Numbers 13:23

"They 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.)"

Key Reflection

This passage highlights the reconnaissance mission of the spies sent by Moses to scout out Canaan. The mention of Hebron and its inhabitants, the Anakim, underscores the challenge they faced—Hebron being a well-established city with giants as residents, symbolizing the formidable obstacle they encountered. This detail sets the stage for their subsequent report and the Israelites' skepticism, foreshadowing the journey ahead as they grapple with the giants of Canaan.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

The brook of Eshcol is by some identified with the rich valley immediately to the north of Hebron; (but by others with Wady Hanein to the south of Hebron). The valley was, in all likelihood, originally named after one of the three chiefs who were confederate with AbrahamGenesis 14:24; but, as often came to pass, the Israelites, wittingly or unwittingly, took up in a new and significant sense the name which they found; and to them the valley thus became the Valley of the Cluster. Bunches of grapes are found in Palestine of many pounds weight.

More from Numbers 13

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