Numbers 13:1-25

Numbers 13:1-25

[1] And the LORD  spake  unto Moses,  saying,  [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. [3] And Moses  by the commandment  of the LORD  sent  them from the wilderness  of Paran:  were  heads  of the children  of Israel.  [4] And these were their names:  of the tribe  of Reuben,  Shammua  the son  of Zaccur.  [5] Of the tribe  of Simeon,  Shaphat  the son  of Hori.  [6] Of the tribe  of Judah,  Caleb  the son  of Jephunneh.  [7] Of the tribe  of Issachar,  Igal  the son  of Joseph.  [8] Of the tribe  of Ephraim,  Oshea  the son  of Nun.  [9] Of the tribe  of Benjamin,  Palti  the son  of Raphu.  [10] Of the tribe  of Zebulun,  Gaddiel  the son  of Sodi.  [11] Of the tribe  of Joseph,  namely, of the tribe  of Manasseh,  Gaddi  the son  of Susi.  [12] Of the tribe  of Dan,  Ammiel  the son  of Gemalli.  [13] Of the tribe  of Asher,  Sethur  the son  of Michael.  [14] Of the tribe  of Naphtali,  Nahbi  the son  of Vophsi.  [15] Of the tribe  of Gad,  Geuel  the son  of Machi.  [16] These are the names  which Moses  sent  to spy out  the land.  And Moses  called  Oshea  the son  of Nun  Jehoshua.  [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:  [18] And see  the land,  what it is; and the people  that dwelleth  therein, whether they be strong  or weak,  few  or many;  [19] And what the land  is that they dwell in,  whether it be good  or bad;  and what cities  they be that they dwell  in,  whether in tents,  or in strong holds;  [20] And what the land  is, whether it be fat  or lean,  whether there be  wood  therein, or not. And be ye of good courage,  and bring  of the fruit  of the land.  Now the time  of the firstripe  grapes.  [21] So they went up,  and searched  the land  from the wilderness  of Zin  unto Rehob,  as men come  to Hamath.  [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.)  [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.  [24] The place  was called  the brook  Eshcol,  because of  the cluster of grapes  which the children  of Israel  cut down  [25] And they returned  from searching  of the land  after  forty  days. 

What does Numbers 13:1-25 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

When the people arrived at Kadesh the Lord told them to go up and take possession of the land He had promised them ( Deuteronomy 1:19-21). Kadesh stood in the Desert of Zin, which was a section of the great Paran wilderness. The people asked Moses if they could send spies ahead of them. They did Song of Solomon , "that they may search out the land for us, and bring back to us word of the way by which we should go up, and the cities which we shall enter" ( Deuteronomy 1:22). Moses allowed this ( Deuteronomy 1:23) with God"s permission ( Numbers 13:2). Clearly the Israelites were not rebelling against God by sending the spies, but neither were they stepping forward in bold obedience with strong confidence in God, as they should have done. Why did God not lead Moses to record here ( Numbers 13:1-3) the fact that the sending of the spies was the people"s idea ( Deuteronomy 1:22)? The reason may be that this was not the sin that resulted in God"s postponement of their entrance into Canaan. Their reaction to the spies" report caused that result. The mission of the spies had some genuine value to the Israelites ( Numbers 13:18-20), but it also opened the possibility of fear and failure to obey God.