Matthew Henry Commentary Numbers 13:1-20

"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.