Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Numbers 13:21
So they went up, and searched the land from the wilderness of Zin unto Rehob, as men come to Hamath.
21. the wilderness of Zin ] The geographical statements regarding the tracts south of Judah are vague. In Num 13:26 Paran and Kadesh are placed by the compiler in juxtaposition, but in Num 20:1 Zin and Kadesh. See prelim, note on ch. 20.
Rehob ] Probably the same as Beth-rehob (Jdg 18:28) near the sources of the Jordan.
the entrance of Hamath ] Hamath (a district mentioned in Egyptian inscriptions) lay to the north of Palestine; and the ‘entrance’ to it seems to have been a well-known pass, formed by a depression between Lebanon and Hermon. It was, according to P , a point on the northern border of Israel’s possessions in Canaan (Num 34:8).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The wilderness of Zin was the northeastern portion of the wilderness of Paran.
Rehob (mod. Khurbeh) was probably the Beth-rehob of Jdg 18:28, near Dan-Laish; and apparently to the north of it, since it gave its name to a Syrian kingdom 2Sa 8:3. The southern approach to Hamath from the plain of Coele-Syria, lay between those two ranges of Lebanon called Libanus and Antilibanus. A low screen of hills connects the northernmost points of these two ranges; and through this screen the Orontes bursts from the upper Coele-Syrian hollow into the open plain of Hamath.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 21. From the wilderness of Zin] The place called; Tsin, here, is different from that called Sin or Seen. Ex 16:1; the latter was nigh to Egypt, but the former was near Kadesh Barnea, not far from the borders of the promised land.
“The spies having left Kadesh Barnea, which was in the desert of Paran, see Nu 13:26, they proceeded to the desert of Tsin, all along the land of Canaan, nearly following the course of the river Jordan, till they came to Rehob, a city situated near Mount Libanus, at the northern extremity of the Holy Land, towards the road that leads to Hamath. Thence they returned through the midst of the same land by the borders of the Sidonians and Philistines, and passing by Mount Hebron, rendered famous by the residence of Abraham formerly, and by the gigantic descendants of Anak at that time, they passed through the valley of the brook of Eshcol, where they cut down the bunch of grapes mentioned Nu 13:23, and returned to the Israelitish camp after an absence of forty days,” Nu 13:25. See Calmet on this place.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The wilderness of Zin, in the south of Canaan, Num 34:3; Jos 15:3; differing from the wilderness of Sin, which was nigh unto Egypt, Exo 16:1.
To Hamath; i.e. from the south they passed through the whole land even to the northern parts of it,
Rehob, a city in the northwest part, Jos 19:28; Jdg 1:31; and Hamath, a city in the north-east part, Jos 19:35; Eze 47:17. And that they might more expeditiously and securely perform this office, it is probable that they divided themselves into several shall parties, and informed themselves not only by their eye, but also by their ear, and the information of persons, of whom they inquired about the nature and condition of their land.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
21-24. So they . . . searched thelandThey advanced from south to north, reconnoitering thewhole land.
the wilderness of Zinalong level plain, or deep valley of sand, the monotony of which isrelieved by a few tamarisk and rethem trees. Under the names of ElGhor and El Araba, it forms the continuation of the Jordan valley,extending from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Akaba.
Rehobor, Beth-rehob,was a city and district situated, according to some, eastward ofSidon; and, according to others, it is the same as El Hule, anextensive and fertile champaign country, at the foot of Anti-libanus,a few leagues below Paneas.
as men come to Hamathor,”the entering in of Hamath” (2Ki14:25), now the valley of Balbeck, a mountain pass or opening inthe northern frontier, which formed the extreme limit in thatdirection of the inheritance of Israel. From the mention of theseplaces, the route of the scouts appears to have been along the courseof the Jordan in their advance; and their return was by the westernborder through the territories of the Sidonians and Philistines.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
So they went up and searched the land,…. Went up the mountains as they were directed, and passed through the whole land; diligently inquired into everything material belonging to it, according to their instructions, and made their observations on it, and on the inhabitants, and their habitations:
from the wilderness of Zin unto Rehob, as men come to Hamath; this wilderness, from whence they went, seems to be the same with the wilderness of Paran, called Zin; perhaps from the multitude of thorns in it; but different from the wilderness of Sin, Ex 16:1, which was nearer Egypt; but this was on the south quarter of the land of Canaan, along by the coast of Edom, Nu 34:3; Rehob, they are said to come to first from thence, was in the tribe of Asher in later times,
Jos 19:28; and lay to the north or northwest of the land of Canaan. Jerom says r, that in his times there was a village called Rooba, four miles from Scythopolis. Hamath was the northern boundary of the land of Israel, and was in the tribe of Naphtali, when it came into the hands of the Israelites, and lay to the northeast, as the former place to the northwest, Nu 34:7; so that their direction, as they went, was south and north, and west and east: their journey is described by Jarchi thus; they went on the borders of it, length and breadth, in the form of the capital of the letter , “gamma”; they went on the south border from the east corner to the west corner, as Moses commanded them: “get you up this [way] southward”, Nu 13:17; the way of the southeast border unto the sea, which is the western border; and from thence they returned, and went on all the western border by the sea shore, until they came to Hamath, which is by Mount Hor, at the northwest corner; but Hamath was on the northeast; nor did they go thither, it was too far off for them, but they went as far as Rehob, which was “as men go to Hamath”, as it should be rendered, that is, it lay in the way to Hamath.
r De loc. Heb. fol. 94. A.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Journey of the Spies; Their Return, and Report. – Num 13:21. In accordance with the instructions they had received, the men who had been sent out passed through the land, from the desert of Zin to Rehob, in the neighbourhood of Hamath, i.e., in its entire extent from south to north. The “ Desert of Zin ” (which occurs not only here, but in Num 20:1; Num 27:14; Num 33:36; Num 34:3-4; Deu 32:51, and Jos 15:1, Jos 15:3) was the name given to the northern edge of the great desert of Paran, viz., the broad ravine of Wady Murreh, which separates the lofty and precipitous northern border of the table-land of the Azazimeh from the southern border of the Rakhma plateau, i.e., of the southernmost plateau of the mountains of the Amorites (or the mountains of Judah), and runs from Jebel Madarah ( Moddera) on the east, to the plain of Kadesh, which forms part of the desert of Zin (cf. Num 27:14; Num 33:36; Deu 32:51), on the west. The south frontier of Canaan passed through this from the southern end of the Dead Sea, along the Wady el Murreh to the Wady el Arish ( Num 34:3). – “ Rehob, to come (coming) to Hamath,” i.e., where you enter the province of Hamath, on the northern boundary of Canaan, is hardly one of the two Rehobs in the tribe of Asher (Jos 19:28 and Jos 19:30), but most likely Beth-rehob in the tribe of Naphtali, which was in the neighbourhood of Dan Lais, the modern Tell el Kadhy (Jdg 18:28), and which Robinson imagined that he had identified in the ruins of the castle of Hunin or Honin, in the village of the same name, to the south-west of Tell el Kadhy, on the range of mountains which bound the plain towards the west above Lake Huleh (Bibl. Researches, p. 371). In support of this conjecture, he laid the principal stress upon the fact that the direct road to Hamath through the Wady et Teim and the Bekaa commences here. The only circumstance which it is hard to reconcile with this conjecture is, that Beth-rehob is never mentioned in the Old Testament, with the exception of Jdg 18:28, either among the fortified towns of the Canaanites or in the wars of the Israelites with the Syrians and Assyrians, and therefore does not appear to have been a place of such importance as we should naturally be led to suppose from the character of this castle, the very situation of which points to a bold, commanding fortress (see Lynch’s Expedition), and where there are still remains of its original foundations built of large square stones, hewn and grooved, and reminding one of the antique and ornamental edifices of Solomon’s times (cf. Ritter, Erdkunde, xv. pp. 242ff.). – Hamath is Epiphania on the Orontes, now Hamah (see at Gen 10:18).
After the general statement, that the spies went through the whole land from the southern to the northern frontier, two facts are mentioned in Num 13:22-24, which occurred in connection with their mission, and were of great importance to the whole congregation. These single incidents are linked on, however, in a truly Hebrew style, to what precedes, viz., by an imperfect with Vav consec., just in the same manner in which, in 1Ki 6:9, 1Ki 6:15, the detailed account of the building of the temple is linked on to the previous statement, that Solomon built the temple and finished it;
(Note: A comparison of 1 Kings 6, where we cannot possibly suppose that two accounts have been linked together or interwoven, is specially adapted to give us a clear view of the peculiar custom adopted by the Hebrew historians, of placing the end and ultimate result of the events they narrate as much as possible at the head of their narrative, and then proceeding with a minute account of the more important of the attendant circumstances, without paying any regard to the chronological order of the different incidents, or being at all afraid of repetitions, and so to prove how unwarrantable and false are the conclusions of those critics who press such passages into the support of their hypotheses. We have a similar passage in Jos 4:11., where, after relating that when all the people had gone through the Jordan the priests also passed through with the ark of the covenant (Jos 4:11), the historian proceeds in Jos 4:12, Jos 4:13, to describe the crossing of the two tribes and a half; and another in Judg 20, where, at the very commencement (Jdg 20:35), the issue of the whole is related, viz., the defeat of the Benjamites; and then after that there is a minute description in Jdg 20:36-46 of the manner in which it was effected. This style of narrative is also common in the historical works of the Arabs.)
so that the true rendering would be, “now they ascended in the south country and came to Hebron ( is apparently an error in writing for ), and there were , the children of Anak,” three of whom are mentioned by name. These three, who were afterwards expelled by Caleb, when the land was divided and the city of Hebron was given to him for an inheritance (Jos 15:14; Jdg 1:20), were descendants of Arbah, the lord of Hebron, from whom the city received its name of Kirjath-Arbah, or city of Arbah, and who is described in Jos 14:15 as “the great (i.e., the greatest) man among the Anakim,” and in Jos 15:13 as the “father of Anak,” i.e., the founder of the Anakite family there. For it is evident enough that ( Anak) is not the proper name of a man in these passages, but the name of a family or tribe, from the fact that in Num 13:33, where Anak’s sons are spoken of in a general and indefinite manner, has not the article; also from the fact that the three Anakites who lived in Hebron are almost always called , Anak’s born (Num 13:22, Num 13:28), and that (sons of Anak), in Jos 15:14, is still further defined by the phrase (children of Anak); and lastly, from the fact that in the place of “sons of Anak,” we find “sons of the Anakim” in Deu 1:28 and Deu 9:2, and the “Anakim” in Deu 2:10; Deu 11:21; Jos 14:12, etc. Anak is supposed to signify long-necked; but this does not preclude the possibility of the founder of the tribe having borne this name. The origin of the Anakites is involved in obscurity. In Deu 2:10-11, they are classed with the Emim and Rephaim on account of their gigantic stature, and probably reckoned as belonging to the pre-Canaanitish inhabitants of the land, of whom it is impossible to decide whether they were of Semitic origin or descendants of Ham. It is also doubtful, whether the names found here in Num 13:21, Num 13:28, and in Jos 15:14, are the names of individuals, i.e., of chiefs of the Anakites, or the names of Anakite tribes. The latter supposition is favoured by the circumstance, that the same names occur even after the capture of Hebron by Caleb, or at least fifty years after the event referred to here. With regard to Hebron, it is still further observed in Num 13:22, that it was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt. Zoan – the Tanis of the Greeks and Romans, the San of the Arabs, which is called Jani, Jane in Coptic writings – was situated upon the eastern side of the Tanitic arm of the Nile, not far from its mouth (see Ges. Thes. p. 1177), and was the residence of Pharaoh in the time of Moses. The date of its erection is unknown; but Hebron was in existence as early as Abraham’s time (Gen 13:18; Gen 23:2.).
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
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 from thence. 25 And they returned from searching of the land after forty days.
We have here a short account of the survey which the spies made of the promised land. 1. They went quite through it, from Zin in the south, to Rehob, near Hamath, in the north, v. 21. See Num 34:3; Num 34:8. It is probable that they did not go altogether in a body, lest they should be suspected and taken up, which there would be the more danger of if the Canaanites knew (and one would think they could not but know) how near the Israelites were to them; but they divided themselves into several companies, and so passed unsuspected, as way-faring men. 2. They took particular notice of Hebron (v. 22), probably because near there was the field of Machpelah, where the patriarchs were buried (Gen. xxiii. 2), whose dead bodies did, as it were, keep possession of that land for their posterity. To this sepulchre they made a particular visit, and found the adjoining city in the possession of the sons of Anak, who are here named. In that place where they expected the greatest encouragements they met with the greatest discouragements. Where the bodies of their ancestors kept possession for them the giants kept possession against them. They ascended by the south, and came to Hebron, that is, “Caleb,” say the Jews, “in particular,” for to his being there we find express reference, Jos 14:9; Jos 14:12; Jos 14:13. But that others of the spies were there too appears by their description of the Anakim, v. 33. 3. They brought a bunch of grapes with them, and some other of the fruits of the land, as a proof of the extraordinary goodness of the country. Probably they furnished themselves with these fruits when they were leaving the country and returning. The cluster of grapes was so large and so heavy that they hung it upon a bar, and carried it between two of them, Num 13:23; Num 13:24. The place whence they took it was, from this circumstance, called the valley of the cluster, that famous cluster which was to Israel both the earnest and the specimen of all the fruits of Canaan. Such are the present comforts which we have in communion with God, foretastes of the fulness of joy we expect in the heavenly Canaan. We may see by them what heaven is.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Verses 21-25:
The Israeli spies headed east, then north, through the territory of western Syria. “Rehob” is Beth-rehob, near the later site of Dan-Laish (Jg 18:28). It was on the route to Hamath, and was at one time a city of some importance to Syria, 2Sa 10:6.
“Hamath” is now Hamah. It was in Greek times known as Epiphaneia, and was on the Orontes River. Its southern entrance lay between the mountain ranges of Libanus and Anti-libanus.
From the northern limit of their tour, the spies turned westward, then southward. This strategy allowed them to approach the Canaanites’ land from the north, without arousing suspicion. They came to Hebron, following the caravan route from there to the Negev. Hebron was an ancient city, already established by the lifetime of Abraham.
Hebron was apparently the home of the progeny of Anak (Deu 1:28; Deu 2:10). This was a tribe of people with huge warriors. Their legendary ancestory was Anak the son of Arba, Jos 14:15.
The reference to Zoan, a city of Egypt, argues eloquently for the authorship of Numbers by Moses. He was doubtless familiar with the history of both Egypt and Palestine, due to his education in Egypt’s royal palace.
The region through which the spies traveled was a fertile one, producing rich harvests of grapes. The “brook of Eschol” is in reality the “valley of Eschol,” probably between Hebron and Jerusalem.
The spies cut a cluster of grapes in this fertile valley, and carried it back to their camp on a pole carried between two of them. This was not due so much to the size of the cluster, as to their desire not to spoil it.
The spying mission required forty days.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
C. SURVEY AND REPORT vv. 2133
TEXT
Num. 13:21. 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 from thence. 25. And they returned from searching of the land after forty days.
26. 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 showed them the fruit of the land. 27. And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. 28. Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. 29. 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. 30. 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. 31. But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. 32. 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, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof: and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. 33. 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.
PARAPHRASE
Num. 13:21. So they went up and spied out the land from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob, on the way to Hamath. 22. After they went up into the South, they came to Hebron where Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmai, children of Anak, were. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) 23. They came to the Wadi of Eshcol, and there they cut down a branch with a single cluster of grapes, which they carried on a pole between two men; and they brought back pomegranates and figs. 24. That place was called the Wadi of Eschol because of the cluster of grapes which the children of Israel cut down there. 25. After forty days of searching the land they returned.
26. and came to Moses and Aaron and all the assembly of the children of Israel in the wilderness of Paran at Kadesh; and they brought word back to them and to all the assembly, and showed them the fruit of the land. 27. And they spoke to him, and said, We entered the land to which you sent us, and indeed it flows with milk and honey; and this is its fruit. 28. However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are very large and fortified. 29. Moreover, we saw the children of Anak there. Amalek lives in the land of the Negev, and the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites live in the hill country. The Canaanites live by the sea and in the valley of the Jordan. 30. Then Caleb stilled the people in front of Moses and said, Let us go up immediately and take possession of it, for we are quite able to overcome it. 31. But the men who went up with him said, We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we. 32. So they spread a bad report of the land they had spied out to the children of Israel, saying, The land through which we went, to spy it out, is a land which eats up its inhabitants; and all the people we saw in it were men of great height. 33. We also saw the Nephilim there (the sons of Anak were among the Nephilim); and we seemed like grasshoppers in our own sight, just as we were in their sight.
COMMENTARY
Zin is the name given the northern portion of the larger desert, Paran. Crossing the Wady Murreh, which divides the sparsely settled wilderness of the South from the higher hill country later given as the southern part of the territory of Judea, the ten spies traversed the length of Canaan. Their northernmost penetration took them beyond Dan (earlier, Laish), to a well-travelled trade route which led to Hamath. This route passed near Beth-rehob, not far from Laish. In early days the city was of great importance under Syrian rule; it is in the territory of Naphtali when the land is divided among the tribes of Israel.
Having summarized the journey of the spies, Moses now reviews their actions in some expanded details. The first important city they encountered was Hebron, nearly twenty miles south of Jerusalem. Remembered for being Abrahams residence and burial place, Hebron was now held by three clans descended from Anak. These Anakim were of gigantic stature, thought to have been exterminated later by Israel excepting for some who found refuge among the Philistines. At this point Moses interjects a note of information which would have been very meaningful to him. It is the kind of point we can scarcely imagine anyone elses having insertedone which nobody would have invented, and one which receives its value from the very casual nature in which it is used: the note that Hebron was founded seven years earlier than Zoan (Tanis) in Egypt. Such incidental references give a ring of authenticity to the account, being completely appropriate to the writer, and irrelevant to those who might have written under other circumstances.
We have no reason whatever to draw any historical relationship between Zoan and Hebron. However, if Zoan was built or enlarged into the pharaohs residence at the time of the exodus, Moses could well have been personally involved in the affairs of state. The association is purely chronological, which is Moses point.
The second specific area mentioned is properly the valley of Eshcol; here an oversize bunch of grapes, carried on a pole between two of the men, becomes tangible evidence that the land is productive. Indeed, the finest grapes in all Canaan are said to come from north of Hebron on the way to Jerusalem. Here are also found pomegranates, figs and various other fruits. The size of the single bunch of grapes would be such that it would require a second man to carry it, not because of the total weight, but in order to avoid crushing them. Bunches weighing up to twelve pounds have been found in the valley of Eshcol (see KD, p. 90). No doubt those brought back to the camp of Israel were picked immediately before the spies return.
The second factor which would figure prominently in the spies report involved the inhabitants. We are not given a complete resume of all the tribes inhabiting Canaan, but we are immediately introduced to those who lived in the vicinity of Hebron, as well as general references to the Amalekites, Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites and Canaanites. Three of the progeny of Anak are named: Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmai. The Anakim, along with the Emim and the Rephaim were notable for their great size, and perhaps for their longevity as well. Their origin is obscure. Fifty years later they would be driven from the city by Caleb (Jos. 15:14). The Amalekites lived in an area generally including a portion of the northern Negev, and a portion of the area later assigned to Simeon and southern Judah. They were descendants of Esau who lived as nomads, constantly causing difficulty to their neighbors. Saul would later be ordered to exterminate them, 1Sa. 15:1-3. The Hittites, a non-Semitic people, had come into the land about a half-century earlier. It is generally suggested that they had come from Cappadocia. Until the early twentieth century, critics of the Scriptures considered them fictitious. They were not mentioned in any extra-biblical writings which had been discovered until that time. But the extensive work of Hugo Winckler at Khattusa (Boghaz-koy) in present-day Turkey in 190607 amplified earlier discoveries at Carchemish, and removed any lingering doubts about the Hittites. We now know they were people of a well advanced culture who lived in various portions of Canaan, particularly the south.
The Jebusites were descended from Canaan (see Genesis 10) and are best known in the area of Jerusalem. The Amorites, also descended from Canaan, are thought to have held a rather large kingdom including much of Mesopotamia and Syria, with a capital at Haran before migrating to Canaan. In this latter location, they took land from the Moabites, and usually were found east of the Jordan. The term Canaanites has two uses in the Old Testament. In its broader sense, it includes any of the pagan tribes who lived within the bounds of the Promised Land. More specifically, as used here, it refers to a single tribe living in the coastal plains and the valleys of the land; such is also to be inferred from the meaning of their name: the lowlanders.
We must admire the integrity and faith of Caleb. He and Joshua had seen exactly what the remaining ten spies had observed, both the good and the formidable, of the land. But his confidence in the guidance of the Lord is unquestioning as he simply says, Let us go up at once, and occupy it; for we are well able to overcome it. It is noted later (Num. 14:6) that Joshua urged the same action. Had their enthusiastic advice been followed, the history of the nation would have been changed, and they would have been spared the extreme difficulties of wandering for approximately 38 years in the wilderness before ultimately crossing the Jordan into the Land of Promise.
We should not be unduly surprised that the multitude listened to the counsel of the ten rather than the words of the two. It is always a simpler matter to be negative than positive; to rationalize into disobedience rather than to obey an apparently difficult command. The ten spies, and the people as well, are awed by the stature of the people who make the Israelites look like grasshoppers; Joshua and Caleb remember that God has promised this land unto His people, and that He has promised to drive out the inhabitants, if they will but trust Him. Their faith seems too visionary for the cowardly listeners.
Many explanations have been proposed for the statement that the land eats up its inhabitants. It cannot mean death came upon the people from starvation or similar natural causesthe fruits brought back would not give any credibility to such a thought. Even more nauseating is the suggestion that cannibalism was being practiced. One of the most interesting and logical suggestions comes from RCP: the people everywhere were burying their dead . . ., an action of God to keep the people busy in their mourning so that they would not notice, the spies, (p. 142).
The final argument proposed to the people is that all the people that we saw in it are men of great stature. We must view this as unmitigated hyperbole, a further impassioned appeal to discourage the masses from listening to Caleb. It is successful.
QUESTIONS AND RESEARCH ITEMS
239.
Consult a reliable map, and estimate the distance the spies may have travelled in their journey through Canaan. For what things would they especially look?
240.
Establish the probable locations of Rehob and Hamath. Why were they important at that time?
241.
Why is Hebron mentioned, rather than Jerusalem, as the key city in the South?
242.
What can you say of the children of Anak?
243.
What association is there between Hebron and Zoan? Why are we given information about the date of founding for the cities? How important is this incidental point in establishing Mosaic authorship of the event and book?
244.
What is a Wadi? What does Eshcol mean?
245.
How would the Israelites be impressed by the fruits brought back from the land before them?
246.
Explain the idiom used to describe the land: it flows with milk and honey.
247.
Name the different tribes which are reported as inhabitants in the land. Tell where each lived, and whatever we know about the origin of each.
248.
In what two senses is the name Canaanites used? How is it probably to be understood here?
249.
Upon what items do all of the twelve spies agree, and where do they disagree?
250.
Explain why these men could come to such widely different reactions to the people and the land they had just visited.
251.
What most important factor had the ten spies overlooked in their negative recommendation?
252.
How has the phrase A land that devours its inhabitants been understood?
253.
Why do the ten spies emphasize the negative factors in their report? How could they justify their gross exaggeration?
254.
Who were the Nephilim of whom the spies speak?
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(21) From the wilderness of Zin.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. Num. 20:1; Num. 27:14; Num. 33:36; Num. 34:3-4; Deu. 32:51; Jos. 15:1; Jos. 15:3.
Unto Rehob, as men come to Hamath.Or, unto Rehob, at the entrance of Hamath. Rehob is supposed to be identical with the Beth-rehob of Jdg. 18:28, 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 (Num. 34:8).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
The Exploration of the Spies and Their Report
v. 21. So they went up and searched the land from the Wilderness of Zin, v. 22. And they ascended by the south, v. 23. And they came unto the brook, v. 24. The place was called the brook, v. 25. And they returned from searching of the land after forty days.
v. 26. And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, v. 27. And they told him, Moses, in their official report, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, v. 28. Nevertheless, v. 29. 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. v. 30. And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, v. 31. But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. v. 32. 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 is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof, v. 33. 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.
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Num 13:21. From the Wilderness of Zin, &c. Not that which is called the Wilderness of Sin, Exo 16:1 for that lay near to Egypt, south-west of Canaan; but this was a wilderness on the south-east of Canaan, not far from Kadesh Barnea, chap. Num 34:3. Jos 1:3. Rehob was a city in the north of Canaan near the sea coast, not far from Zidon, which fell to the lot of the tribe of Asher, Jos 19:28. Hamath, afterwards called Epiphania, was not far from Rehob, and bounded Judea on the north; (see chap. Num 34:8.) so that the spies took a survey of the whole land, from one end of it to the other, south and north; observing, as they passed along, those parts which lay east and west; see Num 13:29 and the note on Num 13:26.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
The sacred historian hath here marked the outline of the spies route through the promised land. The map of that country shows that they went quite through it; for from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob, is nearly south to north. Hebron, which they visited, is a memorable spot, rendered so by its being near to the cave of Abraham and Sarah, their great Ancestors. And Reader! it is worthy your observation, that as the LORD promised this land to Abraham and his seed for a possession, here the dead bodies of Abraham and Sarah lay, to keep, as it were possession of it, until the time of the promise arrived, for his living race fully to enjoy it. See Gen 23 ; Gen 25:9-10 . I cannot help detaining the Reader just to remark to him, that the grapes of Eshcol were to the believing Israelites as a sample of the fruitfulness of the country, so they were a sweet type of the first fruits of the Spirit, on the minds of the LORD’S people now; an earnest, as it were, of what the soul will be fully satisfied with, when we come to receive the end of our faith, even the salvation of the soul. 2Co 5:5 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
went up. In the month Ab (our July).
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
the Majority and Minority Reports
Num 13:21-33
It was August. Eshcol lay southeast of Hebron. Its sloping hills were covered with choice grapevines, the clusters of which weighed ten to twelve pounds. The tall, muscular Canaanites presented a strong contrast to the more diminutive Egyptians. The spies compared the Canaanites with themselves, instead of with Almighty God. Do not look at God through circumstances, but at circumstances through God. There is no land worth possessing which has not its giants; but, like Caleb, faith looks not at giants, but to the living God. See Num 14:8. The doubters said Can God? Caleb affirmed, God can! Only follow God fully! Be utterly yielded to Him. Present yourself to God as alive from the dead, and eternally united to the living Christ; then He will bruise Satan under your feet and make you tread upon the lion and adder, Psa 91:13; Rom 16:20.
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
from the wilderness of Zin: The wilderness of Zin, is different from that called Sin – Exo 16:1. The latter was near Egypt, but the former was near Kadesh Barnea, not far from the borders of Canaan. It seems to be the valley mentioned by Burckhardt; which, under the names of El Ghor and El Araba, form a continuation of the valley of the Jordan, extending from the Dead sea to the eastern branch of the Red sea. The whole plain presents to the view an appearance of shifting sands, whose surface is broken by innumerable undulations and low hills. A few talk, tamarisk, and rethem trees grow among the sand hills; but the depth of sand precludes all vegetation of herbage. Num 20:1, Num 27:14, Num 33:36, Num 34:3, Num 34:4, Deu 32:51, Jos 15:1
Rehob: Rehob was a city, afterwards given to the tribe of Asher, situated near mount Lebanon, at the northern extremity of the Promised Land, on the road which leads to Hamath, and west of Laish or Dan: compare Jdg 1:31, Jdg 18:28, Jos 19:28.
Hamath: 2Sa 8:9, Amo 6:2
Reciprocal: Num 13:17 – southward Num 21:1 – the way of the spies Num 34:8 – the entrance Deu 1:24 – General Jos 19:35 – Hammath Jos 21:31 – Rehob 2Sa 10:8 – Rehob 2Ki 3:8 – the wilderness of Edom 2Ki 14:25 – from the entering 2Ki 18:34 – the gods 2Ki 19:13 – the king 2Ki 23:33 – Hamath 2Ch 8:3 – Hamathzobah Jer 39:5 – Hamath Jer 49:23 – Hamath Jer 52:9 – Hamath Eze 47:16 – Hamath Zec 9:2 – Hamath
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Num 13:21. Zin In the south of Canaan, differing from the wilderness of Sin, which was nigh unto Egypt. To Hamath From the south they passed through the whole land to the northern parts of it; Rehob was a city in the north-west part, Hamath a city in the north-east.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
13:21 So they went up, and searched the land from the wilderness of {e} Zin unto Rehob, as men come to Hamath.
(e) Which was in the wilderness of Paran.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The spies surveyed a very large area. Lebo-hamath (Num 13:21) stood about 50 miles north of Damascus, 100 miles north of the Sea of Chinnereth (Galilee). [Note: Yohanan Aharoni, The Land of the Bible, pp. 72-73.]
The Anakites (Num 13:22) were a tribe of very tall people who lived in Canaan (Num 13:33).
Hebron was a large fortified town. Moses gave it special emphasis here because it was near Hebron that God had promised to give Abraham the land (Gen 13:14-18). From there Abraham had set out to defeat a coalition of kings (Gen 14:13). The only piece of real estate Abraham possessed in Canaan was in Hebron, and there he and the other patriarchs lay buried. The spies, of course, knew these historical facts, and memories of these patriarchal events should have strengthened their faith in Yahweh as they passed through Hebron.
Zoan (Num 13:22) is another name for Tanis, the capital city of Egypt from which the Israelites had come. [Note: See N. Na’aman, "’Hebron Was Built Seven Years before Zoan in Egypt’ (Numbers xiii 22)," Vetus Testamentum 31:4 (1981):488-92.]
The valley of Eshcol was apparently just north of Hebron on the way to Jerusalem. [Note: The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, s.v. "Eschol," by R. C. Ridall, 2:364.] The Hebrew word translated "Eshcol" refers to the stalk or stem of some fruit or flower. From this it came to mean a whole bunch or "cluster" (of grapes). A huge cluster of grapes carried on a pole between two men has long been a symbol of the land of Israel. This figure illustrates the great agricultural productivity of the land. It still is a popular symbol of modern Israel today and is the logo of Israel’s Department of Tourism.