Numbers 13:17 - Moses 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.
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What does "Numbers 13:17" mean?
Numbers 13:17, "Moses 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," is a straightforward instruction given to the twelve spies sent to scout Canaan. Let's break down the meaning:
"Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan": This sets the context. Moses, the leader of the Israelites, is sending representatives to gather information about the land promised to them by God. Canaan is the target area.
"Go up this way by the South": Moses is giving them a specific route to take. He wants them to approach Canaan from the Negev desert, the southern region bordering the Sinai Peninsula.
"and go up into the hill country": After entering from the south, they are instructed to explore the mountainous regions of Canaan. This suggests that Moses particularly wanted information about the terrain in the highlands.
In essence, the verse means:
>Moses instructed the twelve spies to enter Canaan from the southern direction (the Negev desert) and then proceed to explore the mountainous regions of the land.
Why these instructions?
The Bible doesn't explicitly state why Moses gave these exact directions, but we can infer some possibilities:
Strategic Assessment: The hill country would have provided good defensive positions, and Moses likely wanted to know how easily conquerable these areas would be. The mountainous areas also had different resources and populations.
Understanding the Landscape: By exploring both the arid south and the more fertile hill country, the spies would get a well-rounded picture of Canaan's varied geography.
Potential Entry Point: The southern route may have seemed like a less fortified or defended entry point, offering a potential path for invasion.
Ultimately, Moses wanted a comprehensive understanding of Canaan's geography, population, defenses, and resources to inform the Israelites' eventual conquest of the land.
Numbers 13:17 - Moses 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.
What does "Numbers 13:17" mean?
Numbers 13:17, "Moses 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," is a straightforward instruction given to the twelve spies sent to scout Canaan. Let's break down the meaning:
"Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan": This sets the context. Moses, the leader of the Israelites, is sending representatives to gather information about the land promised to them by God. Canaan is the target area.
"Go up this way by the South": Moses is giving them a specific route to take. He wants them to approach Canaan from the Negev desert, the southern region bordering the Sinai Peninsula.
"and go up into the hill country": After entering from the south, they are instructed to explore the mountainous regions of Canaan. This suggests that Moses particularly wanted information about the terrain in the highlands.
In essence, the verse means:
>Moses instructed the twelve spies to enter Canaan from the southern direction (the Negev desert) and then proceed to explore the mountainous regions of the land.
Why these instructions?
The Bible doesn't explicitly state why Moses gave these exact directions, but we can infer some possibilities:
Strategic Assessment: The hill country would have provided good defensive positions, and Moses likely wanted to know how easily conquerable these areas would be. The mountainous areas also had different resources and populations.
Understanding the Landscape: By exploring both the arid south and the more fertile hill country, the spies would get a well-rounded picture of Canaan's varied geography.
Potential Entry Point: The southern route may have seemed like a less fortified or defended entry point, offering a potential path for invasion.
Ultimately, Moses wanted a comprehensive understanding of Canaan's geography, population, defenses, and resources to inform the Israelites' eventual conquest of the land.