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Numbers
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The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Send men, that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of Israel. Of every tribe of their fathers, you shall send a man, every one a prince among them.” See also: Deuteronomy 1:22-25Numbers 32:8Numbers 34:18Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran according to the commandment of the LORD. All of them were men who were heads of the children of Israel. See also: Numbers 12:16Numbers 32:8Deuteronomy 1:19These 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. See also: Numbers 34:19Numbers 14:6Joshua 14:6-15Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph. Of the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun. See also: Exodus 24:13Numbers 11:28Deuteronomy 31:7-8Of the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu. Of the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi. Of the tribe of Joseph, 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 who Moses sent to spy out the land. Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun Joshua. See also: Numbers 13:8Exodus 17:9Acts 7:45Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, “Go up this way by the South, and go up into the hill country. See also: Judges 1:9Genesis 12:9Judges 1:19See the land, what it is; and the people who dwell therein, whether they are strong or weak, whether they are few or many; See also: Exodus 3:8Ezekiel 34:14and 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 fertile or poor, whether there is wood therein, or not. Be courageous, and bring some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the time of the first-ripe grapes. See also: Deuteronomy 31:23Ezekiel 34:14Nehemiah 9:25So they went up, and spied out the land from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob, to the entrance of Hamath. See also: Numbers 20:1Numbers 33:36Numbers 27:14They went up by the South, and came to Hebron; and Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were there. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) See also: Psalms 78:43Psalms 78:12Isaiah 19:11They came to the valley of Eshcol, and cut down from there a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bore it on a staff between two. They also brought some of the pomegranates and figs. See also: Numbers 32:9Numbers 13:24Deuteronomy 1:24-25That place was called the valley of Eshcol, because of the cluster which the children of Israel cut down from there. They returned from spying out the land at the end of forty days. See also: Exodus 34:28Exodus 24:18Numbers 14:33-34They went and came to Moses, to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, to the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word to them and to all the congregation. They showed them the fruit of the land. See also: Numbers 32:8Numbers 20:1Numbers 20:16They told him, and said, “We came to the land where you sent us. Surely it flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. See also: Exodus 3:8Exodus 3:17Exodus 13:5However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. Moreover, we saw the children of Anak there. See also: Deuteronomy 9:1-2Deuteronomy 1:28Numbers 13:33Amalek dwells in the land of the South. The Hittite, the Jebusite, and the Amorite dwell in the hill country. The Canaanite dwells by the sea, and along the side of the Jordan.” See also: Numbers 14:43Judges 6:3Numbers 24:20Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, “Let’s go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it!” See also: Numbers 14:24Philippians 4:13Romans 8:31But the men who went up with him said, “We aren’t able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.” See also: Deuteronomy 1:28Joshua 14:8Hebrews 3:19They brought up an evil report of the land which they had spied out to the children of Israel, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that eats up its inhabitants; and all the people who we saw in it are men of great stature. See also: Amos 2:9Numbers 14:36-37Ezekiel 36:13-14There we saw the Nephilim, the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim. We were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.” See also: Deuteronomy 1:28Genesis 6:4Isaiah 40:22
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Notes · Haydock (1859, public domain)15 notes
Notes in English 19th-century Catholic commentary by Fr. George Leo Haydock, shown as published.
These notes keep the polemics of their time: some speak harshly of the Jewish people or of other Christians. The Church teaches otherwise today. The Jewish people may not be blamed for the death of Christ (Nostra Aetate 4; Catechism 597–598), and Christians of other communities are our brothers and sisters in the Lord (Unitatis Redintegratio 3). Christian unity
Numbers 13:1
Ver. 1. Pharan, at Rethma, C. xxxiii. 48.; though Barradius confounds that station with that at Cades-barne. The Samaritan copy inserts here a long passage, taken probably from Deut. i. 20.
21. and 22, which shews that the Hebrews first proposed the sending spies, out of timidity; which God severely punished in the sequel, though in his anger he here consents to their proposal, which seemed to originate in motives of prudence, v. 3.
↑ 1Numbers 13:3
Ver. 3. Rulers of a hundred men, according to Hiscuni, inferior to those mentioned, C. x. 14. C.
↑ 3Numbers 13:6
Ver. 6. Huri: Sept. "Souri." None of the tribe of Levi, the third son of Jacob, are sent; but two represent the different branches of the tribe of Joseph, v. 9. 12.
The tribe of Ephraim comes out of its natural order, and has been overlooked by Calmet. H.
↑ 6Numbers 13:12
Ver. 12. Sceptre. Heb. matte, means also "a tribe."
↑ 12Numbers 13:17
Ver. 17. Josue. His former name Osee, or Hoseah, means "one saved, or salvation:" but the addition of the i, taken from the name of the Lord, intimates,
"he shall save, or the Saviour of God." Some think that Moses had given him this name after the defeat of the Amalecites; but the Book of Exodus, where the name is found, might have been written after he received this commission.
C. --- The Sept. have, "Ause, the son of Nave, Jesus," as he was a striking figure of our blessed Saviour, and their names are written with the same letters, Yehoshuah. This Moses foresaw, and also that he should be the happy instrument, in the hand of God, of saving the Israelites, by introducing them to the land of promise, and establishing them in peace therein. M.
--- The changing of his name imported, likewise, that he should be the chief leader. Theod. q. 25.
W.
↑ 17Numbers 13:18
Ver. 18. South side, which is to the north of where you now dwell. Moses enters into several details for the satisfaction of the people, though they had probably a general idea of the country and of its fruitfulness already, having lived not far off. They might not know, however, but that some part of the inhabitants might dwell in tents, instead of towns, as many of the Arabians did.
↑ 18Numbers 13:21
Ver. 21. First ripe ( præcoquæ:) Heb. lit. "the first-born." Sept. "the days of spring, forerunners of the grape." In Madeira, grapes ripen in March. Some suppose the messengers departed in June, others in July. In Palestine, they have fresh grapes from the end of June till Martinmas, and three vintages, in August, and in each of the two following months.
↑ 21Numbers 13:22
Ver. 22. Sin. The desert of Pharan was contiguous to that of Sin. They departed from Cadesbarne, and went along the Jordan to Rohob, at the foot of Mount Libanus, and on the road to Emath; then they returned by the confines of the Sidonians and Philistines, through Hebron, to the camp at Cades.
↑ 22Numbers 13:23
Ver. 23. And came. The printed Heb. has, "and he came:" but the Sam. and all the versions, as well as some MSS. properly retain the plural, which the Massorets allow is right. Kenn. Diss. 1.
--- Enac, the founder of Hebron, and father of the giants of Chanaan. Jos. xv.
13. The Greek word anax, "king," was perhaps derived from him, as also the famous Inachides, who settled in Greece, after they were driven out by Josue.
Grot. --- Tanis, where the tyrants of the Hebrews resided; a city, which the Egyptians represented as the most ancient in the world. Moses represses their vain boasting, by informing them that Hebron was of greater antiquity. It was afterwards assigned to the priests, and for a city of refuge, in the tribe of Juda.
Jos. xx. 7.
↑ 23Numbers 13:24
Ver. 24. Torrent. Sept. "vale." --- Its. Heb. "one cluster." --- Two men, Josue and Caleb; (S.
Maximus) though the Rabbins say they carried nothing. --- Lever, or staff, suspending it thus, in order that it might not be crushed. In that valley, Doubdan (i. 21,) was assured by the religious, that clusters, weighing twelve pounds, might still be found. Pliny (xiv. 1,) says, there are some in Africa, larger than a male infant. Strabo (xi.) describes some in Carmania, two cubits high.
Forster saw a religious man at Nurenberg, who had lived eight years in Palestine, and assured him that two men could hardly carry a bunch of grapes, such as grew in the vale of Hebron: (C.) but this may seem to be an hyperbole.
H. --- Lucas (T. i. p. 310,) assures us, that he had seen a bunch at Damascus, weighing above forty pounds. The Fathers here contemplate Jesus Christ, suspended between the two testaments, the synagogue and the Church: the juice, or blood of the grape, (Gen. xlix. 2. Deut. xxii. 14,) denotes his passion.
S. Jer. ep. ad Fab. S. Bern. in Cant.
ser. 44. C.
↑ 24Numbers 13:27
Ver. 27. Cades. The desert of Pharan, or of Cades, is the same. H. --- The town is sometimes called Cades-barne, or Recem, (Chald.) which is Petra, the capital of the stony Arabia, and lies rather nearer to the Dead Sea than to the Mediterranean. It was on the high road from the Red Sea to Hebron. In one part of the desert of Cades, the people murmured for want of water. C. xx.
1. But there was plenty near the city. Moses continued here a long time after the return of the spies. Deut. i. 19. 46. C.
↑ 27Numbers 13:30
Ver. 30. South. They had already routed the Amalecites; but the spies insidiously recall to their remembrance, that they would be again in arms to obstruct their passage. --- Hethites, dwelt nearest the Philistines, in the country which fell to the shares of Simeon and of Dan. The Jebusites occupied Jerusalem; and the Amorrhites, the most powerful of all those nations, held possession of most of the territory which was allotted to Juda. Nearer the Dead Sea, on the same mountains, dwelt the Cinezeans and the Cineans.
Bonfrere places the Chanaanites on the banks of the Jordan, from the lake of Sodom as far as the sea of Tiberias. But they dwelt also near the Mediterranean; and the Phœnicians maintained themselves at Tyre and Sidon, against the most powerful kings of the Jews, and extended their commerce over the old world, to many parts of which they sent out colonies. C.
↑ 30Numbers 13:31
Ver. 31. Caleb, to whom Josue alone joined himself, to bear witness of the truth against the other ten; whom the people were, however, more inclined to believe, (C. xiv. 6. Eccli. xlvi. 9,) paying more attention to numbers than to authority, when it suited their humour. H.
↑ 31Numbers 13:33
Ver. 33. Spoke ill, &c. These men, who, by their misrepresentations of the land of promise, discouraged the Israelites from attempting the conquest of it, were a figure of worldlings, who, by decrying or misrepresenting true devotion, discourage Christians from seeking in earnest and acquiring so great a good, and thereby securing to themselves a happy eternity. Ch. ---
Devoureth, by being exposed to continual wars from the Arabs, Idumeans, and from its own inhabitants, the monsters of the race of Enac. With this God had threatened the Hebrews, if they proved rebellious. Lev. xxvi. 38. See Ezec.
xxxvi. 13. C.
↑ 33Numbers 13:34
Ver. 34. Monsters. Heb. "giants." --- Locusts, or grasshoppers. So much inferior in size were we to them. Heb. insinuates that the spies entertained these sentiments when they beheld the giants, and the latter seemed to look down upon them with contempt; "and so we were in their sight."
These wicked men scrupled not to exaggerate in order to fill the people with dismay. H. --- Their suggestions tended to make them distrust the goodness or the power of God; and therefore he would not suffer them to enjoy the sweets of the land. C. xiv. 23. 29. W. See Deut. i. 28. Isai.
xl. 21.
↑ 34License: Notes by Fr. George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), from the Douay-Rheims Bible with Haydock's commentary (first ed. Thomas Haydock, Manchester/Dublin, 1811–1814; New York: Edward Dunigan & Brother, 1859); New Testament notes compiled with Fr. Benedict Rayment. Public domain. Digital text: "The Haydock Bible", Internet Archive (archive.org/details/TheHaydockBible), uploaded 2011 under the Public Domain Mark. · Credits and licenses