Numbers 13 · Verse 2

Numbers 13:2

Send thou men, that they may search 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 ruler among them.
Numbers 13:2, King James Version

Numbers 13:2 in other translations

BSB“Send out for yourself men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each of their fathers’ tribes send one man who is a leader among them.”
WEB“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.”
ASVSend 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.
YLT‘Send for thee men, and they spy the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the sons of Israel; one man, one man for the tribe of his fathers ye do send, every one a prince among them.'
DARBYSend thou men, that they may search out the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel. Ye shall send a man of every tribe of his fathers, each a prince among them.
BBESend men to get knowledge about the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel; from every tribe of their fathers you are to send a man, every one a chief among them.
WebsterSend thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them.

What does Numbers 13:2 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Numbers 13:1-2

Nu 13:1-33. The Names of the Men Who Were Sent to Search the Land. 1-2. The Lord spake unto Moses, Send thou men, that they may search the land, of Canaan--Compare De 1:22, whence it appears, that while the proposal of delegating confidential men from each tribe to explore the land of Canaan emanated from the people who petitioned for it, the measure received the special sanction of God, who granted their request at…

Read the full comment on Numbers 13:1-2 →

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 2 Send thou men, that they may search - It appears from Deu 1:19-24 that this was done in consequence of the request of the people, after the following address of Moses: "And when we departed from Horeb, we went through all that great and terrible wilderness - and we came unto Kadesh-Barnea; and I said unto you, Ye are come unto the mountain of the Amorites, which the Lord our God doth give unto us. Behold the Lord thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged. And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said: We Will Send Men Before Us, And They Shall Search Us Out The Land and bring us word again, by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come. And the saying pleased me well, and I took twelve men of you, one of a tribe," etc., etc. Nearly the whole of these verses is added here by the Samaritan. Every one a ruler - Not any of the princes of the people, (see Numbers 1) for these names are different from those; but these now sent were men of consideration and importance in their respective tribes.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Numbers 13:1-20

A memorable and melancholy history is related in this and the following chapter, of the turning back of Israel from the borders of Canaan, and the sentencing them to wander and perish in the wilderness, for their unbelief and murmuring. It appears, De 1:22, that the motion to search out the land came from the people. They had a better opinion of their own policy than of God's wisdom. Thus we ruin ourselves by…

Read the full comment on Numbers 13:1-20 →

Numbers 13:2 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

שְׁלַח\־she.lach-sendH7971
לְךָ֣le.Khafor <the> yourself
אֲנָשִׁ֗ים'a.na.ShimmenH582
וְיָתֻ֙רוּ֙ve.ya.Tu.ruso they may spy outH8446
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
אֶ֣רֶץ'E.retz[the] land ofH776
כְּנַ֔עַןke.Na.'anCanaanH3667
אֲשֶׁר\־'a.Sher-whichH834
אֲנִ֥י'a.NiIH589
נֹתֵ֖ןno.Ten[am] about to giveH5414
לִבְנֵ֣יliv.Neito [the] people ofH1121
יִשְׂרָאֵ֑לYis.ra.'ElIsraelH3478
אִ֣ישׁ'isha manH376
אֶחָד֩'e.ChadoneH259
אִ֨ישׁ'isha manH376
אֶחָ֜ד'e.ChadoneH259
לְמַטֵּ֤הle.ma.Tehfor [the] tribe ofH4294
אֲבֹתָיו֙'a.vo.Tavancestors hisH1
תִּשְׁלָ֔חוּtish.La.chuyou will sendH7971
כֹּ֖לkolevery [one]H3605
נָשִׂ֥יאna.Si'a leaderH5387
בָהֶֽם\׃va.Hemamong <the> them

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Numbers 13:2

  • Deuteronomy 1:22-25

    And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come. And the saying pleased me well: and I took twelve men of you, one of a tribe: And they turned and went up into the mountain, and came unto the valley of Eshcol, and searched it out. And they took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down unto us, and brought us word again, and said, It is a good land which the Lord our God doth give us.

  • Numbers 32:8

    Thus did your fathers, when I sent them from Kadesh–barnea to see the land.

  • Numbers 34:18

    And ye shall take one prince of every tribe, to divide the land by inheritance.

  • Exodus 18:25

    And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.

  • Deuteronomy 1:15

    So I took the chief of your tribes, wise men, and known, and made them heads over you, captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, and captains over fifties, and captains over tens, and officers among your tribes.

  • Numbers 11:16

    And the Lord said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee.

  • Numbers 1:4

    And with you there shall be a man of every tribe; every one head of the house of his fathers.

  • Joshua 2:1-24

    And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot’s house, named Rahab, and lodged there. And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, there came men in hither to night of the children of Israel to search out the country. And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house: for they be come to search out all the country. And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were: …

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Send thou.
32:8; De 1:22-25; Jos 2:1-24
of every.
1:4; 34:18
a ruler.
11:16; Ex 18:25; De 1:15

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Numbers 13:1

    And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

  • Numbers 13:2

    Send thou men, that they may search 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 ruler among them.

  • Numbers 13:3

    And Moses by the commandment of the Lord sent them from the wilderness of Paran: all those men were heads of the children of Israel.

Read all of Numbers 13

Numbers 13:2 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y Jehová habló á Moisés, diciendo:
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Envoie des hommes, et ils reconnaîtront le pays de Canaan, que je donne aux fils d’Israël; vous enverrez un homme pour chaque tribu de ses pères, tous des princes parmi eux.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Sende dir Männer aus, daß sie das Land Kanaan auskundschaften, welches ich den Kindern Israel gebe; je einen Mann für den Stamm seiner Väter sollt ihr aussenden, jeder ein Fürst unter ihnen.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Ibique locutus est Dominus ad Moysen, dicens: