Sethur, son of Michael, was the representative from the tribe of Asher among the twelve spies that Moses sent to explore the land of Canaan. He was one of the ten spies who returned with a negative report and discouraged the Israelites from entering the land, which led to God's judgment of 40 years of wandering in the wilderness.
Moses sent Setur along with eleven other spies from the wilderness of Paran to explore the land of Canaan and report on its people, cities, and resources.
20Is 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.
22They 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.)
23When 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.
Setur was among the ten spies who gave a negative report, claiming that the people in the land were too strong and that the Israelites could not take it.
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 Jordan."
32And 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.
33We 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.
The negative report from Setur and the other spies caused the entire congregation of Israel to weep and grumble against Moses and Aaron, wishing to return to Egypt.
2All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, "If only we had died in Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness!
3Why is the LORD bringing us to this land, only to fall by the sword? Our wives and children will become plunder. Wouldn't it be better for us to go back to Egypt?"
As punishment for the false report and for causing the people to grumble, Zethur and the other ten spies died of a plague in the Lord's presence. Only Joshua and Caleb survived.