these sons of violence had come down from those dim ages, and the exaggerated fears of the spies saw them revived in the gigantic forms of the Beni-Anak. There is no certainty that the Nephilim had been giants, and no

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likelihood whatever that the Beni-Anak had any real connection with them. As grasshoppers. We have no means of judging of the actual size of these men, unless the height assigned to Goliath (six cubits and a span) be allowed to them. Probably men of this stature were quite exceptional even among the Anakim. The report of the spies was thoroughly false in effect, although founded on isolated facts.WHEDON, "Verse 3333. The giants — Hebrew and R.V. Nephilim, like the antediluvian tyrants who corrupted the earth. Genesis 6:4, note. The application of the term Nephilim to a race of antediluvians does not prove that the giants found by the spies were the lineal descendants of these, nor does it justify the extraordinary hypothesis of the “higher criticism,” that the writer of Genesis 6:4, knew nothing of a flood in which all mankind except one family were destroyed. A resemblance in stature is all that is requisite.Sons of Anak — See Numbers 13:22, note.As grasshoppers — An Oriental exaggeration of the disparity of stature between the Hebrews and some of the Canaanites. The fears of the unbelieving spies magnified their foes. Probably the average stature of the Israelites did not fall much below that of the Canaanites.In our own sight… in their sight — The contempt of their enemies is consequent upon their own cowardly self-depreciation. They who do not respect themselves will fail to gain the respect of others. “The man who counts himself as a grasshopper when he is set to represent a great cause is apt to be counted as a grasshopper by those who oppose him. Peculiarly is this the truth with one of God’s representatives. He who realizes that he stands for One into whose hands all power in heaven and earth is given need have no fear of giants or of the sons of giants. His sufficiency is of God; and in this sufficiency he can move forward unflinching-ly, until the giants who oppose him find themselves as grasshoppers in the path of his progress.” — H. Clay Trumbull.

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