Numbers 13:17-20

Numbers 13:17-20

[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. 

What does Numbers 13:17-20 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The Negev (lit. south) was the arid area of land to the south of Canaan that formed a transition between the desert to the south and the cultivated fields of Canaan to the north. Rainfall averages8-12inches per year in the Negev making it semi-arid. The hill country ( Numbers 13:17) refers to the more mountainous sections of Canaan generally here. Later Moses used the term more specifically of part of the territory God gave the tribes of Ephraim and Judah. The time of first-ripe grapes ( Numbers 13:20) would have been late July or early August.