NúmerosCapítulo 13

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The LORD said to Moses:

"Send men to scout out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. Send one man from each ancestral tribe, each of them a leader among his people."

So Moses sent them out from the Wilderness of Paran at the LORD's command. All of them were leading men among the Israelites.

These are their names: from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua son of Zaccur;

from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat son of Hori;

from the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh;

from the tribe of Issachar, Igal son of Joseph;

from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea son of Nun;

from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti son of Raphu;

from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel son of Sodi;

from the tribe of Joseph, that is, from the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi son of Susi;

from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel son of Gemalli;

from the tribe of Asher, Sethur son of Michael;

from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi son of Vophsi;

from the tribe of Gad, Geuel son of Machi.

These are the names of the men Moses sent to scout out the land. And Moses gave Hoshea son of Nun the name Joshua.

When Moses sent them to scout out the land of Canaan, he told them, "Go up through the Negev and on into the hill country.

See what the land is like, and whether the people living there are strong or weak, few or many.

Is the land they live in good or bad? Are their towns open camps or fortified strongholds?

Is the soil rich or poor? Are there trees on it or not? Be bold, and bring back some of the fruit of the land." It was the season of the first ripe grapes.

So they went up and scouted out the land, from the Wilderness of Zin as far as Rehob, near Lebo-hamath.

They went up through the Negev and came to Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, lived. (Hebron had been built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)

When they reached the Valley of Eshcol, they cut off a branch bearing a single cluster of grapes, and two of them carried it on a pole between them, along with some pomegranates and figs.

That place was called the Valley of Eshcol because of the cluster the Israelites cut down there.

At the end of forty days they returned from scouting out the land.

They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole congregation of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh. There they gave their report to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land.

This is the account they gave Moses: "We went into the land where you sent us. It truly does flow with milk and honey, and here is its fruit.

But the people who live there are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw the descendants of Anak there.

The 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 Jordan."

Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, "We should go up at once and take possession of it, for we are well able to do it."

But the men who had gone up with him said, "We cannot attack those people; they are stronger than we are."

And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had scouted: "The land we traveled through to explore it devours those who live in it, and all the people we saw there are of enormous size.

We even saw the Nephilim there—the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim. In our own eyes we seemed like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.

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Resumen2

Capítulo 13

Main Theme: Twelve spies explore Canaan and return with a divided report about the land.

Content: The Lord commands Moses to send one leader from each tribe to explore Canaan. Moses gives Hoshea, son of Nun, the name Joshua. The spies explore the land for 40 days and bring back grapes, pomegranates, and figs as proof of the land's fertility. They confirm that the land flows with milk and honey, but ten of the spies spread fear by reporting about powerful peoples, fortified cities, and giants. Caleb tries to calm the people and urges them to take possession of the land, but the other spies insist it is impossible.

Key Words/Images:

The Cluster of Grapes from the Valley of Eshcol: Symbolizes the land's abundance and the reliability of God's promise—so large that two men had to carry it.
Descendants of Anak (Nephilim): The giant people whom the spies feared, causing them to feel like grasshoppers.
"A land that devours its inhabitants": The spies' exaggerated negative report that undermined the people's faith.
Caleb: The one who spoke words of faith in this chapter and encouraged the people to trust in God's promise.

Contexto histórico

Historical and Cultural Context for Numbers 13

People

The chapter names twelve spies, one from each tribe, all described as נָשִׂיא (nasi) – "princes" or tribal leaders. Two stand out: Caleb son of Jephunneh (כָּלֵב בֶּן־יְפֻנֶּה) from the tribe of Judah. His name may mean "dog" in Hebrew, but its etymology is debated. In verse 30, it is Caleb who calms the people and urges them to take possession of the land. Hoshea son of Nun (הוֹשֵׁעַ בִּן־נוּן) from Ephraim had his name changed by Moses to Joshua (יְהוֹשֻׁעַ) – a theologically significant change from "salvation" to "YHWH is salvation" (v. 16). This name change marks his future role as Moses' successor.

Places

The Wilderness of Paran (מִדְבַּר פָארָן) was the starting point for the spying mission, a large desert area in northeastern Sinai. The Negev (הַנֶגֶב) refers to the dry southern highlands of Canaan and was the natural entry point from the south. Hebron (חֶבְרוֹן) is mentioned as an ancient city, built seven years before the Egyptian Zoan (Tanis) (v. 22). This is a rare chronological reference linking Canaanite and Egyptian history. Archaeological excavations at Tel Rumeida (ancient Hebron) confirm settlement from the Middle Bronze Age (c. 2000–1550 BCE).

The Valley of Eshcol (נַחַל אֶשְׁכּוֹל, "Valley of Clusters") is likely located near Hebron, an area still known for wine production. The place received its name because of the cluster of grapes the spies cut down there (vv. 23–24). The spies' route from "the Wilderness of Zin to Rehob near Lebo-Hamath" (v. 21) describes a north-south axis covering the entire length of the Promised Land – from the southern Negev wilderness to the border region of Lebanon in the north.

Events and Customs

Sending spies before military operations was standard practice in the ancient Near East. Egyptian texts from the New Kingdom describe similar reconnaissance practices. Moses' detailed instructions (vv. 17–20) to assess the strength of the people, the fortifications of the cities, and the fertility of the land follow a pattern known from contemporary military intelligence.

The timing יְמֵי בִּכּוּרֵי עֲנָבִים ("the time of the first ripe grapes," v. 20) places the event in July–August, when the grape harvest traditionally begins in the Palestinian highlands. The fact that the cluster had to be carried on a pole between two men (v. 23) has been seen as hyperbolic, but large grapes from the Hebron area are documented even in modern times – some clusters can weigh up to 5–6 kg.

Key Terms

The word תּוּר (tur, "to spy out/explore") is used consistently throughout the chapter and implies thorough investigation, not merely superficial observation. עֲנָק (Anak) and נְפִילִים (nefilim) refer to groups of people described by the spies as "giants" (vv. 28, 33). The Anakites are described in the text as tall and fearsome; their historical identity is unknown. The reference to nefilim connects them to the figures from Genesis 6:4. The expression אֶרֶץ אֹכֶלֶת יוֹשְׁבֶיהָ ("a land that devours its inhabitants," v. 32) is part of the negative report (דִּבָּה, "evil report") and has been interpreted as a reference to frequent wars or diseases in the region.

The description "a land flowing with milk and honey" (זָבַת חָלָב וּדְבַשׁ, v. 27) is a well-known formula describing fertility and abundance. "Honey" (דְבַשׁ) likely refers primarily to fruit syrup, especially from dates and figs, rather than bee honey.

Chapter-Specific Findings

Archaeological excavations confirm that Hebron was a significant fortified city in the Middle and Late Bronze Ages, with massive city walls consistent with the spies' description of "great, fortified cities" (v. 28). Egyptian execration texts from c. 1900 BCE mention Hebron among hostile Canaanite cities, confirming the city's age and importance. The reference that Hebron was built seven years before Zoan (v. 22) is a relative chronological marker; the dating and founding of Zoan (Tanis) are debated among scholars.

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Palabras clave10

Spies — Persons sent to explore and gather information about a specific area, in this case Canaan.
Canaan — The region God promised to give the people of Israel, later known as the Promised Land.
Moses — The prophet and leader of the people of Israel, who led them out of Egypt and toward the Promised Land.
Joshua — One of the twelve spies sent to Canaan, and a future leader of the people of Israel.
Caleb — Another of the twelve spies, known for his faithfulness and trust in God's promises.
Report — Feedback or information that the spies gave to Moses and the people of Israel after their mission.
Giant inhabitants — Large and strong people who lived in Canaan, which frightened some of the spies and created fear among the people of Israel.
Faith — Trust and conviction that God will keep His promises and give victory to His people.
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