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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width; initial-scale=1.0;"/><title>Numbers 13 Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/commentaries/expositors/numbers/13.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/5001com.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 4800px), only screen and (max-device-width: 4800px)" href="/4801.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 1550px), only screen and (max-device-width: 1550px)" href="/1551.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 1250px), only screen and (max-device-width: 1250px)" href="/1251.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 1050px), only screen and (max-device-width: 1050px)" href="/1051.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 900px), only screen and (max-device-width: 900px)" href="/901.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 800px), only screen and (max-device-width: 800px)" href="/801.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 575px), only screen and (max-device-width: 575px)" href="/501.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-height: 450px), only screen and (max-device-height: 450px)" href="/h451.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader-revcatch.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script><script>(function(w,d,b,s,i){var cts=d.createElement(s);cts.async=true;cts.id='catchscript'; 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It is there said that the saying pleased Moses well; but it would be wholly inconsistent with the character and conduct of Moses to suppose that in a matter of such importance he should have acted in a accordance with the suggestion of the people, or upon his own judgment, without seeking direction from God. The command which was given to Moses must not be regarded as implying of necessity that the expedition of the spies was, in the first instance, ordained by God, any more than the command which was afterwards given to Balaam to accompany the messengers of Balak was any indication that God originally commanded, or approved of his journey.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/numbers/13-2.htm">Numbers 13:2</a></div><div class="verse">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.</div>(2) <span class= "bld">Every one a ruler among them.—</span>Or, <span class= "ital">a prince among them, </span>as in <a href="/numbers/1-16.htm" title="These were the renowned of the congregation, princes of the tribes of their fathers, heads of thousands in Israel.">Numbers 1:16</a>. A comparison of the names which follow with those which are given in <a href="/context/numbers/1-5.htm" title="And these are the names of the men that shall stand with you: of the tribe of Reuben; Elizur the son of Shedeur.">Numbers 1:5-15</a> will show that the persons selected were not the tribal princes who are mentioned in connection with the census. The tribe of Levi, as in the former case, is not represented, as the Levites were to have no inheritance in the land, and the number of twelve, as in Numbers 1, is. made up by the division of the tribe of Joseph into the two tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/numbers/13-3.htm">Numbers 13:3</a></div><div class="verse">And Moses by the commandment of the LORD sent them from the wilderness of Paran: all those men <i>were</i> heads of the children of Israel.</div>(3) <span class= "bld">And Moses, by the commandment of the Lord, sent them, &c.—</span>Better, <span class= "ital">And Moses sent them, from the wilderness of Paran, according to the command </span>(literally, the mouth) <span class= "ital">of the Lord, i.e., </span>as appears from <a href="/deuteronomy/1-19.htm" title="And when we departed from Horeb, we went through all that great and terrible wilderness, which you saw by the way of the mountain of the Amorites, as the LORD our God commanded us; and we came to Kadeshbarnea.">Deuteronomy 1:19</a>. from Kadesh-barnea.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/numbers/13-6.htm">Numbers 13:6</a></div><div class="verse">Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh.</div>(6) <span class= "bld">Caleb the son of Jephunneh.—</span>In three places—viz., in <a href="/numbers/32-12.htm" title="Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite, and Joshua the son of Nun: for they have wholly followed the LORD.">Numbers 32:12</a>; and in <a href="/joshua/14-6.htm" title="Then the children of Judah came to Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said to him, You know the thing that the LORD said to Moses the man of God concerning me and you in Kadeshbarnea.">Joshua 14:6</a>; <a href="/joshua/14-14.htm" title="Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite to this day, because that he wholly followed the LORD God of Israel.">Joshua 14:14</a>—Caleb is described as the Kenezite (or rather, the Kenizzite). Now in <a href="/genesis/15-19.htm" title="The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,">Genesis 15:19</a> the Kenizzites are mentioned as one of the Canaanite tribes, and in <a href="/genesis/36-11.htm" title="And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, and Gatam, and Kenaz.">Genesis 36:11</a>; <a href="/genesis/36-15.htm" title="These were dukes of the sons of Esau: the sons of Eliphaz the firstborn son of Esau; duke Teman, duke Omar, duke Zepho, duke Kenaz,">Genesis 36:15</a>, Kenaz occurs as an Edomite name. It has been conjectured from these facts, but, as it should seem, on insufficient grounds, that Caleb was of foreign origin, and that he had been incorporated into the tribe of Judah.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/numbers/13-8.htm">Numbers 13:8</a></div><div class="verse">Of the tribe of Ephraim, Oshea the son of Nun.</div>(8) <span class= "bld">Of the tribe of Ephraim.—</span>It has been supposed that there is some displacement of the text in this verse. Thus far the order of the tribes is the same as in <a href="/context/numbers/1-5.htm" title="And these are the names of the men that shall stand with you: of the tribe of Reuben; Elizur the son of Shedeur.">Numbers 1:5-8</a>. After Issachar, Zebulun (the sixth son of Leah) would naturally follow, as in <a href="/numbers/1-9.htm" title="Of Zebulun; Eliab the son of Helon.">Numbers 1:9</a>, and Ephraim and Manasseh would naturally be connected, as in <a href="/numbers/1-10.htm" title="Of the children of Joseph: of Ephraim; Elishama the son of Ammihud: of Manasseh; Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.">Numbers 1:10</a>. This supposition is supported by the occurrence of the name of Joseph in <a href="/numbers/13-7.htm" title="Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph.">Numbers 13:7</a>; <a href="/numbers/13-11.htm" title="Of the tribe of Joseph, namely, of the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi.">Numbers 13:11</a>. The order of the remaining four tribes is the same as in Numbers 1, except that the tribe of Naphtali is placed before, instead of after, that of Gad.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/numbers/13-16.htm">Numbers 13:16</a></div><div class="verse">These <i>are</i> the names of the men which Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Oshea the son of Nun Jehoshua.</div>(16) <span class= "bld">And Moses called Oshea . . . —</span>It is not distinctly stated that the change of name took place at this time. It may have taken place at an earlier period, and have been confirmed on the present occasion, as in the case of <span class= "ital">Israel </span>(<a href="/genesis/32-28.htm" title="And he said, Your name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince have you power with God and with men, and have prevailed.">Genesis 32:28</a>; <a href="/genesis/35-10.htm" title="And God said to him, Your name is Jacob: your name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be your name: and he called his name Israel.">Genesis 35:10</a>), and of <span class= "ital">Bethel </span>(<a href="/genesis/28-19.htm" title="And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first.">Genesis 28:19</a>; <a href="/genesis/35-15.htm" title="And Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke with him, Bethel.">Genesis 35:15</a>). On the other hand, it is quite possible that the name may have been proleptically adopted in <a href="/exodus/17-9.htm" title="And Moses said to Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.">Exodus 17:9</a>; <a href="/exodus/17-13.htm" title="And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.">Exodus 17:13</a>; <a href="/exodus/24-13.htm" title="And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God.">Exodus 24:13</a>; <a href="/exodus/32-17.htm" title="And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp.">Exodus 32:17</a>; <a href="/exodus/33-11.htm" title="And the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.">Exodus 33:11</a>, and <a href="/numbers/11-28.htm" title="And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them.">Numbers 11:28</a>. The original name <span class= "ital">Hoshea </span>means <span class= "ital">help, </span>or <span class= "ital">salvation. </span>The name <span class= "ital">Joshua, </span>or <span class= "ital">Jehoshua, </span>means <span class= "ital">Jehovah is help, </span>or <span class= "ital">salvation.</span><p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/numbers/13-17.htm">Numbers 13:17</a></div><div class="verse">And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this <i>way</i> southward, and go up into the mountain:</div>(17) <span class= "bld">Get you up this way southward.—</span>Rather, <span class= "ital">by the Negeb, </span>or <span class= "ital">south country </span>(comp. <a href="/numbers/13-22.htm" title="And they ascended by the south, and came to Hebron; where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)">Numbers 13:22</a>). The southern part of Palestine was known by the name of <span class= "ital">the Negeb. </span>It formed the transition from the desert to the more highly cultivated land, and was more fitted for grazing than for agricultural purposes. (See Wilton’s <span class= "ital">The Negeb</span>.)<p><span class= "bld">Into the mountain.—</span>The word which is here used commonly denotes the hill country, <span class= "ital">i.e., </span>the mountainous part of Palestine, which was inhabited by the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites. It is called “the mount of the Amorites” in <a href="/deuteronomy/1-7.htm" title="Turn you, and take your journey, and go to the mount of the Amorites, and to all the places near thereunto, in the plain, in the hills, and in the vale, and in the south, and by the sea side, to the land of the Canaanites, and to Lebanon, to the great river, the river Euphrates.">Deuteronomy 1:7</a>, inasmuch as the Amorites were the strongest of the Canaanite tribes. The same word is rendered “the mountains” in <a href="/numbers/13-29.htm" title="The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.">Numbers 13:29</a>. The reference here, however, may be to the particular mountain which was nearest to the encampment of the Israelites (see <a href="/numbers/14-40.htm" title="And they rose up early in the morning, and got them up into the top of the mountain, saying, See, we be here, and will go up to the place which the LORD has promised: for we have sinned.">Numbers 14:40</a>).<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/numbers/13-18.htm">Numbers 13:18</a></div><div class="verse">And see the land, what it <i>is</i>; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they <i>be</i> strong or weak, few or many;</div>(18) <span class= "bld">And see the land.—</span>Or, <span class= "ital">inspect the land. </span>The same word is used of the inspection of the leper by the priest in <a href="/leviticus/13-3.htm" title="And the priest shall look on the plague in the skin of the flesh: and when the hair in the plague is turned white, and the plague in sight be deeper than the skin of his flesh, it is a plague of leprosy: and the priest shall look on him, and pronounce him unclean.">Leviticus 13:3</a>; <a href="/context/leviticus/13-5.htm" title="And the priest shall look on him the seventh day: and, behold, if the plague in his sight be at a stay, and the plague spread not in the skin; then the priest shall shut him up seven days more:">Leviticus 13:5-6</a>; <a href="/leviticus/13-10.htm" title="And the priest shall see him: and, behold, if the rising be white in the skin, and it have turned the hair white, and there be quick raw flesh in the rising;">Leviticus 13:10</a>; <a href="/leviticus/13-13.htm" title="Then the priest shall consider: and, behold, if the leprosy have covered all his flesh, he shall pronounce him clean that has the plague: it is all turned white: he is clean.">Leviticus 13:13</a>, &c.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/numbers/13-19.htm">Numbers 13:19</a></div><div class="verse">And what the land <i>is</i> that they dwell in, whether it <i>be</i> good or bad; and what cities <i>they be</i> that they dwell in, whether in tents, or in strong holds;</div>(19) <span class= "bld">Whether in tents.—</span>Better, <span class= "ital">in camps, i.e., </span>in open villages and hamlets, as contrasted with strongholds or fortified places.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/numbers/13-20.htm">Numbers 13:20</a></div><div class="verse">And what the land <i>is</i>, whether it <i>be</i> 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 <i>was</i> the time of the firstripe grapes.</div>(20) <span class= "bld">Now the time . . . —</span>The first grapes ripen in Palestine as early as August, or even July, although the vintage does not take place until September or October.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/numbers/13-21.htm">Numbers 13:21</a></div><div class="verse">So they went up, and searched the land from the wilderness of Zin unto Rehob, as men come to Hamath.</div>(21) <span class= "bld">From the wilderness of Zin.—</span>The name of the wilderness of Zin, in which Kadesh was situated, appears to have been given to the northern or northeastern part of the wilderness of Paran. Comp. <a href="/numbers/20-1.htm" title="Then came the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin in the first month: and the people stayed in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there.">Numbers 20:1</a>; <a href="/numbers/27-14.htm" title="For you rebelled against my commandment in the desert of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify me at the water before their eyes: that is the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.">Numbers 27:14</a>; <a href="/numbers/33-36.htm" title="And they removed from Eziongaber, and pitched in the wilderness of Zin, which is Kadesh.">Numbers 33:36</a>; <a href="/context/numbers/34-3.htm" title="Then your south quarter shall be from the wilderness of Zin along by the coast of Edom, and your south border shall be the outmost coast of the salt sea eastward:">Numbers 34:3-4</a>; <a href="/deuteronomy/32-51.htm" title="Because you trespassed against me among the children of Israel at the waters of MeribahKadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because you sanctified me not in the middle of the children of Israel.">Deuteronomy 32:51</a>; <a href="/joshua/15-1.htm" title="This then was the lot of the tribe of the children of Judah by their families; even to the border of Edom the wilderness of Zin southward was the uttermost part of the south coast.">Joshua 15:1</a>; <a href="/joshua/15-3.htm" title="And it went out to the south side to Maalehacrabbim, and passed along to Zin, and ascended up on the south side to Kadeshbarnea, and passed along to Hezron, and went up to Adar, and fetched a compass to Karkaa:">Joshua 15:3</a>.<p><span class= "bld">Unto Rehob, as men come to Hamath.—</span>Or, <span class= "ital">unto Rehob, at the entrance of Hamath. </span>Rehob is supposed to be identical with the Beth-rehob of <a href="/judges/18-28.htm" title="And there was no deliverer, because it was far from Zidon, and they had no business with any man; and it was in the valley that lies by Bethrehob. And they built a city, and dwelled therein.">Judges 18:28</a>, in the tribe of Naphtali, which was near Dan-Laish. “The entrance of Hamath” formed the northern boundary of the land assigned to the Israelites (<a href="/numbers/34-8.htm" title="From mount Hor you shall point out your border to the entrance of Hamath; and the goings forth of the border shall be to Zedad:">Numbers 34:8</a>).<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/numbers/13-22.htm">Numbers 13:22</a></div><div class="verse">And they ascended by the south, and came unto Hebron; where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, <i>were</i>. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)</div>(22) <span class= "bld">And they ascended by the south, and came.</span>—The latter verb is in the singular number in the Hebrew text: <span class= "ital">he came. </span>It is quite possible that the twelve spies may not always have been together, and that one only may have gone to Hebron.<p><span class= "bld">Animan, Sheshai, and Talmai.—</span>Some suppose these to be the names of tribes, not of individuals. It is quite possible, however, that the same individuals may have been still alive when the city of Hebron was assigned to Caleb, about fifty years later, and when he drove out these three sons of Anak (<a href="/joshua/15-14.htm" title="And Caleb drove there the three sons of Anak, Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak.">Joshua 15:14</a>).<p><span class= "bld">The children of Anak.—</span>Better, <span class= "ital">the children of the Anakim. </span>(Comp. <a href="/deuteronomy/1-28.htm" title="Where shall we go up? our brothers have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there.">Deuteronomy 1:28</a>; <a href="/deuteronomy/9-2.htm" title="A people great and tall, the children of the Anakims, whom you know, and of whom you have heard say, Who can stand before the children of Anak!">Deuteronomy 9:2</a>.) When Anak, as an individual, is mentioned, as in <a href="/numbers/13-33.htm" title="And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.">Numbers 13:33</a>, the article is omitted.<p><span class= "bld">Before Zoan in Egypt.—</span>Zoan, or Tanis, on the eastern bank of the Tanitic arm of the Nile, appears to have been the residence of Pharaoh in the days of Moses (<a href="/psalms/78-12.htm" title="Marvelous things did he in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.">Psalm 78:12</a>). Hebron was in existence in the days of Abraham (<a href="/genesis/13-18.htm" title="Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelled in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar to the LORD.">Genesis 13:18</a>; <a href="/genesis/23-2.htm" title="And Sarah died in Kirjatharba; the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan: and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.">Genesis 23:2</a>, &c.).<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/numbers/13-23.htm">Numbers 13:23</a></div><div class="verse">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 <i>they brought</i> of the pomegranates, and of the figs.</div>(23) <span class= "bld">The brook of Eshcol.—</span>This is commonly identified with the valley of Hebron. Ritter says that the reputation of the grapes of Hebron is so great throughout all Palestine that there is no difficulty in believing that the valley of Eshcol was that which is directly north of the city of Hebron. The valley may have derived its name originally from Eshcol, the brother of Mamre the Amorite (<a href="/genesis/14-13.htm" title="And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelled in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram.">Genesis 14:13</a>). In like manner the name of Mamre appears to have been transferred to the tree, or grove, of Mamre, which was opposite to the cave of Machpelah (<a href="/genesis/23-17.htm" title="And the field of Ephron which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the borders round about, were made sure">Genesis 23:17</a>); and in this manner Eshcol is closely connected with Hebron in <a href="/genesis/23-19.htm" title="And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre: the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan.">Genesis 23:19</a> as it is in the present chapter.<p><span class= "bld">Upon a staff.—</span>The majority of travellers concur in estimating the weight of the largest clusters commonly produced in Palestine at about ten or twelve pounds. Kitto, however, mentions an instance of a bunch of Syrian grapes produced in our own country weighing nineteen pounds, which was sent by the Duke of Portland to the Marquis of Rockingham, and which was carried more than twenty miles by four labourers, two of whom bore it by rotation upon a staff. The greatest diameter of this cluster was nineteen inches and a half (<span class= "ital">Pictorial Bible, </span>in loc., 1855). The arrangement referred to in the text was probably made, not because the weight was too great for one person to carry, but in order to prevent the grapes from being crushed. The pomegranates and figs, which are still some of the most important fruits of Hebron (see <span class= "ital">The Land and the Book, </span>p. 583), were probably carried on the same pole. The words may be rendered thus: <span class= "ital">“And they bare it between two upon a staff; also some of the pomegranates and of the figs.” </span>This incident has obvious reference to the homeward journey of the spies. As the grapes of Eshcol were to the Israelites both a pledge and a specimen of the fruits of Canaan, so the communion which believers have with God on earth is a pledge as well as a foretaste of the blessedness of heaven.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/numbers/13-24.htm">Numbers 13:24</a></div><div class="verse">The place was called the brook Eshcol, because of the cluster of grapes which the children of Israel cut down from thence.</div>(24) <span class= "bld">The place was called . . . —</span>This verse states the reason why the valley was so called by the Israelites, but does not determine the question whether it originally derived its name from Eshcol or not.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/numbers/13-25.htm">Numbers 13:25</a></div><div class="verse">And they returned from searching of the land after forty days.</div>(25) <span class= "bld">After forty days.—</span>This time allowed a full and careful exploration of the land.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/numbers/13-26.htm">Numbers 13:26</a></div><div class="verse">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 shewed them the fruit of the land.</div>(26) <span class= "bld">To Kadesh.—</span>Robinson and others identify Kadeeh with <span class= "ital">Ain-el-Weibeh, </span>which is in the Arabah, about ten miles north of the place in which Mount Hor abuts on that valley. On the other hand, Mr. Wilton, in <span class= "ital">The Negeb </span>(pp. 79, 80), and Mr. Palmer in the <span class= "ital">Desert of the Exodus </span>(Numbers 25), maintain the identity of Kadesh with el-Ain, which is about sixty miles west of Mount Hor, and about fifty miles west of Ain-el-Weibeh. The former of these views is maintained in a very elaborate note on this verse in <span class= "ital">The Bible Commentary.</span><p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/numbers/13-28.htm">Numbers 13:28</a></div><div class="verse">Nevertheless the people <i>be</i> strong that dwell in the land, and the cities <i>are</i> walled, <i>and</i> very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there.</div>(28) <span class= "bld">Nevertheless the people be strong . . . —</span>The spies adopted the words of <a href="/exodus/3-8.htm" title="And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good land and a large, to a land flowing with milk and honey; to the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.">Exodus 3:8</a>, “flowing with milk and honey,” as descriptive of the fertility of the land of Canaan, but at the same time they discouraged the hearts of their brethren by their description of the strength of the fortified cities and the gigantic stature of the inhabitants.<p><span class= "bld">The children of Anak.—</span>Better, <span class= "ital">of the Anakim. </span>(See <a href="/numbers/13-22.htm" title="And they ascended by the south, and came to Hebron; where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)">Numbers 13:22</a>, and Note.)<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/numbers/13-29.htm">Numbers 13:29</a></div><div class="verse">The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.</div>(29) <span class= "bld">The land of the south.—</span>Better, <span class= "ital">of the south country, </span>or <span class= "ital">the Negeb. </span>See <a href="/genesis/36-12.htm" title="And Timna was concubine to Eliphaz Esau's son; and she bore to Eliphaz Amalek: these were the sons of Adah Esau's wife.">Genesis 36:12</a>, and also <a href="/numbers/13-17.htm" title="And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain:">Numbers 13:17</a> of this Num. and Note.<p><span class= "bld">The mountains.—</span>See <a href="/context/genesis/10-15.htm" title="And Canaan begat Sidon his first born, and Heth,">Genesis 10:15-16</a>, and <a href="/numbers/13-17.htm" title="And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain:">Numbers 13:17</a> of this Num. and Note.<p><span class= "bld">The Canaanites.—</span>See <a href="/context/genesis/10-15.htm" title="And Canaan begat Sidon his first born, and Heth,">Genesis 10:15-18</a>; <a href="/genesis/13-7.htm" title="And there was a strife between the herdsmen of Abram's cattle and the herdsmen of Lot's cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land.">Genesis 13:7</a>, and Notes.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/numbers/13-30.htm">Numbers 13:30</a></div><div class="verse">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.</div>(30) <span class= "bld">And Caleb stilled the people.—</span>The fact that Caleb alone is mentioned in this place is by no means inconsistent with the statement which is contained in <a href="/context/numbers/14-6.htm" title="And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes:">Numbers 14:6-9</a>, from which it appears that Joshua and Caleb concurred in exhorting the people to go up and take possession of the land of promise. It appears, moreover, from <a href="/deuteronomy/1-29.htm" title="Then I said to you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them.">Deuteronomy 1:29</a>, &c., that Moses also remonstrated earnestly with the people, and yet neither here nor in the following chapter is mention made of that remonstrance.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/numbers/13-32.htm">Numbers 13:32</a></div><div class="verse">And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, <i>is</i> a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it <i>are</i> men of a great stature.</div>(32) <span class= "bld">A land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof.</span>—Some understand by this phrase a land of scarcity, unable to support its inhabitants; others understand it as denoting an unhealthy land, in which sense it appears to be still used in the East. (See Roberts’ <span class= "ital">Oriental Illustrations, </span>p. 101, 8vo, 1844.) It seems more probable, however, that the allusion is to the strife and discord which prevailed amongst the various tribes who contended for its possession. (Comp. <a href="/leviticus/26-38.htm" title="And you shall perish among the heathen, and the land of your enemies shall eat you up.">Leviticus 26:38</a>.)<p><span class= "bld">Men of great stature.—</span>Literally, <span class= "ital">men of measures </span>(comp. <a href="/isaiah/45-14.htm" title="Thus said the LORD, The labor of Egypt, and merchandise of Ethiopia and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over to you, and they shall be yours: they shall come after you; in chains they shall come over, and they shall fall down to you, they shall make supplication to you, saying, Surely God is in you; and there is none else, there is no God.">Isaiah 45:14</a>), where the word <span class= "ital">middah, measure, </span>occurs in the singular number, “men of stature.” Such persons did undoubtedly exist in the land of Canaan, but there is no evidence that the inhabitants generally were of extraordinary size.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/numbers/13-33.htm">Numbers 13:33</a></div><div class="verse">And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, <i>which come</i> of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.</div>(33) <span class= "bld">And there we saw the giants.—</span>The same word, <span class= "ital">nephilim. </span>is here used which is found in <a href="/genesis/6-4.htm" title="There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.">Genesis 6:4</a>. 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