Numbers 13:16-14:10

New English Translation

¹⁶These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to investigate the land. And Moses gave Hoshea son of Nun the name Joshua.^[a]

The Spies’ Instructions

¹⁷When Moses sent^[b] them to investigate the land of Canaan, he told them, “Go up through the Negev,^[c] and then go up into the hill country ¹⁸and see^[d] what the land is like,^[e] and whether the people who live in it are strong or weak, few or many, ¹⁹and whether the land they live in is good or bad, and whether the cities they inhabit are like camps or fortified cities, ²⁰and whether the land is rich or poor, and whether or not there are forests in it. And be brave,^[f] and bring back some of the fruit of the land.” Now it was the time of year^[g] for the first ripe grapes.^[h]

The Spies’ Activities

²¹So they went up and investigated the land from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob,^[i] at Lebo Hamath. ²²When they went up through the Negev, they^[j] came^[k] to Hebron where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai,^[l] descendants of Anak, were living. (Now Hebron had been built seven years before Zoan^[m] in Egypt.) ²³When they came to the valley of Eshcol, they cut down from there a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they carried it on a staff^[n] between two men, as well as some of the pomegranates and the figs. ²⁴That place was called^[o] the Eshcol Valley,^[p] because of the cluster^[q] of grapes that the Israelites cut from there. ²⁵They returned from investigating the land after forty days.

The Spies’ Reports

²⁶They came back^[r] to Moses and Aaron and to the whole community of the Israelites in the wilderness of Paran at Kadesh.^[s] They reported^[t] to the whole community and showed the fruit of the land. ²⁷They told Moses,^[u] “We went to the land where you sent us.^[v] It is indeed flowing with milk and honey,^[w] and this is its fruit. ²⁸But^[x] the inhabitants^[y] are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. Moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there. ²⁹The Amalekites live in the land of the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live by the sea and along the banks^[z] of the Jordan.”^[aa]

³⁰Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses, saying, “Let us go up^[ab] and occupy it,^[ac] for we are well able to conquer it.”^[ad] ³¹But the men^[ae] who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against these people, because they are stronger than we are!” ³²Then they presented the Israelites with a discouraging report^[af] of the land they had investigated, saying, “The land that we passed through^[ag] to investigate is a land that devours^[ah] its inhabitants.^[ai] All the people we saw there^[aj] are of great stature. ³³We even saw the Nephilim^[ak] there (the descendants of Anak came from the Nephilim), and we seemed like grasshoppers both to ourselves^[al] and to them.”^[am]

The Israelites Respond in Unbelief

14 ^[an] Then all the community raised a loud cry,^[ao] and the people wept^[ap] that night. ²And all the Israelites murmured^[aq] against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died^[ar] in the land of Egypt, or if only we had perished^[as] in this wilderness! ³Why has the Lord brought us into this land only to be killed by the sword, that our wives and our children should become plunder? Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?” ⁴So they said to one another,^[at] “Let’s appoint^[au] a leader^[av] and return^[aw] to Egypt.”

⁵Then Moses and Aaron fell down with their faces to the ground^[ax] before the whole assembled community^[ay] of the Israelites. ⁶And Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, two of those who had investigated the land, tore their garments. ⁷They said to the whole community of the Israelites, “The land we passed through to investigate is an exceedingly^[az] good land. ⁸If the Lord delights in us, then he will bring us into this land and give it to us—a land that is flowing with milk and honey.^[ba] ⁹Only do not rebel against the Lord, and do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us.^[bb] Their protection^[bc] has turned aside from them, but the Lord is with us. Do not fear them!”

¹⁰However, the whole community threatened to stone them.^[bd] But^[be] the glory^[bf] of the Lord appeared to all the Israelites at the tent^[bg] of meeting.

Footnotes

Numbers 13:16 sn The difference in the names is slight, a change from “he saves” to “the Lord saves.” The Greek text of the OT used Iesoun for Hebrew Yeshua.
Numbers 13:17 tn The preterite with vav (ו) consecutive is here subordinated to the next verb of the same formation to express a temporal clause.
Numbers 13:17 tn The instructions had them first go up into the southern desert of the land, and after passing through that, into the hill country of the Canaanites. The text could be rendered “into the Negev” as well as “through the Negev.”
Numbers 13:18 tn The form is the perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive; the word therefore carries the volitional mood of the preceding imperatives. It may be either another imperative, or it may be subordinated as a purpose clause.
Numbers 13:18 tn Heb “see the land, what it is.”
Numbers 13:20 tn The verb is the Hitpael perfect with vav (ו) consecutive, from the root חָזַק (khazaq, “to be strong”). Here it could mean “strengthen yourselves” or “be courageous” or “determined.” See further uses in 2 Sam 10:12; 1 Kgs 20:22; 1 Chr 19:13.
Numbers 13:20 tn Heb “Now the days were the days of.”
Numbers 13:20 sn The reference to the first ripe grapes would put the time somewhere at the end of July.
Numbers 13:21 sn Zin is on the southern edge of the land, but Rehob is far north, near Mount Hermon. The spies covered all the land.
Numbers 13:22 tc The MT has the singular, but the ancient versions and Smr have the plural.
Numbers 13:22 tn The preterite with vav (ו) consecutive is here subordinated to the following clause. The first verse gave the account of their journey over the whole land; this section focuses on what happened in the area of Hebron, which would be the basis for the false report.
Numbers 13:22 sn These names are thought to be three clans that were in the Hebron area (see Josh 15:14; Judg 1:20). To call them descendants of Anak is usually taken to mean that they were large or tall people (2 Sam 21:18-22). They were ultimately driven out by Caleb.
Numbers 13:22 sn The text now provides a brief historical aside for the readers. Zoan was probably the city of Tanis, although that is disputed today by some scholars. It was known in Egypt in the New Kingdom as “the fields of Tanis,” which corresponded to the “fields of Zoar” in the Hebrew Bible (Ps 78:12, 43).
Numbers 13:23 tn The word is related etymologically to the verb for “slip, slide, bend, totter.” This would fit the use very well. A pole that would not bend would be hard to use to carry things, but a pole or stave that was flexible would serve well.
Numbers 13:24 tn The verb is rendered as a passive because there is no expressed subject.
Numbers 13:24 tn Or “Wadi Eshcol.” The translation “brook” is too generous; the Hebrew term refers to a river bed, a ravine or valley through which torrents of rain would rush in the rainy season; at other times it might be completely dry.
Numbers 13:24 tn The word “Eshcol” is drawn from the Hebrew expression concerning the “cluster of grapes.” The word is probably retained in the name Burj Haskeh, two miles north of Damascus.
Numbers 13:26 tn The construction literally has “and they went and they entered,” which may be smoothed out as a verbal hendiadys, the one verb modifying the other.
Numbers 13:26 sn Kadesh is Ain Qadeis, about 50 miles (83 km) south of Beer Sheba. It is called Kadesh Barnea in Num 32:8.
Numbers 13:26 tn Heb “They brought back word”; the verb is the Hiphil preterite of שׁוּב (shuv).
Numbers 13:27 tn Heb “told him and said.” The referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Numbers 13:27 tn The relative clause modifies “the land.” It is constructed with the relative and the verb: “where you sent us.”
Numbers 13:27 sn This is the common expression for the material abundance of the land (see further, F. C. Fensham, “An Ancient Tradition of the Fertility of Palestine,” PEQ 98 [1966]: 166-67).
Numbers 13:28 tn The word (אֶפֶס, ʾefes) forms a very strong adversative. The land was indeed rich and fruitful, but….”
Numbers 13:28 tn Heb “the people who are living in the land.”
Numbers 13:29 tn Heb “by the side [hand] of.”
Numbers 13:29 sn For more discussion on these people groups, see D. J. Wiseman, ed., Peoples of Old Testament Times.
Numbers 13:30 tn The construction is emphatic, using the cohortative with the infinitive absolute to strengthen it: עָלֹה נַעֲלֶה (ʿaloh naʿaleh, “let us go up”) with the sense of certainty and immediacy.
Numbers 13:30 tn The perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive brings the cohortative idea forward: “and let us possess it”; it may also be subordinated to form a purpose or result idea.
Numbers 13:30 tn Here again the confidence of Caleb is expressed with the infinitive absolute and the imperfect tense: יָכוֹל נוּכַל (yakhol nukhal), “we are fully able” to do this. The verb יָכַל (yakhal) followed by the preposition lamed means “to prevail over, to conquer.”
Numbers 13:31 tn The vav (ו) disjunctive on the noun at the beginning of the clause forms a strong adversative clause here.
Numbers 13:32 tn Or “an evil report,” i.e., one that was a defamation of the grace of God.
Numbers 13:32 tn Heb “which we passed over in it”; the pronoun on the preposition serves as a resumptive pronoun for the relative, and need not be translated literally.
Numbers 13:32 tn The verb is the feminine singular participle from אָכַל (ʾakhal); it modifies the land as a “devouring land,” a bold figure for the difficulty of living in the place.
Numbers 13:32 sn The expression has been interpreted in a number of ways by commentators, such as that the land was infertile, that the Canaanites were cannibals, that it was a land filled with warlike dissensions, or that it denotes a land geared for battle. It may be that they intended the land to seem infertile and insecure.
Numbers 13:32 tn Heb “in its midst.”
Numbers 13:33 tc The Greek version uses γίγαντας (gigantas, “giants”) to translate “the Nephilim,” but it does not retain the clause “the sons of Anak are from the Nephilim.”sn The Nephilim are the legendary giants of antiquity. They are first discussed in Gen 6:4. This forms part of the pessimism of the spies’ report.
Numbers 13:33 tn Heb “in our eyes.”
Numbers 13:33 tn Heb “in their eyes.”
Numbers 14:1 sn This chapter forms part of the story already begun. There are three major sections here: dissatisfaction with the reports (vv. 1-10), the threat of divine punishment (vv. 11-38), and the defeat of the Israelites (vv. 39-45). See K. D. Sakenfeld, “The Problem of Divine Forgiveness in Num 14, ” CBQ 37 (1975): 317-30; also J. R. Bartlett, “The Use of the Word רֹאשׁ as a Title in the Old Testament,” VT 19 (1969): 1-10.
Numbers 14:1 tn The two verbs “lifted up their voice and cried” form a hendiadys; the idiom of raising the voice means that they cried aloud.
Numbers 14:1 tn There are a number of things that the verb “to weep” or “wail” can connote. It could reflect joy, grief, lamentation, or repentance, but here it reflects fear, hopelessness, or vexation at the thought of coming all this way and being defeated by the Canaanite armies. See Judg 20:23, 26.
Numbers 14:2 tn The Hebrew verb “to murmur” is לוּן (lun). It is a strong word, signifying far more than complaining or grumbling, as some of the modern translations have it. The word is most often connected to the wilderness experience. It is paralleled in the literature with the word “to rebel.” The murmuring is like a parliamentary vote of no confidence, for they no longer trusted their leaders and wished to choose a new leader and return. This “return to Egypt” becomes a symbol of their lack of faith in the Lord.
Numbers 14:2 tn The optative is expressed by לוּ (lu) and then the verb, here the perfect tense מַתְנוּ (matnu)—“O that we had died….” Had they wanted to die in Egypt they should not have cried out to the Lord to deliver them from bondage. Here the people became consumed with the fear and worry of what lay ahead, and in their panic they revealed a lack of trust in God.
Numbers 14:2 tn Heb “died.”
Numbers 14:4 tn Heb “a man to his brother.”
Numbers 14:4 tn The verb is נָתַן (natan, “to give”), but this verb has quite a wide range of meanings in the Bible. Here it must mean “to make,” “to choose,” “to designate” or the like.
Numbers 14:4 tn The word “head” (רֹאשׁ, roʾsh) probably refers to a tribal chief who was capable to judge and to lead to war (see J. R. Bartlett, “The Use of the Word רֹאשׁ as a Title in the Old Testament,” VT 19 [1969]: 1-10).
Numbers 14:4 tn The form is a cohortative with a vav (ו) prefixed. After the preceding cohortative this could also be interpreted as a purpose or result clause—in order that we may return.
Numbers 14:5 sn This action of Moses and Aaron is typical of them in the wilderness with the Israelites. The act shows self-abasement and deference before the sovereign Lord. They are not bowing before the people here, but in front of the people they bow before God. According to Num 16:41-50 this prostration is for the purpose of intercessory prayer. Here it prevents immediate wrath from God.
Numbers 14:5 tn Heb “before all the assembly of the congregation.”
Numbers 14:7 tn The repetition of the adverb מְאֹד (m^eʾod) is used to express this: “very, very [good].”
Numbers 14:8 tn The subjective genitives “milk and honey” are symbols of the wealth of the land, second only to bread. Milk was a sign of such abundance (Gen 49:12; Isa 7:21, 22). Because of the climate the milk would thicken quickly and become curds, eaten with bread or turned into butter. The honey mentioned here is the wild honey (see Deut 32:13; Judg 14:8-9). It signified sweetness, or the finer things of life (Ezek 3:3).
Numbers 14:9 sn The expression must indicate that they could destroy the enemies as easily as they could eat bread.
Numbers 14:9 tn Heb “their shade.” The figure compares the shade from the sun with the protection from the enemy. It is also possible that the text is alluding to their deities here.
Numbers 14:10 tn Heb “said to stone them with stones.” The verb and the object are not from the same root, but the combination nonetheless forms an emphasis equal to the cognate accusative.
Numbers 14:10 tn The vav (ו) on the noun “glory” indicates a strong contrast, one that interrupts their threatened attack.
Numbers 14:10 sn The glory of the Lord refers to the reality of the Lord’s presence in a manifestation of his power and splendor. It showed to all that God was a living God. The appearance of the glory indicated blessing for the obedient, but disaster for the disobedient.
Numbers 14:10 tc The Greek, Syriac, and Tg. Ps.-J. have “in the cloud over the tent.”