SEV Biblia, Chapter 13:2
Envía tú hombres que reconozcan la tierra de Canaán, la cual yo doy a los hijos de Israel; de cada tribu de sus padres enviaréis un varón, cada uno príncipe entre ellos.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Numbers 13:2
Verse 2. Send thou men, that they may search] It appears from Deut. i. 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," &c., &c. 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 chap. 1.,) for these names are different from those; but these now sent were men of consideration and importance in their respective tribes.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 2. Send thou men , etc.] Which is rather a permission than a command; so Jarchi interprets it, “send men according to thy mind, I do not command thee, but if thou pleasest send;” this he observed was agreeable to Moses, and to the Israelites, and therefore granted it, or allowed them to take their own way, and which issued badly, as it always does, when men are left to their own counsel: that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel ; called the land of Canaan, though it consisted of seven nations, from the principal of them; this God had given in promise to the children of Israel, and had now brought them to the borders of it; nay, had given them orders to go up and possess it; but they were for searching it first, to know what sort of a land it was, and which was the best way of entering into it, which is here permitted them, (see Deuteronomy 1:21,22); of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man ; excepting the tribe of Levi; the reason of which was because they were to have no inheritance in the land, ( Deuteronomy 10:9 18:1,2); but then, to make up the number twelve, the two sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, are reckoned as two tribes: everyone a ruler among them ; a prince in his tribe; so were men of honour and credit, of power and authority, of prudence and probity, and who might be trusted with such an affair, and their report believed: they were not indeed princes of the highest rank, not the same that assisted in taking the numbers of the people, who were captains over their several tribes, as in ( Numbers 1:4-16 2:2-31), etc. but were inferior princes and rulers, perhaps rulers of thousands.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-20 - A memorable and melancholy history is related in this and the followin chapter, of the turning back of Israel from the borders of Canaan, an the sentencing them to wander and perish in the wilderness, for their unbelief and murmuring. It appears, De 1:22, that the motion to searc 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 believin the reports and representations of sense rather than Divine revelation We walk by sight not by faith. Moses gave the spies this charge, Be of good courage. It was not only a great undertaking they were put upon which required good management and resolution; but a great trust wa reposed in them, which required that they should be faithful. Courag in such circumstances can only spring from strong faith, which Cale and Joshua alone possessed.
Original Hebrew
שׁלח 7971 לך אנשׁים 582 ויתרו 8446 את 853 ארץ 776 כנען 3667 אשׁר 834 אני 589 נתן 5414 לבני 1121 ישׂראל 3478 אישׁ 376 אחד 259 אישׁ 376 אחד 259 למטה 4294 אבתיו 1 תשׁלחו 7971 כל 3605 נשׂיא׃ 5387
