The 12 Spies

At the LORD's command from the wilderness of Paran, Moses sent one man from each tribe, "every one a chief among them," to spy out the land of Canaan (Numbers 13:1–3). The roster is given by name: Shammua of Reuben, Shaphat of Simeon, Caleb son of Jephunneh of Judah, Igal of Issachar, Hoshea son of Nun of Ephraim, whom Moses called Joshua, Palti of Benjamin, Gaddiel of Zebulun, Gaddi of Manasseh, Ammiel of Dan, Sethur of Asher, Nahbi of Naphtali, and Geuel of Gad (Numbers 13:4–16).

Their orders were specific: see what the land is, whether the people are strong or weak, few or many, whether the towns are camps or fortresses, and whether the soil is rich or poor, and bring back some of the fruit (Numbers 13:17–20). It was the season of the first ripe grapes. They went up through the Negeb to Hebron and cut down a single cluster of grapes at the Valley of Eshcol that had to be carried on a pole between two men, along with pomegranates and figs, and they returned after forty days (Numbers 13:21–25).

The report began well and turned. The land flows with milk and honey, they said, and this is its fruit; however, the people who dwell in the land are strong, the cities are fortified and very large, and there they saw the descendants of Anak (Numbers 13:27–28). Caleb quieted the people and said, "Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it," but the other men said, "We are not able," and spread a bad report, saying the land devours its inhabitants and that they seemed to themselves like grasshoppers (Numbers 13:30–33).

The whole congregation wept that night and spoke of choosing a leader to return to Egypt. Joshua, and Caleb tore their clothes and pleaded that if the LORD delighted in them He would bring them in, and that the protection of the peoples was removed from them, but the congregation said to stone them (Numbers 14:1–10). The sentence that followed matched the forty days with forty years: everyone numbered from twenty years old and upward would fall in the wilderness, and their children would know the land they had rejected (Numbers 14:29–34).

The ten who brought the bad report died by plague before the LORD, and of the twelve only Joshua and Caleb remained alive (Numbers 14:36–38). Forty-five years later Caleb came to Joshua at Gilgal, still strong at eighty-five, and asked for the hill country of Hebron because he had "wholly followed the LORD my God" (Joshua 14:6–14).