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-hebraicstudies.net-
Please do NOT visit this
site on שַׁבָּת - Shabbat or on
the מוֹעֲדִים - Mo’a’dim - Feasts!
Re Tanakh versions:
Throughout this site I may use any of the following three
versions of the Tanakh: 1. “Jewish Publication
Society” (JPS-1917), 2. “Mechon-Mamre.org” (MEC), and 3. “Sefaria.org” (SEF),
three brilliant versions, However, the JPS-1917 is my preferred version!
Colour coded
details of our beloved TaNaKh:
1. Torah = History & Law, 2. Nevi’im = The Prophets. 3. *Ketuvim = all
other Writings.
*The Ketuvim - Includes, Poetical
books - Psalms, Proverbs, Job, the Megillot, or Scrolls - Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations of
Jeremiah, Ecclesiastes, and Esther, prophecy of Daniel, and history
of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles I & II.
Please Note: Some
alterations or (additions) have been made relating to ‘Names’ and ‘Attributes’
of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, having been corrected like it
once was pre the “Masoretic Text”.
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Remember the following truth from our
beloved Torah!
“Ye shall NOT ADD TO
THE WORD which I command you, NEITHER SHALL
YE DIMINISH FROM IT, that ye may keep the commandments of יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֵיכֶם - the LORD your Eloleichem, which I command you”. Davarim -
Deuteronomy 4:2. (JPS-1917).
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With Rabbi, Dr. Reuven
Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
Introduction:
Numbers Chapter 13 marks a critical turning
point in the journey of the Israelites. Having arrived at the threshold of the Promised
Land, the mission shifts from a journey of faith to a practical assessment of
the land. This chapter explores the tension between human perception and Divine
promise. It documents the selection of leaders, their reconnaissance of the
territory, and the subsequent report that would determine the fate of an entire
generation. It is a study of how fear can distort reality and how the influence
of a few can sway the hearts of many.
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Let us read Numbers Chapter 13, verses 1-33: Below the verses are the Explanation’s. (The Chapter is from JPS-1917 version of the Torah).
Verses
1-16: “And יְהוָה - the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: ‘Send 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’. And Moses sent them from the wilderness
of Paran according to the commandment of יְהוָה - the LORD; all of them men who were heads of the children of
Explanation of Verses 1-16: The mission begins with a Divine directive to send men to spy out
the
Verses 17-20: And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them: ‘Get you up here into the South, and go up into the mountains; and see the land, what it is; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they are strong or weak, whether they are few or many; and what the land is that they dwell in, whether it is good or bad; and what cities they are that they dwell in, whether in camps, or in strongholds; and what the land is, whether it is fat or lean, whether there is wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land’. Now the time was the time of the first-ripe grapes.
Explanation of Verses
17-20: Moses provides
the scouts with a specific itinerary and a set of objectives. He directs them
to head through the South (the Negeb) into the hill
country. His instructions are comprehensive: they are to evaluate the strength
of the people, the density of the population, the quality of the soil, and the
security of the cities, whether they are open camps or fortified strongholds.
Moses encourages them to be “of good courage” acknowledging that this task
requires not just physical stamina but mental fortitude.
Verses 21-25: So they went up, and spied out the land from the wilderness of
Zin unto Rehob, at the
entrance to Hamath. And they went
up into the South, and came unto
Explanation of Verses 21-25: The scouts
complete a thorough forty-day circuit, travelling from the wilderness of Zin in the south to Rehob in the
north. They observe the Anakites, a people of
formidable stature, in
Verses 26-29: And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the
congregation of the children of
Explanation of Verses 26-29: Upon their return, the scouts report to Moses, Aaron, and the entire congregation. They begin with a positive confirmation: the land “floweth with milk and honey”. However, they immediately pivot to a series of “buts”. They highlight the strength of the inhabitants, the fortification of the cities, and the presence of various powerful nations, the Amalekites, Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, and Canaanites occupying every strategic area. This presentation frames the conquest as a physical impossibility.
Verses 30-33: And Caleb stilled the people toward Moses, and said: ‘We
should go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it’. But the men that went up with him said: ‘We are not able to go up
against the people; for they are stronger than we’. And
they spread an evil report of the land which they had spied out unto the
children of Israel, saying: ‘The land, through which we have passed to spy it
out, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants
thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of great stature. And there we saw the Nephilim, the sons
of Anak, who come of the Nephilim; and we were in our
own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight’.
Explanation of Verses
30-33: A rift develops within the leadership of the scouts. Caleb attempts
to silence the growing unease, urging the people to go up at once because they
are well able to overcome it. In contrast, the other men spread an “evil report”,
claiming the land “eateth up the inhabitants thereof”.
They describe the inhabitants as giants (Nephilim) of
such size that the scouts felt like “grasshoppers” in comparison. By focusing
entirely on their own perceived smallness and the enemies’ perceived greatness,
they effectively dismiss the Divine factor in the equation.
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My Closing Message:
Numbers 13 illustrates the profound difference between seeing with the eyes of flesh and seeing with the eyes of conviction. The majority of the scouts allowed the giants and the high walls to eclipse the Divine promise, leading to a self-fulfilling prophecy of inadequacy. Caleb’s lone voice of courage stands as a reminder that the challenges of the “land” are often secondary to the state of the heart. The chapter ends on a cliff-hanger of national crisis, where the physical bounty of the land is overshadowed by a paralyzing fear of its inhabitants.
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Please Note: “hebraicstudies” links are located down
the page!
This site was originally created, for those who desired to return to
our blessed and wonderful faith. Thus be wise and work on your faith and pray
at least two or three times a day (if possible) and always seek our
beloved אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s guidance, for His love is
always with us, especially when we seek Him, blessed be He! However this site
has become very much a teaching site with hundreds of studies!
Remember what אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, blessed be He, said the
following via several of our prophets...
“The More Torah, the More Life”,
For Elohim is the One who
gave us our ... “Life!”
May the שָׁלוֹם - Shalom = Peace
of צְבָאוֹת- יְהוָה= the LORD of hosts, be with
you, and please always uphold our blessed שַׁבָּת - Shabbat, as well as
the מוֹעֲדִים - Mo’a’dim - Feasts, and continue saying your
daily תְּפִלָּה - Tefeelah’s - Prayers and
regular בְּרָכָה - Be’ra’chah’s - blessings before food
and drinks, etc!
שָׁלוֹם
עֲלֵיכֶם - Shalom
Aleichem - Peace be with you!
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