The Twelve Spies
Encyclopedia
In the Book of Numbers
, The Twelve Spies (Hebrew: י"ב המרגלים) were a group of Israelite chieftains, one from each of the Twelve Tribes, who were dispatched by Moses
to scout out the Land of Canaan
for 40 days during the time the Israelites were in the desert. The account is found in Numbers
.
The God of the bible had promised Abraham
that there would be a Promised Land
for the nations to come out of his son, Isaac
. The land of Canaan which the spies were to explore was the same Promised Land. When ten of the twelve spies told lies about the land, they were slandering what the God of the bible had promised them. They did not believe that the God of the bible could help them, and the people as a whole were persuaded that it was not possible to take the land. As a result, the entire nation was made to wander in the desert for 40 years, until almost the entire generation of men had died. Joshua
and Caleb
were the two spies who brought back a good report and believed that God would help them succeed. They were the only men from their generation permitted to go into the Promised Land after the time of wandering.
instructed the spies to report back on the agriculture and lay of the land. During their tour, however, the spies saw fortified cities and resident giants, which frightened them and led them to believe that the Israelites would not be able to conquer the land as God had promised. Ten of the spies decided to bring back a false report, emphasizing the difficulty of the task before them.
Two of the spies — Joshua and Caleb — did not go along with the majority and tried to convince the Israelites that they could conquer the land. However, the Israelites believed the majority's conclusions. All of the spies except Joshua and Caleb were struck down with a plague and died.
Joshua
was at first a fierce warrior. He was chosen to as the representative from his tribe, Ephraim, to explore the land of Canaan, and was in agreement with Caleb that the Promised Land could be conquered. After the incident with the 12 spies, Joshua lived through the 40 year wandering period, and was named successor to Moses as instructed by the God of the bible. Joshua completed the task of leading the Israelites into the Promised Land and of taking possession of it. Joshua also was the leader in renewing the Mosaic covenant with the God of the bible.
Caleb
was from the tribe of Judah. He was also chosen to explore the land of Canaan, and he was (along with Joshua) the other man who said that the God of the bible could help the Israelite people to victory against the Canaanites. the God of the bible promised Caleb and Joshua that they would receive the land which they had explored for themselves and their descendants. Caleb was also told that he would live to go into the Promised Land.
The names of the twelve spies were:
Some people think the word "spies" is an incorrect translation. In Chapter 13 of Numbers, the hebrew word describing the group is the word usually translated as 'men' or the word usually translated as 'princes'. In addition, the twelve were clearly not trained as spies, nor did they conduct any covert activity nor did they enlist any indigenous people for later help. Thus the phrase "Twelve Scouts" or "Twelve Observers" might be an alternate way of describing the group.
(slander) against the Land of Israel.
This was considered a grave sin by the God of the bible. Corresponding to the 40 days that the spies toured the land, the God of the bible decreed that the Israelites would wander in the wilderness for 40 years as a result of their unwillingness to take the land. Moreover, the entire generation of men who left Egypt
during the Exodus
would die in the desert, save for Joshua and Caleb who did not slander the land.
For 40 years the Israelites wandered in the desert, eating quail
and manna
. They were led into the Promised Land by Joshua; the victory at Jericho
marked the beginning of possession of the land. As victories were won, the tracts of land were assined to each tribe, and they lived peacefully with each other. the God of the bible brought victories where needed, and his promise to Abraham was fulfilled.
4:6), the sin of the spies produced the annual fast day of Tisha B'Av
. When the Israelites accepted the false report, they wept over the false belief that God was setting them up for defeat. The night that the people cried was the ninth of Av
, which became a day of weeping and misfortune for all time.
Rashi
, commenting on Numbers 13:23, notes that the journey was shortened by God as he foresaw their downfall and subsequent proportionate punishment (1 day equaling 1 year).
Book of Numbers
The Book of Numbers is the fourth book of the Hebrew Bible, and the fourth of five books of the Jewish Torah/Pentateuch....
, The Twelve Spies (Hebrew: י"ב המרגלים) were a group of Israelite chieftains, one from each of the Twelve Tribes, who were dispatched by Moses
Moses
Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
to scout out the Land of Canaan
Canaan
Canaan is a historical region roughly corresponding to modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and the western parts of Jordan...
for 40 days during the time the Israelites were in the desert. The account is found in Numbers
Book of Numbers
The Book of Numbers is the fourth book of the Hebrew Bible, and the fourth of five books of the Jewish Torah/Pentateuch....
.
The God of the bible had promised Abraham
Abraham
Abraham , whose birth name was Abram, is the eponym of the Abrahamic religions, among which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam...
that there would be a Promised Land
Promised land
The Promised Land is a term used to describe the land promised or given by God, according to the Hebrew Bible, to the Israelites, the descendants of Jacob. The promise is firstly made to Abraham and then renewed to his son Isaac, and to Isaac's son Jacob , Abraham's grandson...
for the nations to come out of his son, Isaac
Isaac
Isaac as described in the Hebrew Bible, was the only son Abraham had with his wife Sarah, and was the father of Jacob and Esau. Isaac was one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites...
. The land of Canaan which the spies were to explore was the same Promised Land. When ten of the twelve spies told lies about the land, they were slandering what the God of the bible had promised them. They did not believe that the God of the bible could help them, and the people as a whole were persuaded that it was not possible to take the land. As a result, the entire nation was made to wander in the desert for 40 years, until almost the entire generation of men had died. Joshua
Joshua
Joshua , is a minor figure in the Torah, being one of the spies for Israel and in few passages as Moses's assistant. He turns to be the central character in the Hebrew Bible's Book of Joshua...
and Caleb
Caleb
Caleb is a male given name. A character called Caleb is named in both the Bible and Quran.-Caleb:When the Hebrews came to the outskirts of Canaan, the land that had been promised to them by God, after having fled slavery in Egypt, Moses sent twelve spies into Canaan to report on what was...
were the two spies who brought back a good report and believed that God would help them succeed. They were the only men from their generation permitted to go into the Promised Land after the time of wandering.
About the spies
the God of the bible had promised the Israelites that they would be able to conquer the land with its incumbent Canaanite nations. MosesMoses
Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
instructed the spies to report back on the agriculture and lay of the land. During their tour, however, the spies saw fortified cities and resident giants, which frightened them and led them to believe that the Israelites would not be able to conquer the land as God had promised. Ten of the spies decided to bring back a false report, emphasizing the difficulty of the task before them.
Two of the spies — Joshua and Caleb — did not go along with the majority and tried to convince the Israelites that they could conquer the land. However, the Israelites believed the majority's conclusions. All of the spies except Joshua and Caleb were struck down with a plague and died.
Joshua
Joshua
Joshua , is a minor figure in the Torah, being one of the spies for Israel and in few passages as Moses's assistant. He turns to be the central character in the Hebrew Bible's Book of Joshua...
was at first a fierce warrior. He was chosen to as the representative from his tribe, Ephraim, to explore the land of Canaan, and was in agreement with Caleb that the Promised Land could be conquered. After the incident with the 12 spies, Joshua lived through the 40 year wandering period, and was named successor to Moses as instructed by the God of the bible. Joshua completed the task of leading the Israelites into the Promised Land and of taking possession of it. Joshua also was the leader in renewing the Mosaic covenant with the God of the bible.
Caleb
Caleb
Caleb is a male given name. A character called Caleb is named in both the Bible and Quran.-Caleb:When the Hebrews came to the outskirts of Canaan, the land that had been promised to them by God, after having fled slavery in Egypt, Moses sent twelve spies into Canaan to report on what was...
was from the tribe of Judah. He was also chosen to explore the land of Canaan, and he was (along with Joshua) the other man who said that the God of the bible could help the Israelite people to victory against the Canaanites. the God of the bible promised Caleb and Joshua that they would receive the land which they had explored for themselves and their descendants. Caleb was also told that he would live to go into the Promised Land.
The names of the twelve spies were:
- Shammua son of Zaccur, from the tribe of Reuben
- Shaphat son of Hori, from the tribe of Simeon
- Caleb son of Jephunneh, from the tribe of Judah
- Igal son of Joseph, from the tribe of Issachar
- Hoshea (Joshua) son of Nun, from the tribe of Ephraim
- Palti son of Raphu, from the tribe of Benjamin
- Gaddiel son of Sodi, from the tribe of Zebulin
- Gaddi son of Susi, from the tribe of Manassah
- Ammiel son of Gemalli, from the tribe of Dan
- Sethur son of Michael, from the tribe of Asher
- Nahbi son of Vophsi, from the tribe of Naphtali
- Geuel son of Maki, from the tribe of Gad
Some people think the word "spies" is an incorrect translation. In Chapter 13 of Numbers, the hebrew word describing the group is the word usually translated as 'men' or the word usually translated as 'princes'. In addition, the twelve were clearly not trained as spies, nor did they conduct any covert activity nor did they enlist any indigenous people for later help. Thus the phrase "Twelve Scouts" or "Twelve Observers" might be an alternate way of describing the group.
Consequences
The Israelites' belief of the false report amounted to the acceptance of lashon haraLashon hara
The Hebrew term lashon hara is a term for gossip. It also refers to the prohibition in Jewish Law of telling gossip....
(slander) against the Land of Israel.
This was considered a grave sin by the God of the bible. Corresponding to the 40 days that the spies toured the land, the God of the bible decreed that the Israelites would wander in the wilderness for 40 years as a result of their unwillingness to take the land. Moreover, the entire generation of men who left Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
during the Exodus
The Exodus
The Exodus is the story of the departure of the Israelites from ancient Egypt described in the Hebrew Bible.Narrowly defined, the term refers only to the departure from Egypt described in the Book of Exodus; more widely, it takes in the subsequent law-givings and wanderings in the wilderness...
would die in the desert, save for Joshua and Caleb who did not slander the land.
For 40 years the Israelites wandered in the desert, eating quail
Quail
Quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds generally considered in the order Galliformes. Old World quail are found in the family Phasianidae, while New World quail are found in the family Odontophoridae...
and manna
Manna
Manna or Manna wa Salwa , sometimes or archaically spelled mana, is the name of an edible substance that God provided for the Israelites during their travels in the desert according to the Bible.It was said to be sweet to the taste, like honey....
. They were led into the Promised Land by Joshua; the victory at Jericho
Jericho
Jericho ; is a city located near the Jordan River in the West Bank of the Palestinian territories. It is the capital of the Jericho Governorate and has a population of more than 20,000. Situated well below sea level on an east-west route north of the Dead Sea, Jericho is the lowest permanently...
marked the beginning of possession of the land. As victories were won, the tracts of land were assined to each tribe, and they lived peacefully with each other. the God of the bible brought victories where needed, and his promise to Abraham was fulfilled.
Tisha B’Av
According to Rabbinic tradition (as seen in the Mishnah TaanitTa'anit
A ta'anit or taanis or taʿanith in Classical Hebrew is a fast in Judaism in which one abstains from all food and drink, including water...
4:6), the sin of the spies produced the annual fast day of Tisha B'Av
Tisha B'Av
|Av]],") is an annual fast day in Judaism, named for the ninth day of the month of Av in the Hebrew calendar. The fast commemorates the destruction of both the First Temple and Second Temple in Jerusalem, which occurred about 655 years apart, but on the same Hebrew calendar date...
. When the Israelites accepted the false report, they wept over the false belief that God was setting them up for defeat. The night that the people cried was the ninth of Av
Av
Av is the eleventh month of the civil year and the fifth month of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar. The name is Babylonian in origin and appeared in the Talmud around the 3rd century. This is the only month which is not named in the Bible. It is a summer month of 30 days...
, which became a day of weeping and misfortune for all time.
Rashi
Rashi
Shlomo Yitzhaki , or in Latin Salomon Isaacides, and today generally known by the acronym Rashi , was a medieval French rabbi famed as the author of a comprehensive commentary on the Talmud, as well as a comprehensive commentary on the Tanakh...
, commenting on Numbers 13:23, notes that the journey was shortened by God as he foresaw their downfall and subsequent proportionate punishment (1 day equaling 1 year).