Numbers 13:31
◄  Numbers 13:31  ►
New International Version (©2011)
But the men who had gone up with him said, "We can't attack those people; they are stronger than we are."

New Living Translation (©2007)
But the other men who had explored the land with him disagreed. "We can't go up against them! They are stronger than we are!"

English Standard Version (©2001)
Then the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.”

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
But the men who had gone up with him said, "We are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us."

King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.)
But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.

Holman Christian Standard Bible (©2009)
But the men who had gone up with him responded, "We can't go up against the people because they are stronger than we are!"

International Standard Version (©2012)
"We can't attack those people," the men who were with him said, "because they're too strong compared to us."

NET Bible (©2006)
But the men who had gone up with him said, "We are not able to go up against these people, because they are stronger than we are!"

GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
But the men who had gone with him said, "We can't attack those people! They're too strong for us!"

King James 2000 Bible (©2003)
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.

American King James Version
But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.

American Standard Version
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.

Douay-Rheims Bible
But the others, that had been with him, said: No, we are not able to go up to this people, because they are stronger than we.

Darby Bible Translation
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.

English Revised Version
But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.

Webster's Bible Translation
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.

World English Bible
But the men who went up with him said, "We aren't able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we."

Young's Literal Translation
And the men who have gone up with him said, 'We are not able to go up against the people, for it is stronger than we;'

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

13:26-33 We may wonder that the people of Israel staid forty days for the return of their spies, when they were ready to enter Canaan, under all the assurances of success they could have from the Divine power, and the miracles that had hitherto attended them. But they distrusted God's power and promise. How much we stand in our own light by our unbelief! At length the messengers returned; but the greater part discouraged the people from going forward to Canaan. Justly are the Israelites left to this temptation, for putting confidence in the judgment of men, when they had the word of God to trust in. Though they had found the land as good as God had said, yet they would not believe it to be as sure as he had said, but despaired of having it, though Eternal Truth had engaged it to them. This was the representation of the evil spies. Caleb, however, encouraged them to go forward, though seconded by Joshua only. He does not say, Let us go up and conquer it; but, Let us go and possess it. Difficulties that are in the way of salvation, dwindle and vanish before a lively, active faith in the power and promise of God. All things are possible, if they are promised, to him that believes; but carnal sense and carnal professors are not to be trusted. Unbelief overlooks the promises and power of God, magnifies every danger and difficulty, and fills the heart with discouragement. May the Lord help us to believe! we shall then find all things possible.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 31. - For they are stronger than we. In point of numbers the enormous superiority of the Israelites over any combination likely to oppose them must have been evident to the most cowardly. But the existence of numerous walled and fortified towns was (apart from Divine aid) an almost insuperable obstacle to a people wholly ignorant of artillery or of siege operations; and the presence of giants was exceedingly terrifying in an age when battles were a series of personal encounters (cf. 1 Samuel 17:11, 24).

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

But the men that went up with him,.... With Caleb, all but Joshua: the other ten

said, we be not able to go up against the people; this they had not said before, though they plainly suggested it, and, to make the people believe this, had represented the inhabitants of the land of Canaan in the light they did; but now, in direct opposition to Caleb, fully expressed it, giving this reason for it:

for they are stronger than we; being both of a larger size and more numerous.

Numbers 13:31 Parallel Commentaries

Numbers 13:31 NIV
Numbers 13:31 NLT
Numbers 13:31 ESV
Numbers 13:31 NASB
Numbers 13:31 KJV

Bible Hub: Online Parallel Bible


The Reports of the Spies
…30And 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. 31But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. 32And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched to the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eats up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.

Numbers 13:30 Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, "We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it."
Deuteronomy 1:28 Where can we go? Our brothers have made our hearts melt in fear. They say, 'The people are stronger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the sky. We even saw the Anakites there.'"
Deuteronomy 9:1 Hear, Israel: You are now about to cross the Jordan to go in and dispossess nations greater and stronger than you, with large cities that have walls up to the sky.
1 Samuel 17:33 Saul replied, "You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth."