Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible
Numbers 13:1-16
Chapter 13 The Sending Out of Scouts and the Message They Brought Back.
1). The Scouts Sent Out (Numbers 13:1).
The first section from Numbers 13:1 basically covers:
a Yahweh's command to send out men to spy out the land (Numbers 13:1 a).
b The spies to be sent out one for each tribe (Numbers 13:2 b).
c Moses at Yahweh's command sends out spies (Numbers 13:3).
b The names of those sent, one for each tribe (Numbers 13:4).
a These are the names of thos sent out to spy out the land (Numbers 13:16).
‘And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,'
Again we have confirmation that here we have Yahweh's words to Moses. The writer could not make it more clear that he intends us to see what he wrote as the actual words of Moses, spoken to him by the Voice from the throne (Numbers 7:87).
‘Send men, that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of Israel. Of every tribe of their fathers shall you send a man, every one a prince among them.'
Yahweh gave the command to send out spies or scouts to spy out the land of Canaan which He was giving to the children of Israel. A scout was to go out from each tribe, and each scout was to be a prince of the tribe. He intended that those who reported back would be men of substance, and men of authority.
Note the emphasis on the fact that the land was God's gift to them. Thus any failure to respond would be a refusal of God's gift. Yet it was also on the other hand Yahweh's assurance that they need not fear, for the gift was at His disposal and He could ensure its reception. All the tribes were to be involved (apart from Levi). The purpose of sending ‘princes' was probably so that their word might carry authority with all the people. This was a ‘search and see' expedition being carried out on their behalf in order to see how they would respond.
This command of Yahweh was, however, a response to the people's own ideas, for in Deuteronomy 1:22 we learn that the people had first approached Moses with a view to sending out scouts, which would be a normal procedure. God was here confirming His agreement with the plan. God regularly works in with men's determining. The purpose of the people was in order to discover what lay ahead.
‘And Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran according to the commandment of Yahweh, all of them men who were heads of the children of Israel.'
Ever obedient to Yahweh's command Moses sent men out from the wilderness of Paran, where the people were encamped at the oases of the Kadesh region, and all who were sent were chieftains.
‘And these were their names: Of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur. Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori. Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh. Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph. Of the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun. Of the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu. Of the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi. Of the tribe of Joseph, namely, of the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi. Of the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli. Of the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael. Of the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi. Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.'
The names of the chosen scouts were now given. They were different from the princes of chapter 1 but that was to be expected. Those were the supreme heads of the tribe, these were younger princes, the men who would also be responsible to lead into battle. The use of ‘Hoshea' instead of Joshua confirms that the list is indeed ancient. No later generation would have inserted his name in that fashion.
‘These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Hoshea, the son of Nun, Joshua.
Confirmation is given that these were the names of the scouts who were sent out. And one of them was Hoshea, the son of Nun. To him Moses had given the name Joshua (Yehoshua), because he was supremely a man of Yahweh. That was why he had chosen him as his ‘servant', his second-in-command. The prefix signified Yahweh, as did the Yo in the name of Moses' mother or ancestor Yochebed. Here we learn for the only time that Joshua was a man of princely descent.
The name Hoshea means ‘he saves'. The name Joshua means ‘Yahweh is salvation'.