Matthew Henry Commentary


Matthew Henry Commentary
"And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, Send thou men, that they may spy out 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 prince among them. And Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran according to the commandment of Jehovah: all of them men who were heads of the children of Israel. And these were their names: Of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur. Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori. Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh. Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph. Of the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun. Of the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu. Of the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi. Of the tribe of Joseph, [namely], of the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi. Of the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli. Of the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael. Of the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi. Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi. These are the names of the men that Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun Joshua. And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this way by the South, and go up into the hill-country: and see the land, what it is; and the people that dwell therein, whether they are strong or weak, whether they are few or many; and what the land is that they dwell in, whether it is good or bad; and what cities they are that they dwell in, whether in camps, or in strongholds; and what the land is, whether it is fat or lean, whether there is wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the first-ripe grapes." — Numbers 13:1-20 (ASV)
A memorable and melancholy history is related in this and the following chapter, concerning Israel's turning back from the borders of Canaan and their sentence to wander and perish in the wilderness for their unbelief and murmuring. It appears (Deuteronomy 1:22) that the initiative to search out the land came from the people. They had a higher opinion of their own strategy than of God's wisdom. In this way, we ruin ourselves by believing the information and interpretations provided by our senses, rather than Divine revelation. We walk by sight, not by faith.
Moses gave the spies this charge: Be of good courage. It was not only a great undertaking with which they were entrusted, requiring good management and resolution, but also a great trust was placed in them, requiring them to be faithful. Courage in such circumstances can only spring from strong faith, which Caleb and Joshua alone possessed.
"So they went up, and spied out the land from the wilderness of Zin unto Rehob, to the entrance of Hamath. And they went up by the South, and came unto Hebron; and Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were there. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) And they came unto the valley of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it upon a staff between two; [they brought] also of the pomegranates, and of the figs. That place was called the valley of Eshcol, because of the cluster which the children of Israel cut down from thence. And they returned from spying out the land at the end of forty days." — Numbers 13:21-25 (ASV)
The searchers of the land brought a bunch of grapes with them, and other fruits, as proofs of the goodness of the country, which was to Israel both the earnest and the specimen of all the fruits of Canaan. Such are the present comforts we have in communion with God, foretastes of the fullness of joy we expect in the heavenly Canaan. We may see by them what heaven is.
"And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us; and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. Howbeit the people that dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified, [and] very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. Amalek dwelleth in the land of the South: and the Hittite, and the Jebusite, and the Amorite, dwell in the hill-country; and the Canaanite dwelleth by the sea, and along by the side of the Jordan. And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. But the men that went up with him said, We are not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had spied out unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of great stature. And there we saw the Nephilim, the sons of Anak, who come of the Nephilim: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight." — Numbers 13:26-33 (ASV)
We may wonder that the people of Israel stayed forty days for the return of their spies, when they were ready to enter Canaan, under all the assurances of success they could have from the Divine power, and the miracles that had until now attended them. But they distrusted God's power and promise. How much we stand in our own light by our unbelief!
Finally, the messengers returned; but the greater part discouraged the people from going forward to Canaan. The Israelites were justly left to this temptation, for putting confidence in the judgment of men, when they had the word of God to trust in. Though they had found the land as good as God had said, they still would not believe it to be as sure as He had said, but despaired of having it, even though Eternal Truth had promised it to them.
This was the report of the evil spies. Caleb, however, encouraged them to go forward, though supported by Joshua only. He does not say, "Let us go up and conquer it"; but, "Let us go and possess it." Difficulties that are in the way of salvation dwindle and vanish before a lively, active faith in the power and promise of God. All things are possible, if they are promised, to him who believes; but carnal sense and carnal professors are not to be trusted.
Unbelief overlooks the promises and power of God, magnifies every danger and difficulty, and fills the heart with discouragement. May the Lord help us to believe! We shall then find all things possible.
Jump to: