They left and went up into the hill country, and came to the Valley of Eshcol and spied out the land. They leftThis phrase marks the beginning of a significant journey. In the Hebrew text, the verb used here is "וַיֵּלְכוּ" (vayelchu), which means "they went" or "they departed." This departure signifies obedience to God's command through Moses to explore the Promised Land. It reflects a moment of action and faith, as the Israelites are stepping into the unknown, trusting in God's promise. and went up into the hill country
The "hill country" refers to the elevated regions of Canaan, which were known for their strategic and fertile lands. The Hebrew word "הָהָר" (ha-har) is used here, meaning "the mountain" or "the hill country." This ascent into the hill country symbolizes a physical and spiritual journey, as the Israelites are moving towards the fulfillment of God's covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. and came to the Valley of Eshcol
The "Valley of Eshcol" is a significant location in the narrative of the Israelite spies. The Hebrew word "אֶשְׁכּוֹל" (Eshcol) means "cluster," likely referring to the clusters of grapes found in this fertile valley. This valley is a testament to the abundance and richness of the Promised Land, a land "flowing with milk and honey" (Exodus 3:8). The mention of Eshcol serves as a reminder of God's provision and the blessings awaiting the Israelites. and spied it out
The act of spying, or "וַיָּרִיגוּ" (vayarigu) in Hebrew, involves careful observation and assessment. This task was not merely a military reconnaissance but also a spiritual test of faith and trust in God's promises. The spies' mission was to gather information about the land and its inhabitants, but it also tested their belief in God's ability to deliver the land into their hands. This phrase challenges believers to trust in God's promises, even when faced with daunting circumstances. Persons / Places / Events 1. The IsraelitesThe people of God who were journeying from Egypt to the Promised Land. They were at the threshold of entering Canaan. 2. The SpiesA group of twelve men, one from each tribe of Israel, sent by Moses to scout the land of Canaan. 3. The Hill CountryThe elevated region of Canaan that the spies explored, representing the challenges and opportunities that lay ahead for the Israelites. 4. The Valley of EshcolA fertile area in Canaan known for its abundant produce, particularly grapes. It symbolizes the richness of God's promises. 5. MosesThe leader of the Israelites, who instructed the spies to explore the land and report back to the people. Teaching Points Faith in God's PromisesThe exploration of the land was an opportunity for the Israelites to trust in God's promise of a land flowing with milk and honey. Believers today are called to trust in God's promises, even when faced with daunting challenges. The Importance of ObedienceThe mission of the spies was a direct command from God through Moses. Obedience to God's instructions is crucial for experiencing His blessings. The Consequences of Fear and DoubtThe subsequent fear and doubt of the Israelites, despite the positive report of the land's fruitfulness, led to their wandering in the wilderness. Fear and doubt can prevent believers from experiencing God's best. The Role of LeadershipMoses' leadership in sending the spies reflects the importance of godly leadership in guiding people to discern God's will and direction. The Significance of CommunityThe collective experience of the Israelites in exploring and eventually entering the Promised Land underscores the importance of community in the journey of faith. Bible Study Questions 1. What does the exploration of the Valley of Eshcol teach us about the nature of God's promises? 2. How can we apply the lessons of faith and obedience from this passage to our personal lives today? 3. In what ways do fear and doubt hinder our spiritual journey, and how can we overcome them? 4. How does the role of leadership in this passage inform our understanding of spiritual leadership in the church? 5. What can we learn from the community dynamics of the Israelites as they prepared to enter the Promised Land, and how can this be applied to our church communities? Connections to Other Scriptures Numbers 13This chapter provides a detailed account of the mission of the spies, their exploration of Canaan, and their report back to the Israelites. Hebrews 3-4These chapters discuss the faith and unbelief of the Israelites, using their experience in the wilderness as a lesson for believers to enter God's rest through faith. Joshua 2The account of Rahab and the spies sent by Joshua, highlighting the continued theme of faith and obedience in entering the Promised Land. People Amorites, Anakites, Caleb, Canaanites, Eshcol, Isaac, Israelites, Jacob, Jephunneh, Joshua, Laban, Moses, Nun, Og, Seir, SihonPlaces Arabah, Ashtaroth, Bashan, Dizahab, Edrei, Egypt, Euphrates River, Hazeroth, Heshbon, Horeb, Hormah, Jordan River, Kadesh-barnea, Laban, Lebanon, Moab, Mount Seir, Negeb, Paran, Seir, Suph, Tophel, Valley of EshcolTopics Ascended, Eshcol, Explored, Hill, Hill-country, Mountain, Mountains, Searched, Spied, Spy, Turn, ValleyDictionary of Bible Themes Deuteronomy 1:19-40 5923 public opinion Library Foretastes of the Heavenly Life
Early in the year 1857. NOTE: This edition of this sermon is taken from an earlier published edition of Spurgeon's 1857 message. The sermon that appears in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, vol. 45, was edited and abbreviated somewhat. For edition we have restored the fuller text of the earlier published edition, while retaining a few of the editorial refinements of the Met Tab edition. "And they took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down unto us, and brought us word again …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 45: 1899Preventive against Backsliding.
It is most instructive to note how exceedingly anxious the early Christians were, that, as soon as a man was converted, he should be "filled with the Holy Ghost." They knew no reason why weary wastes of disappointing years should stretch between Bethel and Peniel, between the Cross and Pentecost. They knew it was not God's will that forty years of wilderness wanderings should lie between Egypt and the Promised Land (Deut. i. 2). When Peter and John came to the Samaritans, and found that they were …
John MacNeil—The Spirit-Filled Life Afraid of Giants
'And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain; 18. And see the land, what it is; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many; 19. And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad; and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in tents, or in strong holds; 20. And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Philo of Alexandria, the Rabbis, and the Gospels - the Final Development of Hellenism in Its Relation to Rabbinism and the Gospel According to St. John.
It is strange how little we know of the personal history of the greatest of uninspired Jewish writers of old, though he occupied so prominent a position in his time. [173] Philo was born in Alexandria, about the year 20 before Christ. He was a descendant of Aaron, and belonged to one of the wealthiest and most influential families among the Jewish merchant-princes of Egypt. His brother was the political head of that community in Alexandria, and he himself on one occasion represented his co-religionists, …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah A Plain Description of the Essence and Attributes of God, Out of the Holy Scripture, So Far as Every Christian must Competently Know, and Necessarily Believe, that Will be Saves.
Although no creature can define what God is, because he is incomprehensible (Psal. cxliii. 3) and dwelling in inaccessible light (1 Tim. vi. 16); yet it has pleased his majesty to reveal himself to us in his word, so far as our weak capacity can best conceive him. Thus: God is that one spiritual and infinitely perfect essence, whose being is of himself eternally (Deut. i. 4; iv. 35; xxxii. 39; vi. 4; Isa. xlv. 5-8; 1 Cor. viii. 4; Eph. iv. 5, 6; 1 Tim. ii. 5; John iv. 24; 2 Cor. iii. 17; 1 Kings …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety The Mountainous Country of Judea.
"What is the mountainous country of Judea? It is the king's mountain." However Judea, here and there, doth swell out much with mountains, yet its chief swelling appears in that broad back of mountains, that runs from the utmost southern cost as far as Hebron, and almost as Jerusalem itself. Which the Holy Scripture called "The hill-country of Judah," Joshua 21:11; Luke 1:39. Unless I am very much mistaken,--the maps of Adricomus, Tirinius, and others, ought to be corrected, which have feigned to …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica Kadesh. Rekam, and that Double. Inquiry is Made, Whether the Doubling it in the Maps is Well Done.
The readers of the eastern interpreters will observe, that Kadesh is rendered by all Rekam, or in a sound very near it. In the Chaldee, it is 'Rekam': in the Syriac, 'Rekem': in the Arabic, 'Rakim'... There are two places noted by the name Rekam in the very bounds of the land,--to wit, the southern and eastern: that is, a double Kadesh. I. Of Kadesh, or Rekam, in the south part, there is no doubt. II. Of it, in the eastern part, there is this mention: "From Rekam to the east, and Rekam is as the …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica Barren Fig-Tree. Temple Cleansed.
(Road from Bethany and Jerusalem. Monday, April 4, a.d. 30.) ^A Matt. XXI. 18, 19, 12, 13; ^B Mark XI. 12-18; ^C Luke XIX. 45-48. ^b 12 And ^a 18 Now ^b on the morrow [on the Monday following the triumphal entry], ^a in the morning ^b when they were come out from Bethany, ^a as he returned to the city [Jerusalem], he hungered. [Breakfast with the Jews came late in the forenoon, and these closing days of our Lord's ministry were full of activity that did not have time to tarry at Bethany for it. Our …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel In the Temple at the Feast of Tabernacles.
(October, a.d. 29.) ^D John VII. 11-52. ^d 11 The Jews therefore sought him at the feast, and said, Where is he? [It was now eighteen months since Jesus had visited Jerusalem, at which time he had healed the impotent man at Bethesda. His fame and prolonged obscurity made his enemies anxious for him to again expose himself in their midst. John here used the word "Jews" as a designation for the Jerusalemites, who, as enemies of Christ, were to be distinguished from the multitudes who were in doubt …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel Moses and his Writings
[Illustration: (drop cap W) Clay letter tablet of Moses' time.] We now begin to understand a little of the very beginning of God's Book--of the times in which it was written, the materials used by its first author, and the different kinds of writing from which he had to choose; but we must go a step farther. How much did Moses know about the history of his forefathers, Abraham and Jacob, and of all the old nations and kings mentioned in Genesis, before God called him to the great work of writing …
Mildred Duff—The Bible in its Making Appendix ii. Philo of Alexandria and Rabbinic Theology.
(Ad. vol. i. p. 42, note 4.) In comparing the allegorical Canons of Philo with those of Jewish traditionalism, we think first of all of the seven exegetical canons which are ascribed to Hillel. These bear chiefly the character of logical deductions, and as such were largely applied in the Halakhah. These seven canons were next expanded by R. Ishmael (in the first century) into thirteen, by the analysis of one of them (the 5th) into six, and the addition of this sound exegetical rule, that where two …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah The Blessing of Jacob Upon Judah. (Gen. Xlix. 8-10. )
Ver. 8. "Judah, thou, thy brethren shall praise thee; thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies; before thee shall bow down the sons of thy father. Ver. 9. A lion's whelp is Judah; from the prey, my son, thou goest up; he stoopeth down, he coucheth as a lion, and as a full-grown lion, who shall rouse him up? Ver. 10. The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come, and unto Him the people shall adhere." Thus does dying Jacob, in announcing …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament Deuteronomy
Owing to the comparatively loose nature of the connection between consecutive passages in the legislative section, it is difficult to present an adequate summary of the book of Deuteronomy. In the first section, i.-iv. 40, Moses, after reviewing the recent history of the people, and showing how it reveals Jehovah's love for Israel, earnestly urges upon them the duty of keeping His laws, reminding them of His spirituality and absoluteness. Then follows the appointment, iv. 41-43--here irrelevant (cf. …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Deuteronomy 1:24 NIVDeuteronomy 1:24 NLTDeuteronomy 1:24 ESVDeuteronomy 1:24 NASBDeuteronomy 1:24 KJV
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