Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible
Numbers 13:17-25
2). The Venture Into Canaan (Numbers 13:17).
The scouts then went out in accordance with Moses' command, investigated the land and returned. This can be outlined as follows:
a The scouts sent out to spy the land (Numbers 13:17).
b The land to be thoroughly investigated for its goodness (Numbers 13:18 a).
c It was the time of firstripe grapes (Numbers 13:20 b).
d They search the land up to Rehob and Labo of Hamath (Numbers 13:21).
d They ascend by the South and come to Hebron (Numbers 13:22).
c At Eshcol they cut down grapes, pomegranates and figs (Numbers 13:23).
b The goodness of the land revealed in its being called Eshcol because of the wonderful grapes (Numbers 13:24).
a They returned from spying after forty days (Numbers 13:25).
We can now look at this in more detail.
The Scouts Sent Out To Spy Out The Land To Test Out Its Goodness (Numbers 13:17).
‘And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, “Get you up this way by the South, and go up into the hill-country, and see the land, what it is, and the people who dwell in it, whether they are strong or weak, whether they are few or many.” '
Moses gave detailed instructions to the scouts. They were to go up by the South, by the Negeb which was on the southern borders of Canaan, and into the hill country, that long range of mountains which was on the east of Canaan, just to the west of the Jordan, mountains that were the backbone of the land, stretching on northward until they turned westwards into the Galilean hills. He wanted to know its substance, and who dwelt there, whether they were strong or weak, and whether they were few or many. This would clearly determine what their next action should be.
He had good reason for the direction he chose. That was where Abraham had spent many years. It was very much ‘the land of their fathers'. Knowledgeable about his people's history his eyes were especially fixed on that portion of the land. Possibly also he recognised that it would be easier to capture the hill country, where there would be no chariots and fewer cities, dealing with the chariots later.
The Scouts Were To Bring Back News of the Strength and Goodness Of the Land (Numbers 13:19).
“ And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it is good or bad, and what cities they are that they dwell in, whether in camps, or in strongholds, and what the land is, whether it is fat or lean, whether there is wood in it, or not. And be of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the time of the first-ripe grapes.'
He also wanted to know what the country was like. Was it good or bad, what cities there were, whether the people dwelt in encampments or strongholds, whether the land was fat or lean, and whether there was wood in it or not. This would then determine which part they should invade. And they were to be brave in their efforts and bring back examples of the fruit of the land.
It Was The Time of First-ripe Grapes (Numbers 13:20 b).
It is then added that this was the time of the first ripe grapes. Thus they would be expected to bring back at least some grapes. The time of the first ripe grapes would be around July. Thus the ‘eleven day' journey from Sinai (Deuteronomy 1:2) had taken about two months. But Deuteronomy had in mind a normal caravan, travelling constantly. This was a whole people on the move, and with many delays.
They Searched Out The Whole Land To The Farthest North (Numbers 13:21).
‘So they went up, and spied out the land from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob, to Labo of Hamath.'
So the scouts went and searched out the land from the extreme south, the wilderness of Zin, up to Rehob and Labo of Hamath in the extreme north. Judges 18:28 confirms that Rehob was on the furthest northern borders of Canaan. Thus the examination of the land was complete and lengthy. They were determined to do a good job and so exceeded their instructions. The scouts almost certainly split up so as to cover more ground, and later rendezvoused.
Labo of Hamath is testified to in inscriptions, but the alternative ‘the entering in of Hamath' (its borders) must always be seen as an alternative possible rendering of the Hebrew.
They Also Searched Out The Hill Country To The East Around Hebron (Numbers 13:22).
‘And they went up by the South (the Negeb), and came to Hebron; and Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were there. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt).
It is stressed that in obedience to what Moses had said they also went up by the South, the Negeb, and ascended the hill country to Hebron (Numbers 13:17). The Negeb was the extreme south of Canaan, a land which could only be cultivated by the careful use of groundwater utilising irrigation techniques, evidence for which has been discovered. Hebron was a well established city in the hill country, in a more fertile area. There they discovered that three well known ‘sons of Anak' dwelt in the area. The sons of Anak were infamous as being very large and fearsome warriors. Compare Joshua 15:14; Judges 1:10.
A note is given so as to emphasise Hebron's great prestige. It was an ancient city even older than Zoan. ‘Seven years' indicates a divinely perfect length of time. God's hand was on its founding. This mention demonstrates that the readers were expected to know of Zoan, which was probably Tanis in the Nile delta near the land of Goshen, a clear indication of the authenticity of the account. Had it been written for a later generation a different, more relevant example could have been found.
They Cut Down A Bunch of First-ripe Grapes Along With Pomegranates and Figs (Numbers 13:23).
‘And they came to the valley of Eshcol, and cut down from there a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bore it on a staff (or ‘litter') between two. They brought also of the pomegranates, and of the figs.'
The area around Hebron was famous for its grapes. The valley of Eshcol was presumably nearby. Eshcol was the name of one of Abraham's confederates, living in that very area some hundreds of years before (Genesis 14:13; Genesis 14:24). It is not therefore too surprising to find there a valley called by that name. There they found luscious grapes, together with pomegranates and figs which they bore back on a litter or pole, in order to demonstrate the fruitfulness of the land.
The Land Proved To Be Good Even From the Names of Its Valleys (Numbers 13:24)
‘That place was called the valley of Eshcol, because of the cluster which the children of Israel cut down from there.'
“Eshcol” means ‘cluster'. The description here is a play on words and does not necessarily mean that they were giving the place a new name, only that they were giving a significance to the name. It was called by that name because it produced such luscious grapes, of which came the grapes that they had brought back. Thus even the names of the valleys demonstrated the land's fruitfulness.
The Scouts Return, Having Been Successful (Numbers 13:25).
‘And they returned from spying out the land at the end of forty days.'
The whole procedure had taken forty days. This was not only a reasonable amount of time for their endeavours (they would not hang about) but also indicated a period of testing as ‘forty' so often does (Genesis 7:4; Genesis 7:12; Exodus 24:18). The land was being tested out for its possibilities and its dangers, and the people were being tested as they waited. It was now time to see the result of the test.