Kadesh-Barnea

Click here to read Numbers 13.

Chapter 13 deals with the arrival of the Israelites at the Oasis of Kadesh-Barnea, an 11-day trek from Mt. Sinai. Here the Lord said to Moses, "Send men to spy out the land of Canaan which I will give to the people of Israel. Pick one man from each of the tribes, a man who is a leader among them." Moses did as he was instructed.

  1. Shammua, from the tribe of Reuben.
  2. Shaphat, from the tribe of Simeon.
  3. Caleb, from the tribe of Judah.
  4. Igal, from the tribe of Issachar.
  5. Hoshea, from the tribe of Ephraim.
  6. Palti, from the tribe of Benjamin.
  7. Gaddiel, from the tribe of Zebulun.
  8. Gaddi, from the tribe of Manasseh.
  9. Ammiel, from the tribe of Dan.
  10. Sethur, from the tribe of Asher.
  11. Nahbi, from the tribe of Naphtali.
  12. Geuel, from the tribe of Gad.

These 12 men were to spy out the land of Canaan and determine the following:

  1. Were the people of the land strong or weak.
  2. Were they few in number or many.
  3. Was the land good or bad.
  4. Were the cities unguarded or fortified.
  5. Were the people rich or poor.
  6. Did the land have any timber on it.

They were to determine all of this while they were there and when they returned, they were to bring back with them some of the fruit of the land. Moses sent Joshua along with the 12 men.

They were gone 40 days and when they returned they brought back one cluster of grapes that took two men to carry. They also brought back some pomegranates and figs.

The following was their report:

  1. The land flows with milk and honey.
  2. The people are very strong.
  3. The cities are fortified and very large.
  4. The descendants of Anak, a race of giants, live there
  5. The Amalekites, descendants of Esau and enemies of the Israelites, live there.
  6. The Hittites, descendants of Ham and feared by the Israelites, live there.
  7. The Jebusites, a mixed race of mountain people, live there.
  8. The Amorites, who also were mountain people but similar to the Israelites, live there.
  9. The Canaanites, Arabian immigrants, live there in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.

The speaker for the 12 men appeared to be Caleb, from the tribe of Judah, who said, "Let us go up at once and occupy the land for we are well able to overcome it", but the other 11 men replied, "We are not able to go up against there people. They are men of great stature. We look like grass hoppers compared to them."


Previous Chapter
Return to Outline
Ask Questions
Next Chapter