Numbers 13:2

Numbers 13:2 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them.
• New International Version (NIV)“Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)"Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel. From each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a chief among them."
• New King James Version (NKJV)“Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel; from each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a leader among them.”

Context of Numbers 13:2

1Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Send out men for yourself to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am going to give the sons of Israel; you shall send a man from each of their fathers’ tribes, every one a leader among them.” 3So Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran at the command of the Lord, all of them men who were heads of the sons of Israel. 4These then were their names: from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur;

Numbers 13:2 word by word

שְׁלַח־לְךָ֣ אֲנָשִׁ֗ים וְיָתֻ֙רוּ֙ אֶת־אֶ֣רֶץ כְּנַ֔עַן אֲשֶׁר־אֲנִ֥י נֹתֵ֖ן לִבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל אִ֣ישׁ אֶחָד֩ אִ֨ישׁ אֶחָ֜ד לְמַטֵּ֤ה אֲבֹתָיו֙ תִּשְׁלָ֔חוּ כֹּ֖ל נָשִׂ֥יא בָהֶֽם׃Read the interlinear

• Sendשָׁלַחshâlach · to send: departH7971
• outשָׁלַחshâlach · to send: departH7971
• menאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
• for yourself to spyתּוּרtûr · to spyH8446
• the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• of Canaanכְּנַ֫עַןkena‛an · CanaanH3667
• whichאֲשֶׁר'ăsher · whichH834
• I am going to giveנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
• the sonsבֵּןbên · son: descendant/peopleH1121
• of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• from eachאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
• from eachאֶחָד'echâd · oneH259
• of their fathers’אָב'âb · fatherH1
• tribesמַטֶּהmaţţeh maţţâh · tribeH4294
• everyכֹּלkôl kôl · allH3605
• a leaderנָשִׂיאnâώîy' nâώi' · leaderH5387

Cross-references for Numbers 13:2

• Numbers 32:8This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land.
• Deuteronomy 1:22“Then all of you approached me and said, ‘Let us send men ahead of us, so that they may spy out the land for us, and bring back to us word of the way by which we should go up, and the cities which we should enter.’
• Joshua 2:1Then Joshua the son of Nun sent two men as spies secretly from Shittim, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab, and rested there.
• Numbers 1:4With you, moreover, there shall be a man of each tribe, each one head of his father’s household.
• Numbers 34:18And you shall take one leader of each tribe to assign the land as an inheritance.
• Numbers 11:16The Lord therefore said to Moses, “Gather for Me seventy men from the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and their officers, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and have them take their stand there with you.
• Exodus 18:25Moses chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.
• Deuteronomy 1:15So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and informed men, and appointed them as heads over you, commanders of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, and officers for your tribes.

Commentaries on Numbers 13:2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2Send thou men, that they may search - It appears from Deuteronomy 1:19-24; that this was done in consequence of the request of the people, after the following address of Moses: "And when we departed from Horeb, we went through all that great and terrible wilderness - and we came unto Kadesh-Barnea; and I said unto you, Ye are come unto the mountain of the Amorites, which the Lord our God doth give unto us. Behold the Lord thy God hath set the land before…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2A ruler - A comparison of the list with that of Numbers 13:1:5 following shows that they were not the princes of the tribes, but heads of houses or families Numbers 12:4. Of the names here given those of Joshua and Caleb alone are otherwise known to us.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-16Moses chose a leader from each tribe to explore the land God promised to the Hebrews. The tribes listed are from chapter 1, but the order is different. Caleb and Joshua later prove to be men of faith (14:30).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-331-2. The Lord spake unto Moses, Send thou men, that they may search the land, of Canaan--Compare De 1:22, whence it appears, that while the proposal of delegating confidential men from each tribe to explore the land of Canaan emanated from the people who petitioned for it, the measure received the special sanction of God, who granted their request at once as a trial, and a punishment of their distrust.Read the comment

In the dictionaries

• Canaan
• Israel
• Canaan; Canaanites
• Canaan, Canaanite
• Israel, Israelites
• Jacob, Israel
• Children of Israel
• Caleb
• Exodus
• Search

Commentaries on Numbers 13

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings