Sedra 4, SHELACH LECHA
Numbers 13:1 – 15:41
13:1 VA YEDABER YHVH EL MOSHEH LEMOR
וַיְדַבֵּר יְהוָה אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר
(KJ (King James translation): And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
BN (BibleNet translation): Then YHVH spoke to Mosheh, saying:
13:2 SHELACH LECHA ANASHIM VE YATURU ET ERETS KENA'AN ASHER ANI NOTEN LIVNEY YISRA-EL ISH ECHAD ISH ECHAD LE MATEH AVOTAV TISHLACHU KOL NASI VA HEM
שְׁלַח לְךָ אֲנָשִׁים וְיָתֻרוּ אֶת אֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי נֹתֵן לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אִישׁ אֶחָד אִישׁ אֶחָד לְמַטֵּה אֲבֹתָיו תִּשְׁלָחוּ כֹּל נָשִׂיא בָהֶם
KJ: Send thou men, that they may search 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 ruler among them.
BN: Send men to reconnoitre the land of Kena'an, which I am giving to the Beney Yisra-El; from each of the patriarchal tribes send one man from among their princes.
SHELACH LECHA: Is this a deliberate allusion to LECH LECHA in Genesis 12? That was the instruction to Av-Ram to begin his wanderings; this will lead the Beney Yisra-El into theirs. The parallel is too obvious to be coincidental.
YATURU: Always translated as "spying", but this is not spying as we understand the term today - the CIA hacking your computer or The News of the World tapping your cellphone. This is reconnoitering, creating maps and working out where the pasturelands are, where the large and where the small towns, and who the rulers are, and yes, what armies they have - see verse 18ff. So they are "footmen", not "spies".
Remember we are still only a year and a month since leaving Mitsrayim (Egypt); not the forty of wandering in the wilderness. Nothing in the text until now has suggested that a period of extended wandering was in YHVH's mind.
13:3 VA YISHLACH OTAM MOSHEH MI MIDBAR PA'RAN AL PI YHVH KULAM ANASHIM RASHEY VENEY YISRA-EL HEMAH
וַיִּשְׁלַח אֹתָם מֹשֶׁה מִמִּדְבַּר פָּארָן עַל פִּי יְהוָה כֻּלָּם אֲנָשִׁים רָאשֵׁי בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הֵמָּה
KJ: And Moses by the commandment of the LORD sent them from the wilderness of Paran: all those men were heads of the children of Israel.
BN: And Mosheh sent them from the wilderness of Pa'ran on the instruction of YHVH; all of them were men who were heads of the Beney Yisra-El.
I know I'm being pedantic, but YHVH specifically said NASI (prince) in verse 2, and Mosheh is choosing RASHEY (heads) in verse 3, which may only be a semantic difference, but certainly isn't AL PI YHVH.
PA'RAN: See the link, and also the map attached at verse 17, below.
13:4 VE ELEH SHEMOTAM LE MATEH RE'U-VEN SHAMU'A BEN ZACHUR
KJ: And these were their names: of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur.
BN: And these were their names: from the tribe of Re'u-Ven, Shamu'a ben Zachur.
SHAMU'A: See the link.
ZACHUR: See the link.
Compare the order of this list to the many variants, elsewhere: you can find all of them here; this accords with none of them, and note that Levi, being now the priestly tribe, is not required for these secular affairs.
Re'u-Ven first, then Shim'on, followed by Yehudah, which is birth-order, leaving out Levi; but then Yisaschar, Ephrayim, Bin-Yamin, Zevulun, Menasheh, Dan, Asher, Naphtali, Gad, which appears to be entirely random. Nor is it alphabetical, by tribe or by chosen leader.
13:5 LE MATEH SHIM'ON SHAPHAT BEN CHURI
KJ: Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori.
BN: From the tribe of Shim'on, Shaphat ben Churi.
SHAPHAT: See the link.
CHORI: meaning a Beney Chor (Horite)? If so, and other names offer the same, does this allow us to understand the Beney Yisra-El as being rather more than one large family, but an ASAPHSUPH as it was called a chapter or two back - a mixed multitude? And does this name link to Ben Chur (cf Exodus 17:10 and 24:14)?
13:6 LE MATEH YEHUDAH KALEV BEN YEPHUNEH
KJ: Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh.
BN: From the tribe of Yehudah, Kalev ben Yephuneh.
Remember this name, it will continue to have major significance right through to King David's time. Kaleb the son of Jephunneh in most English translations- click here.
13:7 LE MATEH YISSACHAR YIG'AL BEN YOSEPH
KJ: Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph.
BN: From the tribe of Yisaschar, Yig'al ben Yoseph.
YIG'AL: Clearly not a brother of Ephrayim and Menasheh, this must be a different Yoseph. For Yig'al, see the link.
13:4 VE ELEH SHEMOTAM LE MATEH RE'U-VEN SHAMU'A BEN ZACHUR
וְאֵלֶּה שְׁמוֹתָם לְמַטֵּה רְאוּבֵן שַׁמּוּעַ בֶּן זַכּוּר
KJ: And these were their names: of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur.
BN: And these were their names: from the tribe of Re'u-Ven, Shamu'a ben Zachur.
SHAMU'A: See the link.
ZACHUR: See the link.
Compare the order of this list to the many variants, elsewhere: you can find all of them here; this accords with none of them, and note that Levi, being now the priestly tribe, is not required for these secular affairs.
Re'u-Ven first, then Shim'on, followed by Yehudah, which is birth-order, leaving out Levi; but then Yisaschar, Ephrayim, Bin-Yamin, Zevulun, Menasheh, Dan, Asher, Naphtali, Gad, which appears to be entirely random. Nor is it alphabetical, by tribe or by chosen leader.
13:5 LE MATEH SHIM'ON SHAPHAT BEN CHURI
לְמַטֵּה שִׁמְעוֹן שָׁפָט בֶּן חוֹרִי
KJ: Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori.
BN: From the tribe of Shim'on, Shaphat ben Churi.
SHAPHAT: See the link.
CHORI: meaning a Beney Chor (Horite)? If so, and other names offer the same, does this allow us to understand the Beney Yisra-El as being rather more than one large family, but an ASAPHSUPH as it was called a chapter or two back - a mixed multitude? And does this name link to Ben Chur (cf Exodus 17:10 and 24:14)?
13:6 LE MATEH YEHUDAH KALEV BEN YEPHUNEH
לְמַטֵּה יְהוּדָה כָּלֵב בֶּן יְפֻנֶּה
KJ: Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh.
BN: From the tribe of Yehudah, Kalev ben Yephuneh.
Remember this name, it will continue to have major significance right through to King David's time. Kaleb the son of Jephunneh in most English translations- click here.
13:7 LE MATEH YISSACHAR YIG'AL BEN YOSEPH
לְמַטֵּה יִשָּׂשכָר יִגְאָל בֶּן יוֹסֵף
KJ: Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph.
BN: From the tribe of Yisaschar, Yig'al ben Yoseph.
YIG'AL: Clearly not a brother of Ephrayim and Menasheh, this must be a different Yoseph. For Yig'al, see the link.
13:8 LE MATEH EPHRAYIM HOSHE'A BIN NUN
לְמַטֵּה אֶפְרָיִם הוֹשֵׁעַ בִּן נוּן
KJ: Of the tribe of Ephraim, Oshea the son of Nun.
BN: From the tribe of Ephrayim, Hoshe'a bin Nun.
HOSHE'A BIN NUN: But isn't he, elsewhere, Yehoshu'a bin Nun? See verse 16 below.
Why BIN and not BEN? We see this with Bin-Yamin as well.
13:9 LE MATEH VIN-YAMIN PALTI BEN RAPHU
לְמַטֵּה בִנְיָמִן פַּלְטִי בֶּן רָפוּא
KJ: Of the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu.
BN: From the tribe of Bin-Yamin, Palti ben Raphu.
Bin-Yamin is never this early in any of the lists. we always get Menasheh after, but still with, his brother Ephrayim, and Bin-Yamin after them.
PALTI: See the link.
RAPHU: See the link.
13:10 LE MATEH ZEVULUN GADI-EL BEN SODI
לְמַטֵּה זְבוּלֻן גַּדִּיאֵל בֶּן סוֹדִי
KJ: Of the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi.
BN: From the tribe of Zevulun, Gadi-El ben Sodi.
GADI-EL: See the link.
SODI: See the link.
13:11 LE MATEH YOSEPH LE MATEH MENASHEH GADI BEN SUSI
KJ: Of the tribe of Joseph, namely, of the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi.
BN: From the tribe of Yoseph, which is to say from the tribe of Menasheh, Gadi ben Susi.
This regards Menasheh as the heir of Yoseph, and not Ephrayim, whose footman has already been named, above, but without the connection to Yoseph. How does this reflect back on what we have learned previously, in particular Ya'akov's blessing of his grandchildren? Genesis 48:5 makes clear that Menasheh is the elder son, Ephrayim the younger, but Ya'akov blesses them the other way around, so that Ephrayim supplants his younger brother, just as Ya'akov did his elder brother Esav (Esau). Ephrayim therefore has tribal precedence, and is named first; but Menasheh still has tribal status, and so he is regarded as Yoseph's heir, while Ephrayim is Ya'akov's - and this latter will become significant when the kingdom divides after the death of Shelomoh (Solomon), because the southern kingdom will retain the tribal name, Yehudah, while the north will be named as Yisra-El, but will become known as Ephrayim.
13:12 LE MATEH DAN AMI-EL BEN GEMALI
KJ: Of the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli.
BN: From the tribe of Dan, Ami-El ben Gemali.
AMI-EL: See the link.
13:11 LE MATEH YOSEPH LE MATEH MENASHEH GADI BEN SUSI
לְמַטֵּה יוֹסֵף לְמַטֵּה מְנַשֶּׁה גַּדִּי בֶּן סוּסִי
KJ: Of the tribe of Joseph, namely, of the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi.
BN: From the tribe of Yoseph, which is to say from the tribe of Menasheh, Gadi ben Susi.
This regards Menasheh as the heir of Yoseph, and not Ephrayim, whose footman has already been named, above, but without the connection to Yoseph. How does this reflect back on what we have learned previously, in particular Ya'akov's blessing of his grandchildren? Genesis 48:5 makes clear that Menasheh is the elder son, Ephrayim the younger, but Ya'akov blesses them the other way around, so that Ephrayim supplants his younger brother, just as Ya'akov did his elder brother Esav (Esau). Ephrayim therefore has tribal precedence, and is named first; but Menasheh still has tribal status, and so he is regarded as Yoseph's heir, while Ephrayim is Ya'akov's - and this latter will become significant when the kingdom divides after the death of Shelomoh (Solomon), because the southern kingdom will retain the tribal name, Yehudah, while the north will be named as Yisra-El, but will become known as Ephrayim.
13:12 LE MATEH DAN AMI-EL BEN GEMALI
לְמַטֵּה דָן עַמִּיאֵל בֶּן גְּמַלִּי
KJ: Of the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli.
BN: From the tribe of Dan, Ami-El ben Gemali.
AMI-EL: See the link.
GEMALI: See the link.
13:13 LE MATEH ASHER SETUR BEN MICHA-EL
לְמַטֵּה אָשֵׁר סְתוּר בֶּן מִיכָאֵל
KJ: Of the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael.
BN: From the tribe of Asher, Setur ben Micha-El.
SETUR: See the link.
MICHA-EL: Or, really, MI-CHA-EL, "who is like El"; which makes it yet another non-Yisra-Eli name. See the link.
13:14 LE MATEH NAPHTALI NACHBI BEN VAPHSI
KJ: Of the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi.
BN: From the tribe of Naphtali, Nachbi ben Vaphsi.
NACHBI: See the link.
VAPHSI: A name that sounds distinctly non-Yisra-Eli; or is that VAV an error for a YUD? Probably not in fact - the use of the samech (ס) rather than the seen (ש) for an "s" sound is generally an indicator of a foreign word. See the link.
13:15 LE MATEH GAD GE'U-EL BEN MACHI
KJ: Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.
BN: From the tribe of Gad, Ge'u-El ben Machi.
GE'U-EL: Another El name. See the link.
13:15 LE MATEH GAD GE'U-EL BEN MACHI
לְמַטֵּה גָד גְּאוּאֵל בֶּן מָכִי
KJ: Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.
BN: From the tribe of Gad, Ge'u-El ben Machi.
GE'U-EL: Another El name. See the link.
MACHI: See the link.
13:16 ELEH SHEMOT HA ANASHIM ASHER SHALACH MOSHEH LATUR ET HA ARETS VA YIKRA MOSHEH LE HOSHE'A BIN NUN YEHOSHU'A
אֵלֶּה שְׁמוֹת הָאֲנָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר שָׁלַח מֹשֶׁה לָתוּר אֶת הָאָרֶץ וַיִּקְרָא מֹשֶׁה לְהוֹשֵׁעַ בִּן נוּן יְהוֹשֻׁעַ
KJ: These are the names of the men which Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Oshea the son of Nun Jehoshua.
BN: These are the names of the men whom Mosheh sent to reconnoitre the land. And Mosheh changed Hoshe'a bin Nun's name to Yehoshu'a.
See verse 8 above.
And note the distinction between MOSHIY'A and MASHI'ACH (see my note to Exodus 30:30).
BN (alternate translation): These are the names of the men whom Mosheh sent to reconnoitre the land. And the Ezrachite Redactor found himself with a problem, because to the Beney Yehudah he was Yah-Hoshe'a ben Nun, "Yah's redeemer from the town of Nun", wherever that might be, but the Samaritans, who had come to live in the northern kingdom, first as garrison soldiers under Sennacherib, then as forced exiles under Nebuchadnezzar, worshipped the father-god of Nineveh whose name was Oannes, and who they represented in the form of a large fish (we have their story as Yonah and the Whale, and they have prophecies of a Moshiy'a who will come one day, bearing that title, Hoshe'a, or Yah-Hoshe'ah, or Yesha-Yahu, or possibly Yishai, and they regard him as the natural son of that fish-god, which is why all their prophecies involve fishermen-disciples and fish-feasts and walking on water, and so they call him Yehoshu'a bin Nun, Nun meaning "great fish" in their language. And lo the Redactor was under great pressure anyway to remove as many Yah names as possible, to facilitate the patriarchalisation of the cult (this was now fundamental to the religious ideology), and so how convenient to have Mosheh change his name, and end up with one that met the most needs while upsetting the fewest people.
13:17 VA YISHLACH OTAM MOSHEH LATUR ET ERETS KENA'AN VA YOMER ALEYHEM ALU ZEH BA NEGEV VA ALIYTEM ET HA HAR
וַיִּשְׁלַח אֹתָם מֹשֶׁה לָתוּר אֶת אֶרֶץ כְּנָעַן וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם עֲלוּ זֶה בַּנֶּגֶב וַעֲלִיתֶם אֶת הָהָר
KJ: 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:
BN: And Mosheh sent them to reconnoitre the land of Kena'an, and said to them: "Go that way, through the Negev, and from there up into the mountains...
13:18 U RE'ITEM ET HA ARETS MAH HI VE ET HA AM HA YOSHEV ALEYHA HE CHAZAK HU HA RAPHEH HU IM RAV
וּרְאִיתֶם אֶת הָאָרֶץ מַה הִוא וְאֶת הָעָם הַיֹּשֵׁב עָלֶיהָ הֶחָזָק הוּא הֲרָפֶה הַמְעַט הוּא אִם רָב
KJ: And see the land, what it is; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many;
BN: "And see the land, what it's like; and the people who are settled there, is he strong or will he be easy to conquer, is he many?..
Worth a PhD thesis on the syntax and the grammar and the vocabulary in this verse. U RE'ITEM appears to be an inversion of the Vav Consecutive, creating a future, or perhaps an imperative, but using the past tense. The colloquialism of MAH HI. The apparent ephemerality of YOSHEV (in all its uses in Genesis there was a sense of something nomadic), but also the root of YISHUV, the name used by Jews for 2,000 years for the "lost" homeland, and the small number who were still living there. The use of the antiquated interrogative form HE and HA, a kind of Yehudit "Est-ce que?". The use of HA AM for "the people", but then with a singular verb.
13:19 U MAH HA ARETS ASHER HU YOSHEV BAH HA TOVAH HI IM RA'AH U MAH HE ARIM ASHER HU YOSHEV BAHEM HA BE MACHANIM IM BE MIVTSARIM
וּמָה הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר הוּא יֹשֵׁב בָּהּ הֲטוֹבָה הִוא אִם רָעָה וּמָה הֶעָרִים אֲשֶׁר הוּא יוֹשֵׁב בָּהֵנָּה הַבְּמַחֲנִים אִם בְּמִבְצָרִים
KJ: 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;
BN: "And what the land is like that he is living in, whether it is good or bad; and what kind of cities he is living in, whether in Bedou camps, or in military strongholds...
Again look at the grammar; the use of HA as an interrogative in particular.
MIVTSARIM: This is the key word. YHVH has promised a land of milk and honey, so there should be no need (!) to find out whether or not the land is fertile or barren (see next verse); but YHVH has also made clear, by having an army conscripted, that they will need to fight for it, so the footmen are not just mapping the orchards, they are also counting the garrisons.
13:20 U MAH HA ARETS HA SHEMENAH HI IM RAZAH HA YESH BAH ETS IM AYIN VE HITCHAZAKTEM U LEKACHTEM MI PERI HA ARETS VE HA YAMIM YEMEY BIKUREY ANAVIM
KJ: And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be 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 firstripe grapes.
BN: "And what the land is like, whether it is fertile or barren, and is there any wood in it or not. Now be of good courage, and bring us some of the fruit of the land - for now is the season for the first ripe grapes."
HITCHAZAKTEM: A rather jovial use of the Hitpa'el - I don't think he really means "be of good courage"; it has a sense of "now be good chaps", or "do us all a huge favour".
MIVTSARIM: This is the key word. YHVH has promised a land of milk and honey, so there should be no need (!) to find out whether or not the land is fertile or barren (see next verse); but YHVH has also made clear, by having an army conscripted, that they will need to fight for it, so the footmen are not just mapping the orchards, they are also counting the garrisons.
13:20 U MAH HA ARETS HA SHEMENAH HI IM RAZAH HA YESH BAH ETS IM AYIN VE HITCHAZAKTEM U LEKACHTEM MI PERI HA ARETS VE HA YAMIM YEMEY BIKUREY ANAVIM
וּמָה הָאָרֶץ הַשְּׁמֵנָה הִוא אִם רָזָה הֲיֵשׁ בָּהּ עֵץ אִם אַיִן וְהִתְחַזַּקְתֶּם וּלְקַחְתֶּם מִפְּרִי הָאָרֶץ וְהַיָּמִים יְמֵי בִּכּוּרֵי עֲנָבִים
KJ: And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be 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 firstripe grapes.
BN: "And what the land is like, whether it is fertile or barren, and is there any wood in it or not. Now be of good courage, and bring us some of the fruit of the land - for now is the season for the first ripe grapes."
HITCHAZAKTEM: A rather jovial use of the Hitpa'el - I don't think he really means "be of good courage"; it has a sense of "now be good chaps", or "do us all a huge favour".
13:21 VA YA'ALU VA YATURU HA ARETS MI MIDBAR TSIN AD RECHOV LEVO CHAMAT
וַיַּעֲלוּ וַיָּתֻרוּ אֶת הָאָרֶץ מִמִּדְבַּר צִן עַד רְחֹב לְבֹא חֲמָת
KJ: So they went up, and searched the land from the wilderness of Zin unto Rehob, as men come to Hamath.
BN: So they went up, and reconnoitred the land from the Wilderness of Tsin as far as Rechov, at the entrance to Chamat.
TSIN: See the link.
RECHOV: See the link.
CHAMAT: See the link.
See the map at verse 17.
13:22 VA YA'ALU VA NEGEV VA YAVO AD CHEVRON VE SHAM ACHI-MAN SHESHAI VE TALMAI YELIDEY HA ANAK VE CHEVRON SHEVA SHANIM NIVNETAH LIPHNEY TSO'AN MITSRAYIM
וַיַּעֲלוּ בַנֶּגֶב וַיָּבֹא עַד חֶבְרוֹן וְשָׁם אֲחִימַן שֵׁשַׁי וְתַלְמַי יְלִידֵי הָעֲנָק וְחֶבְרוֹן שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים נִבְנְתָה לִפְנֵי צֹעַן מִצְרָיִם
KJ: And they ascended by the south, and came unto Hebron; where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)
BN: And they went up into the Negev, and came to Chevron; and Achi-Man, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were there (now Chevron was built seven years before Tso'an in Mitsrayim)...
NEGEV: The name means "dry", and describes its desert-like terrain - rather more scrub-desert than sand-desert, which is why modern Israel has been able to transform it agriculturally. But it came to mean "south", because - if you are inside Kena'an - it is the southern quarter of the land. But the spies are not inside Kena'an, they are in the Wilderness of Paran, close to the Red Sea, so to them the Negev is actually the north.
For ANAKIM and Chevron, including the named Beney Anak, see the links.
TSO'AN: But wait a minute. Who is writing this? YHVH? Mosheh? Or a future Redactor? This is one of the key verses for answering that question: and you don't need me to answer it. Ask yourself: why is this parenthesis here at all, and why would the twelve spies be given this information, or bring it back, and what has Egyptian Tso'an to do with this one in Kena'an? This can only be a very late interpolation, for reasons probably unknowable.
13:23 VA YAVO'U AD NACHAL ESHKOL VA YICHRETU MI SHAM ZEMORAH VE ESHKOL ANAVIM ECHAD VA YISA'UHU VAMOT BI SHENAYIM U MIN HA RIMONIM U MIN HA TE'ENIM
KJ: And they came unto the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff; and they brought of the pomegranates, and of the figs.
BN: And they came to the valley of Eshkol, and cut down from there a branch with a single cluster of grapes, and they carried it on a pole between two men; they also brought back pomegranates and figs.
ESHKOL: is the Yehudit word for grapes; see my notes on this at Genesis 23:16.
TSO'AN: But wait a minute. Who is writing this? YHVH? Mosheh? Or a future Redactor? This is one of the key verses for answering that question: and you don't need me to answer it. Ask yourself: why is this parenthesis here at all, and why would the twelve spies be given this information, or bring it back, and what has Egyptian Tso'an to do with this one in Kena'an? This can only be a very late interpolation, for reasons probably unknowable.
13:23 VA YAVO'U AD NACHAL ESHKOL VA YICHRETU MI SHAM ZEMORAH VE ESHKOL ANAVIM ECHAD VA YISA'UHU VAMOT BI SHENAYIM U MIN HA RIMONIM U MIN HA TE'ENIM
וַיָּבֹאוּ עַד נַחַל אֶשְׁכֹּל וַיִּכְרְתוּ מִשָּׁם זְמוֹרָה וְאֶשְׁכּוֹל עֲנָבִים אֶחָד וַיִּשָּׂאֻהוּ בַמּוֹט בִּשְׁנָיִם וּמִן הָרִמֹּנִים וּמִן הַתְּאֵנִים
KJ: And they came unto the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff; and they brought of the pomegranates, and of the figs.
BN: And they came to the valley of Eshkol, and cut down from there a branch with a single cluster of grapes, and they carried it on a pole between two men; they also brought back pomegranates and figs.
ESHKOL: is the Yehudit word for grapes; see my notes on this at Genesis 23:16.
13:24 LA MAKOM HA HU KARAH NACHAL ESHKOL AL ODOT HA ESHKOL ASHER KARTU MI SHAM BENEY YISRA-EL
לַמָּקוֹם הַהוּא קָרָא נַחַל אֶשְׁכּוֹל עַל אֹדוֹת הָאֶשְׁכּוֹל אֲשֶׁר כָּרְתוּ מִשָּׁם בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל
KJ: The place was called the brook Eshcol, because of the cluster of grapes which the children of Israel cut down from thence.
BN: And they named the place the valley of Eshkol, because of the cluster which the Beney Yisra-El cut down there.
Probably not, in fact, but it makes a good story (and especially not, given what the previous verse says).
13:25 VA YASHUVU MI TOR HA ARETS MI KETS ARBA'IM YOM
וַיָּשֻׁבוּ מִתּוּר הָאָרֶץ מִקֵּץ אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם
KJ: And they returned from searching of the land after forty days.
BN: And they came back from reconnoitering the land at the end of forty days.
Forty years in the wilderness, forty days to spy out the land... any tale that uses liturgically important numbers is likely to be using them symbolically; especially as forty days does seem a rather longer period of time away than Mosheh would have wanted - a few days, and send back an interim maybe; but forty days is going to strike concern in the camp. Where are they? Have they been captured? Killed? What's taking so long? And they've only been sent as far as Chevron - three days walking each way, even if they run into difficulties. Plus, people who go reconnoitering and don't like what they see, generally rush home to tell the bad news; we get no sense in the coming verses that these were particularly fastidious footmen, who took extra time, so that their bad news would be backed with evidence of having scoured the whole land very thoroughly.
13:26 VA YELCHU VA YAVO'U EL MOSHEH VE EL AHARON VE EL KOL ADAT BENEY YISRA-EL EL MIDBAR PA'RAN KADESHAH VA YASHIVU OTAM DAVAR VE ET KOL HA EDAH VA YAR'UM ET PERI HA ARETS
וַיֵּלְכוּ וַיָּבֹאוּ אֶל מֹשֶׁה וְאֶל אַהֲרֹן וְאֶל כָּל עֲדַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל מִדְבַּר פָּארָן קָדֵשָׁה וַיָּשִׁיבוּ אֹתָם דָּבָר וְאֶת כָּל הָעֵדָה וַיַּרְאוּם אֶת פְּרִי הָאָרֶץ
KJ: And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land.
BN: And they went, and came to Mosheh, and to Aharon, and to all the congregation of the Beney Yisra-El, to the wilderness of Pa'ran, to Kadesh; and brought back word to them, and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land.
VA YELCHU VA YAVO'U: Odd phrasing; but the same pattern is used in the next verse as well. And we can say, once again, that whenever there is a significant a shift in spelling or vocabulary or grammar, or a change of storytelling style or tone or manner, as here, it is safe to assume that yet another version is being amalgamated into the one.
Nothing previously had told us that the Beney Yisra-El were at Kadesh when they came to Pa'ran. But if they were, then they either haven't journeyed anywhere at all yet- and in one of our versions Mosheh did insist to Pharaoh that he would only be tking them for three days journey outside Goshen, or else they have journeyed, but must have returned to their starting-point (Kadesh-Barne'a) without the text informing us of this; or, much more likely, because water in the desert is sacred, every shrine at which they stopped is Kadesh - which of course is possible, as a generic: simply meaning "holy place".
13:27 VA YESAPRU LO VA YOMRU BANU EL HA ARETS ASHER SHELACHTANU VE GAM ZAVAT CHALAV U DVASH HI VE ZEH PIRYAH
וַיְסַפְּרוּ לוֹ וַיֹּאמְרוּ בָּאנוּ אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר שְׁלַחְתָּנוּ וְגַם זָבַת חָלָב וּדְבַשׁ הִוא וְזֶה פִּרְיָהּ
KJ: And they told him, 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.
BN: And they told him, and said: "We came to the land to which you sent us, and it does indeed flow with milk and honey; and here is some of its fruit...
VA YESAPRU LO VA YOMRU: As in the previous verse, odd phrasing.
13:28 EPHES KI AZ HA AM HA YOSHEV BA ARETS VE HE ARIM BETSUROT GEDOLOT ME'OD VE GAM YELIDEY HA ANAK RA'INU SHAM
אֶפֶס כִּי עַז הָעָם הַיֹּשֵׁב בָּאָרֶץ וְהֶעָרִים בְּצֻרוֹת גְּדֹלֹת מְאֹד וְגַם יְלִדֵי הָעֲנָק רָאִינוּ שָׁם
KJ: Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there.
BN: But this is nothing. Because the people living in the land are fierce, and their cities are fortified, and very large; and what's more - we saw Beney Anak there.
The point about the Anakim is that they are frightened by giants; we just were not told that at the time (we will have it confirmed at verse 32).
13:29 AMALEK YOSHEV BE ERETS HA NEGEV VE HA CHITI VE HA YEVUSI VE HA EMORI YOSHEV BA HAR VE HA KENA'ANI YOSHEV AL HA YAM VE AL YAD HA YARDEN
עֲמָלֵק יוֹשֵׁב בְּאֶרֶץ הַנֶּגֶב וְהַחִתִּי וְהַיְבוּסִי וְהָאֱמֹרִי יוֹשֵׁב בָּהָר וְהַכְּנַעֲנִי יוֹשֵׁב עַל הַיָּם וְעַל יַד הַיַּרְדֵּן
KJ: The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.
BN: Amalek lives in the southern lands; the Chiti and the Yevusi and the Emori live in the mountains, and the Kena'ani live by the sea, and along the banks of the Yarden.
Then maybe I was unfair to them, and they did travel the whole length and breadth of the land.
AMALEK: See the link.
CHITI: See the link.
CHIVI: See the link.
YEVUSI: See the link.
EMORI: See the link.
YARDEN: See the link.
13:30 VA YAHAS KALEV ET HA AM EL MOSHEH VA YOMER ALOH NA'ALEH VE YARSHENU OTAH KI YACHOL NUCHAL LA
KJ: 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.
BN: And Kalev calmed the people towards Mosheh, by saying: "We should go up at once, and take possession of it; for we are well able to do so."
13:31 VE HA ANASHIM ASHER ALU IMO AMRU LO NUCHAL LA'ALOT EL HA AM KI CHAZAK HU MIMENU
KJ: 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.
BN: But the men who went up with him said: "We cannot go up against these people; they are much stronger than us."
13:32 VA YOTSI'U DIBAT HA ARETS ASHER TARO OTAH EL BENEY YISRA-EL LEMOR HA ARETS ASHER AVARNU VAH LATUR OTAH ERETS OCHELET YOSHVEYHA HI VE CHOL HA AM ASHER RA'INU VETOCHAH ANSHEY MIDOT
KJ: And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.
BN: And they spread bad tidings concerning the land which they had reconoitered among the Beney Yisra-El, saying: "The land that we passed through, to spy it out, is a land that eats up its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are giants...
And given that Yisra-El is a band of ex-slaves in flight, refugees with barely enough food to eat, et cetera, they were probably correct in their assessment, and Hoshe'a and Kalev naive. It needed two generations to get the slavery out of their system and instill a new spirit; as well as training an army.
13:30 VA YAHAS KALEV ET HA AM EL MOSHEH VA YOMER ALOH NA'ALEH VE YARSHENU OTAH KI YACHOL NUCHAL LA
וַיַּהַס כָּלֵב אֶת הָעָם אֶל מֹשֶׁה וַיֹּאמֶר עָלֹה נַעֲלֶה וְיָרַשְׁנוּ אֹתָהּ כִּי יָכוֹל נוּכַל לָהּ
KJ: 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.
BN: And Kalev calmed the people towards Mosheh, by saying: "We should go up at once, and take possession of it; for we are well able to do so."
13:31 VE HA ANASHIM ASHER ALU IMO AMRU LO NUCHAL LA'ALOT EL HA AM KI CHAZAK HU MIMENU
וְהָאֲנָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר עָלוּ עִמּוֹ אָמְרוּ לֹא נוּכַל לַעֲלוֹת אֶל הָעָם כִּי חָזָק הוּא מִמֶּנּוּ
KJ: 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.
BN: But the men who went up with him said: "We cannot go up against these people; they are much stronger than us."
13:32 VA YOTSI'U DIBAT HA ARETS ASHER TARO OTAH EL BENEY YISRA-EL LEMOR HA ARETS ASHER AVARNU VAH LATUR OTAH ERETS OCHELET YOSHVEYHA HI VE CHOL HA AM ASHER RA'INU VETOCHAH ANSHEY MIDOT
וַיֹּצִיאוּ דִּבַּת הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר תָּרוּ אֹתָהּ אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵאמֹר הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר עָבַרְנוּ בָהּ לָתוּר אֹתָהּ אֶרֶץ אֹכֶלֶת יוֹשְׁבֶיהָ הִוא וְכָל הָעָם אֲשֶׁר רָאִינוּ בְתוֹכָהּ אַנְשֵׁי מִדּוֹת
KJ: And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.
BN: And they spread bad tidings concerning the land which they had reconoitered among the Beney Yisra-El, saying: "The land that we passed through, to spy it out, is a land that eats up its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are giants...
And given that Yisra-El is a band of ex-slaves in flight, refugees with barely enough food to eat, et cetera, they were probably correct in their assessment, and Hoshe'a and Kalev naive. It needed two generations to get the slavery out of their system and instill a new spirit; as well as training an army.
That, at least, has been the rabbinic and scholarly view for centuries; the evidence of immediately post-Holocaust Israel refutes it.
13:33 VE SHAM RA'INU ET HA NEPHIYLIM BENEY ANAK MIN HA NEPHILIM VA NEHI VE EYNEYNU KA CHAGAVIM VE CHEN HAYINU BE EYNEYHEM
וְשָׁם רָאִינוּ אֶת הַנְּפִילִים בְּנֵי עֲנָק מִן הַנְּפִלִים וַנְּהִי בְעֵינֵינוּ כַּחֲגָבִים וְכֵן הָיִינוּ בְּעֵינֵיהֶם
KJ: And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.
BN: "And there we saw the Nephiylim, the Beney Anak, who are the descendants of the Nephilim; and compared to them we look like grasshoppers, and that was how they saw us."
NEPHIYLIM/NEPHILIM: Why does the word come with a Yud on one occasion here, but then without?
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