selves unfit for the undertaking; and they decided to wait until they should be better prepared to accomplish the task. The religious reason is that they lacked faith in Jehovah, the God who had given the promise of the possession of Canaan to their fathers. The Bible is preeminently a book of religion; and the religious reason in this case predominates. And we shall fail to get the biblical point of view of the lesson unless we grasp it in the light of the interpretation (in strict accord with its spirit) given to it by the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews, who, when exhorting on the need of faith, makes this use of the present incident:

For who, when they heard, did provoke? nay, did not all they that came out of Egypt by Moses? And with whom was he displeased forty years? was it not with them that sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that were disobedient? And we see that they were not able to enter in because of unbelief. . . . Let us therefore give diligence to enter into that rest, that no man fall after the same example of disobedience." Read Heb. 3. 12 to 4. 13.

and said

17 And Mo'ses sent them to spy out the land of Ca'naan, and said 17 And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, unto them, Get you up this way southward, and go up into the way by the South, and go up into the 1 Or, into.

unto

them,

Get you up this

The text in this edition printed in small type in the lower line is taken from the American Standard Edition of the Revised Bible, copyrighted 1901 by Thomas Nelson & Sons, New York. All marginal notes and references are taken from the same version.

I. THE INSTRUCTION OF THE SPIES. Verses 17-20

17. And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan-The men selected were twelve in number, one from each tribe, and each man a prince of his tribe; they were representative men and selected with care. The very fact of sending them out and the careful instructions as to the thoroughness of their search indicate that faith in God's promises is not blind; it dares to examine all there is to be found, and shows its courage in facing the difficulties. Get you up this way by (or into) the South, and go up into the hill-country-The starting place is the wilderness of Paran, or, according to verse 26, that northern portion of it wherein lies Kadesh. See page 249. The "South" is the Negeb (the word means "parched"), the comparatively desert region up to sixty miles northward of Kadesh; it is south only from the point of view of Palestine, which is here assumed by the writer; from where Israel now was it lay north. The "hillcountry" may refer to the mountainous region immediately north of Kadesh, or to the mountains of Judah, and even to those farther north. We are face to face here with an interesting though not very serious critical question as to whether we have not here a twofold tradition as to the extent of the territory the spying out contemplated and accomplished. According to verses 21, 25, and 29, it involves the whole country later occupied by the Israelites, from the extremest south, the wilderness of Zin, to the extremest point north, Rehob, the entrance of Hamath, in Syria, a stretch of country of about three hundred and sixty miles north and south; and from the Mediterranean in the west to the

mountain: 18 And see the land, what it is; and the people that hill-country: 18 and see the land, what it is; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or

dwell

therein, whether they are strong or weak, whether they are few or many; 19 And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good 19 and what the land is that they dwell in, whether it is good or bad; and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in tents, or bad; and what cities they are that they dwell in, whether in camps,

many;

Jordan in the east, about forty-five miles across. The time occupied in the search is given as "forty days." According to verses 22-24 it seems to contemplate but the south of what afterward became the land of Judah, with Hebron as its center. On their way up, near (northwest of) Hebron, they come to the valley

of Eshcol, whence they bring the cluster of grapes and other fruit to Kadesh. Of course, in a general way it is possible to reconcile the two accounts by supposing that the spies came to Eshcol the first time on their way up, proceeded on their northward journey, and on their way back took the fruit. But when verses 22-24 are read by themselves it becomes quite clear that that is not what they intend to say, and that the most likely explanation, as in some other cases, is that we have to do with a varying detail in a double account.

18. And see the land, what it is-It will depend upon which of the two accounts we follow as to the extent of the search that is here implied, which covers the nature of the country as to fertility and produce, the inhabitants, the cities, fortifications, and mode of living, and a sample of the fruit.

or in strongholds;

or in strong holds; 20 And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, 20 and what the land is, whether it is fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, there is wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, Now the time was the time of the

whether

and bring of the fruit of the land. and bring of the fruit of the land.

first-ripe grapes.

first-ripe grapes.

Now the time was the time of the

23 And they came unto the brook of Esh'col, and cut down from 23 And they came unto the valley of Eshcol, and cut down from

II. THE FRUIT OF THE LAND. Verses 23, 24

23. And cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it upon a staff between two-The Hebrew word

suggests "frame" rather than "staff." Grapes grow luxuriantly in Palestine, and particularly so, even now, around Hebron; and this is a sensible way of

thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it upon a staff between two upon a staff; and they brought of the pomegranates, and between two; they brought also of the pomegranates,

and

of the figs. 24 The place was called the brook Esh'col, because of the of the figs. 24 That place was called the valley of "Eshcol, because of the cluster of grapes which the children of Is'ra-el cut down from thence.

cut down from thence.

25 And they returned from searching of the land after forty days. 25 And they returned from spying out the land at the end of forty days. 26 And they went and came to Mo'ses, and Aar'on, and to all the 26 And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Is'ra-el, unto the wilderness of Pa'ran, to congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran,

to

Ka'desh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregaKadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land. 27 And they told him, tion, and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us; and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it.

carrying them. Also of the pomegranates, and of the figs-The pomegranate is a juicy fruit, and together with the vine and fig represents the staple articles in the diet of Palestine, next, of course, to bread. These were the samples of the fertility of the country they had visited, to bear out its reputation as a land that flowed with milk and honey. There is a brief but comprehensive description

of the natural advantages of Palestine in Deut. 8. 7-9, "a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing forth in valleys and hills; a land of wheat and barley, and vines and fig trees and pomegranates; a land of olive trees and honey; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig copper." It was indeed a "good land."

28 Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land,

28 Howbeit

the people

that dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the and the cities are fortified, and very great: and moreover children of A'nak there. 29 The Am'a-lek-ites dwell in the land of the children of Anak there. Amalek dwelleth in the land of the

29

we saw the

south: and the Hit'tites, and the Jeb'u-sites, and the Am'or-ites, South; and the Hittite, and the Jebusite,

and the Amorite,

dwell in the mountains: and the Ca'naan-ites dwell by the sea, and dwell in the hill-country; and the Canaanite dwelleth by the sea, and along

by the coast of Jor'dan. by the side of the Jordan.

30 And Ca'leb stilled the people before Mo'ses, and said, Let us go 30 And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome

up at

III. THE REPORT OF THE SPIES. Verses 25-29

it.

28. Howbeit the people that dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there-This was the formidable and fatal "but" in the report; the

land was all that could be desired, but. It was the state of civilization of the country they had seen, its great and fortified cities, and the strength and stature of its inhabitants, that frightened the spies and the Israelites from undertaking the conquest. And it must be confessed, ordinarily speaking, it was a serious task for the but recently liberated slaves,

with but little experience in war, and with apparently no military equipment, to start on such a conquest. The Canaanites were old settlers in the land, with an old civilization back of them; and of a time considerably later than this even it was said of the Israelites hat they "could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron" (Judg. 1. 19).

IV. THE FAITH OF CALEB. Verses 30, 31

30. And Caleb stilled the people before Moses-The report had thus brought consternation and lamentation, which Caleb endeavors to quiet. What is here told of Caleb before Moses is told of Joshua and Caleb before Moses and Aaron in a parallel account in Num. 14. 1-10. Let us go up at once, and