Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible
Numbers 14:6-9
Joshua and Caleb Plead With Israel (Numbers 14:6).
‘And Joshua, the son of Nun, and Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, who were of those who spied out the land, tore their clothes.'
Joshua and Caleb, the only two scouts who had not spoken against going forward, now tore their clothes in order to demonstrate their anguish, before they pleaded with the people. The tearing of the clothes was a deliberate expression of deep emotion intended to gain the greatest effect (see Genesis 37:29; Genesis 37:34; Leviticus 13:45; 2 Samuel 13:31; Jeremiah 36:24).
The time for diplomacy was past and Joshua now took his stand with Caleb, and is named first as being of senior position. It was no longer a matter of prudence in allowing parties seen as unbiased to speak up, but a matter of desperation where every effort had to be used. He hoped that his added authority might carry some weight. They had after all become used to receiving Moses' orders from him.
‘And they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, “The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land. If Yahweh delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it to us, a land which flows with milk and honey.” '
They assured the people that the land that they had passed through was an exceedingly good land. And that Yahweh, if He delighted in them because they trusted Him, was well able to bring them in to it, and give it to them. They assured them that it really was a land flowing with milk and honey, the land that Yahweh had promised to give them.
“ Only do not rebel against Yahweh, nor fear you the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their defence is removed from over them, and Yahweh is with us, fear them not.”
So they pleaded with them not to rebel against Yahweh. Nor were they to fear the people of the land. Against Yahweh the people of the land would have no defence, their defence was removed. Their protecting shadow was gone. Rather than the land eating up its inhabitants, they would be eaten up by the Israelites. Defeating them would be as easy as eating bread. For Yahweh was with Israel, His people, so that they had no need to be afraid of them.
This paralleling of the killing people with eating bread is found elsewhere. The Psalmist spoke of those who ‘eat up my people like they eat bread' (Psalms 14:4; Psalms 53:4), and Micah describes the unjust rulers of Israel as ‘those who hate the good and love the evil --- who eat the flesh of my people' (Micah 3:3). Thus ‘eating flesh' or ‘eating people' signified killing them or doing them great harm. In the same way Caleb and Joshua saw the task of defeating the people in Canaan as being as simple as eating bread when they had Yahweh's power with them.
Note that their words echoed many of those of the other scouts, but as seen from a different point of view. How we look at things determines how we behave.
“Their defence (literally ‘shadow”) is removed from over them.' All in that hot country knew the value of the protecting shadow, and of what it could be like in the extreme heat if the shadow was removed. Possibly it indicated that they were dwelling in comfort under the protecting shadow of their gods, but that Yahweh would tear their shadow away and they would be left to face His blazing sun. More probable, however, is the meaning that the protecting shadow to be moved from over them was Yahweh's restraint which had been held in place until their iniquity was full (Genesis 15:16)