John Gill Commentary Numbers 14:30

"surely ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware that I would make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun." — Numbers 14:30 (ASV)

Doubtless you shall not come into the land The land of Canaan; or "if you shall come" ^F1 ; that is, I swear you shall not, so the Targum of Jonathan:

[concerning] which I swore to make you dwell therein not them personally, but the people and nation of which they were, and to which they belonged, the seed and posterity of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to whom the oath was made:

save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun who brought a good report of the land.

Caleb is mentioned first, as Aben Ezra thinks, because he first appeased and quieted the people; but in (Numbers 14:38) Joshua stands first, so that nothing is to be inferred from hence; these were the only two of the spies that went into the land of Canaan, (Numbers 13:4–15) ; and the only two of the Israelites that were numbered, from twenty years old and upwards, (Numbers 14:29) ; those of the tribe of Levi, not being in that account, must be remembered to be excepted also.

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FOOTNOTES:

• F1: (wabt Mta Ma) "si vos ingressi fueritis", Pagninus, Montanus.