Deuteronomy 1:24 kjv
And they turned and went up into the mountain, and came unto the valley of Eshcol, and searched it out.
Deuteronomy 1:24 nkjv
And they departed and went up into the mountains, and came to the Valley of Eshcol, and spied it out.
Deuteronomy 1:24 niv
They left and went up into the hill country, and came to the Valley of Eshkol and explored it.
Deuteronomy 1:24 esv
And they turned and went up into the hill country, and came to the Valley of Eshcol and spied it out.
Deuteronomy 1:24 nlt
They headed for the hill country and came to the valley of Eshcol and explored it.
Deuteronomy 1 24 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Num 13:17-27 | Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan… They came to the Valley of Eshcol and cut down from there a branch with a single cluster of grapes… | Parallel account; scouts' mission and report of land's fruit. |
| Num 13:27 | They reported to him and said, “We came to the land to which you sent us; it flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.” | Confirmation of the land's abundance, matching God's description. |
| Deut 1:22 | “Let us send men ahead to us that they may search out the land for us and bring us word again..." | The initial request by the people for spies. |
| Deut 1:25 | And they brought some of the fruit of the land with them... "The land that the Lord our God is giving to us is good.” | Direct repetition and emphasis on the land being good. |
| Num 14:1 | Then all the congregation raised a loud cry… and the people wept that night. | Israel's unfaithful response immediately after the report. |
| Num 14:8 | "If the Lord is pleased with us, then he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey." | Caleb and Joshua's positive affirmation despite obstacles. |
| Josh 14:7-8 | "Moses… sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought him word… But my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt." | Caleb's personal recollection of the spying mission. |
| Exod 3:8 | “I have come down to deliver them… and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey…” | God's initial promise of a good, spacious land. |
| Gen 12:7 | “To your offspring I will give this land.” | Foundation of God's land promise to Abraham. |
| Gen 15:18-21 | On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram… saying, “To your offspring I give this land…" | Covenant reiteration regarding the extent of the land. |
| Ps 106:24-25 | They despised the pleasant land… They murmured in their tents; they did not obey the voice of the Lord. | Israel's despising of the promised land due to unbelief. |
| Heb 3:7-19 | As the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts… ” | Israel's failure to enter rest due to unbelief (refers to Kadesh-Barnea). |
| Ez 20:6 | "...when I lifted up My hand to them to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had selected for them, flowing with milk and honey, the most glorious of all lands." | God's perspective on the land's glory. |
| Neh 9:15 | And you gave them bread from heaven… and you brought water for them from the rock… and told them to go in to possess the land that you had sworn to give them. | God's provision for Israel, leading them to the promised land. |
| Deut 6:3 | Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey… | Emphasizes obedience as key to dwelling in the land. |
| Deut 8:7-9 | “For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in valleys and hills… ” | Detailed description of the land's rich resources. |
| Is 30:23 | And he will give rain for the seed that you sow… The grain of the field will be rich and plenteous. In that day your livestock will graze in broad pastures. | Future abundance for obedient Israel, echoing fertile land. |
| Jer 3:19 | “I said, How I would set you among my sons, and give you a pleasant land, a heritage most beautiful of all nations…” | God's desire to give Israel a beautiful heritage. |
| Jn 15:5 | "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit..." | Spiritual fruitfulness through abiding in God. |
| Gal 5:22-23 | But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control... | Spiritual "fruit" as evidence of divine indwelling. |
Deuteronomy 1 verses
Deuteronomy 1 24 Meaning
Deuteronomy 1:24 recounts the spies' successful reconnaissance of the Promised Land, detailing their journey into Canaan to scout it. They returned with tangible evidence—some of the land's fruit—and reported that the land was indeed "good" and a gift from the Lord God to His people. This verse captures the spies' affirmation of God's promise regarding the land's inherent quality and divine source, forming a crucial part of Moses' historical review of Israel's journey and their initial failure to enter the land due to unbelief.
Deuteronomy 1 24 Context
Deuteronomy is Moses' final discourse to the generation of Israelites about to enter the Promised Land, recounting God's faithfulness and Israel's past rebellions to teach them lessons for the future. Deuteronomy 1 specifically reviews the journey from Mount Sinai to Kadesh-Barnea. Verse 24 falls within Moses' recounting of the fateful spying mission. The people, fearing the inhabitants of Canaan, requested to send spies (Deut 1:22). This verse describes the positive outcome of the reconnaissance: the spies brought back tangible proof of the land's bounty, confirming God's prior descriptions and promises of a "good land." However, this positive report, as recounted by Moses, soon leads into the overwhelming negative report about the land's formidable inhabitants (Deut 1:28), which resulted in the people's deep fear, murmuring, and ultimate refusal to enter the land—a pivotal act of unbelief that led to their forty-year wandering in the wilderness. Moses reminds this new generation of this past failure to warn them against repeating the same disobedience and unbelief.
Deuteronomy 1 24 Word analysis
- So they went up: The initiative follows the people's request to send spies (Deut 1:22), indicating obedience to that specific directive, but soon to be contrasted with their overall disobedience to God.
- spied out (Hebrew: tûr): This verb implies careful reconnaissance, not just a casual glance. It means "to explore," "to search out," "to scout." It was a strategic military action to gather information about terrain, resources, and inhabitants, and they diligently fulfilled this task.
- the land: Refers to Canaan, the specific geographical territory promised by God to Abraham's descendants, Israel's divine inheritance.
- and took some of the fruit: This act provides tangible, sensory proof. The quantity ("some of") highlights that the land was not just minimally productive but so abundant that a representative sample could easily be obtained. In Num 13:23-24, it explicitly describes a massive cluster of grapes carried by two men.
- of the land: Emphasizes that the fruit originated from Canaan itself, validating its inherent richness and productivity as promised.
- in their hands: Indicates direct physical contact and possession of the evidence, making it real and undeniable for those receiving the report.
- and brought it down to us: The return and presentation of the physical evidence to the entire assembly at Kadesh-Barnea, for the people to witness and understand.
- and reported to us, saying, 'It is a good land: This is the direct verbal report of the spies to Moses and the assembly.
- 'It is a good land' (Hebrew: ʾerets ṭôvah): This is a critical affirmation. All the spies agreed that the land was tovah, meaning not just geographically good, but pleasant, fertile, abundant, and generally excellent in quality. This directly corroborates God's descriptions of it as "a land flowing with milk and honey."
- that the Lord our God is giving to us.': This theological statement underscores that the land's bounty and possession were not by chance, nor due to their merit, but by divine grace and sovereign intent. It is an act of "giving" (nathan), a gift, implying that God is the active provider and fulfills His promises within the covenant. "Our God" stresses the intimate covenant relationship, reminding them of His unique commitment to them.
Deuteronomy 1 24 Bonus section
- The detail of "some of the fruit" being brought back physically acted as sensory proof for the entire assembly, bypassing any mere verbal description. This visual and tactile evidence of the land's amazing productivity further magnified the Israelites' later sin of unbelief, as they rejected what was clearly set before their eyes.
- Moses, in recounting this event in Deuteronomy, uses it as a teaching moment for the new generation. He emphasizes that the land was genuinely "good" and divinely "given" to highlight the parents' colossal mistake of choosing fear and disobedience over God's promises. It underscores that the failure was entirely on Israel's part, not a deficit in God's provision or word.
- The fact that even the unfaithful spies had to concede that the land was "good" reveals the undeniable truth of God's word and highlights their cognitive dissonance when they subsequently instilled fear about entering it. They could not deny the land's quality but doubted God's power to overcome the obstacles within it.
Deuteronomy 1 24 Commentary
Deuteronomy 1:24 encapsulates the undisputed truth presented by all the spies about the Promised Land: it was, without question, an extraordinarily fertile and desirable place. This verse is poignant because it details the positive aspect of the report that validated God's promise regarding the land's bounty and His intent to bestow it upon Israel. The tangible proof of "fruit of the land" (like the massive grapes of Eshcol detailed in Numbers 13) powerfully demonstrated that God's descriptive words about "a land flowing with milk and honey" were not exaggerations, but objective truth.
The spies affirmed that the land was "good," directly acknowledging its intrinsic value and potential for prosperity, and crucially, they recognized it as a divine gift, stating "that the Lord our God is giving to us." This part of their report should have inspired faith and eager anticipation among the Israelites. However, this affirmation of God's truthful nature was quickly overshadowed by the fearful and unfaithful report about the land's formidable inhabitants and fortified cities, as recounted in the subsequent verses. This ultimately led the people to disbelieve God's power and promise to deliver them, despite having received clear evidence of His generosity and the land's worth. The verse serves as a powerful reminder of how human fear and unbelief can blind us to God's demonstrated faithfulness and abundant provisions.