Numbers 13:20

"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;"

Key Reflection

In Numbers 13:20, the Israelites are tasked with a crucial reconnaissance mission to scout out the Promised Land. They were to assess not only the fertility and quality of the land ("whether it is good or bad") but also the nature of the cities they would encounter—whether these were temporary encampments or fortified strongholds. This detailed evaluation was essential for understanding both the agricultural potential and the military challenges they would face upon entering the land, providing a comprehensive picture that would inform their future actions as they prepared to settle in Canaan.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

The time ... of the firstripe grapes -The first grapes ripen in Palestine in July and August: the vintage is gathered in September and October. This indication of date tallies with what we should have inferred from the previous narrative. For the Israelite host had quitted Sinai on the 20th day of the second monthNumbers 13:10,Numbers 13:11, or about the middle of May: since then they had spent a month at Kibroth-hattaavah and a week at Hazeroth, and had accomplished, in all, from 150 to 200 miles of march: it therefore must have been at least the beginning of July, and may have been a month l

More from Numbers 13

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