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Numbers 13:1

New American Standard Bible (NASB ©1995) [2]
— Then the LORD spoke to Moses saying,
King James Version (KJV 1769) [2]
— And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
English Revised Version (ERV 1885)
— And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
American Standard Version (ASV 1901) [2]
— And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
Webster's Revision of the KJB (WEB 1833)
— And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
Darby's Translation (DBY 1890)
— And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,
Rotherham's Emphasized Bible (EBR 1902)
— Then spake Yahweh unto Moses, saying:
Young's Literal Translation (YLT 1898)
— And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,
Douay-Rheims Challoner Revision (DR 1750)
— And there the Lord spoke to Moses, saying.
Geneva Bible (GNV 1560)
— And the Lord spake vnto Moses, saying,
Original King James Bible (AV 1611) [2]
— And the LORD spake vnto Moses, saying,
Lamsa Bible (1957)
— THE LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
Brenton Greek Septuagint (LXX, Restored Names)
— And the Lord spoke to Mosheh{gr.Moses}, saying,
Full Hebrew Names / Holy Name KJV (2008) [2] [3]
— And Yahweh spake unto Mosheh, saying,

Strong's Numbers & Hebrew NamesHebrew Old TestamentColor-Code/Key Word Studies
And Yähwè יָהוֶה 3068
{3068} Prime
יְהֹוָה
Y@hovah
{yeh-ho-vaw'}
From H1961; (the) self Existent or eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God.
spake 1696
{1696} Prime
דִּבֵּר
dabar
{daw-bar'}
A primitive root; perhaps properly to arrange; but used figuratively (of words) to speak; rarely (in a destructive sense) to subdue.
z8762
<8762> Grammar
Stem - Piel (See H8840)
Mood - Imperfect (See H8811)
Count - 2447
unto x413
(0413) Complement
אֵל
'el
{ale}
(Used only in the shortened constructive form (the second form)); a primitive particle, properly denoting motion towards, but occasionally used of a quiescent position, that is, near, with or among; often in general, to.
Möšè מֹשֶׁה, 4872
{4872} Prime
מֹשֶׁה
Mosheh
{mo-sheh'}
From H4871; drawing out (of the water), that is, rescued; Mosheh, the Israelitish lawgiver.
saying, 559
{0559} Prime
אָמַר
'amar
{aw-mar'}
A primitive root; to say (used with great latitude).
z8800
<8800> Grammar
Stem - Qal (See H8851)
Mood - Infinitive (See H8812)
Count - 4888
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary

Numbers 13:1-2

_ _ Numbers 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 Deuteronomy 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.

Matthew Henry's Commentary

Numbers 13:1-20

_ _ 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 (Numbers 13:1, Numbers 13:2), but it appears by the repetition of the story afterwards (Deuteronomy 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 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.

_ _ II. The persons nominated that were to be employed in this service (Numbers 13:4, etc.), one of each tribe, that it might appear to be the act 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, Numbers 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, Deuteronomy 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, Zechariah 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.

_ _ III. 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, Numbers 13:17. Two heads of enquiry were given them in charge, 1. Concerning the land itself: See what that is (Numbers 13:18, and again, Numbers 13:19), see whether it be good or bad, and (Numbers 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 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.

John Wesley's Explanatory Notes

Numbers 13:1

Speak unto Moses — In answer to the peoples petition about it, as is evident from Deuteronomy 1:22. And it is probable, the people desired it out of diffidence of God's promise.

Geneva Bible Translation Notes

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