Numbers 13 26

Numbers 13:26 kjv

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 showed them the fruit of the land.

Numbers 13:26 nkjv

Now they departed and came back to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh; they brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land.

Numbers 13:26 niv

They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land.

Numbers 13:26 esv

And they came to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the people of Israel in the wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh. They brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land.

Numbers 13:26 nlt

to Moses, Aaron, and the whole community of Israel at Kadesh in the wilderness of Paran. They reported to the whole community what they had seen and showed them the fruit they had taken from the land.

Numbers 13 verses

Numbers 13 26 Meaning

This verse describes the pivotal moment when the twelve Israelite leaders, sent by Moses to spy out the land of Canaan, returned after forty days. They came directly to Moses, Aaron, and the entire congregation gathered in the wilderness of Paran at Kadesh. Their return involved formally presenting their verbal report of what they found in the land and visually displaying some of the abundant produce of the land.

Numbers 13 26 Context

Numbers chapter 13 details the mission of the twelve spies sent by Moses to explore the land of Canaan. This decision stemmed from God's command to Moses (Num 13:1-2), though later accounts suggest the people themselves initiated the request to send spies (Deut 1:22). Moses selected one leader from each tribe (excluding Levi), instructing them to assess the land's characteristics, its people, their cities, and whether the land was fertile (Num 13:17-20). They explored the land for forty days, returning with a large cluster of grapes, pomegranates, and figs as evidence of the land's fruitfulness (Num 13:21-25). Verse 26 marks their formal return and the beginning of their official report to Moses, Aaron, and the entire congregation gathered at Kadesh in the wilderness of Paran, setting the stage for the crisis of faith and subsequent judgment detailed in chapter 14. This moment is a critical turning point in Israel's wilderness journey, demonstrating the contrast between God's promise and human doubt fueled by perceived obstacles.

Numbers 13 26 Word analysis

• They went and came: Signifies the successful completion of their mission's travel component, from the point of departure to their return. This phrase establishes the immediate, physical reality of their return before any words are uttered.
• to Moses and to Aaron and to all the congregation of the people of Israel:
  • Moses (מֹשֶׁה, Moshe): The divinely appointed leader, prophet, and mediator of the covenant. Reporting to him signifies an official and spiritual submission.
  • Aaron (אַהֲרֹן, Aharon): The high priest, representing the religious and ceremonial authority. The inclusion of Aaron emphasizes the report's significance for their spiritual well-being and covenant relationship with God.
  • All the congregation (כָּל־הָעֵדָה, kol-ha-edah): This emphasizes that the report was given publicly to the entire gathered community. It underscores the weight of the information and its immediate impact on the collective morale and future actions of Israel. It was a communal event.
  • This grouping indicates a formal, highly authoritative, and widely impactful debriefing. The presence of the entire congregation meant that the information would directly affect everyone's understanding and faith.
• in the wilderness of Paran (בְּמִדְבַּר פָּארָן, be-midbar Pa'ran) at Kadesh (קָדֵשׁ, Kadesh):
  • Wilderness of Paran: A significant desert region south of Canaan, serving as a base camp for the Israelites. The Hebrew midbar signifies a wilderness or steppe, a place of testing and reliance on God. Their return here reinforces the arduous journey and the return to their starting point for this mission.
  • Kadesh (specifically Kadesh-barnea): A critical oasis and strategic location on the border of Canaan. It was meant to be Israel's gateway into the Promised Land. Their return here signifies that they are now standing on the brink of entry. Kadesh would tragically become the place of their judgment for unbelief. This geographical specificity ties the narrative to concrete historical space.
• They brought back word (וַיָּשִׁ֤בוּ אֹתָם֙ דָּבָ֔ר, va-yashivu otam davar) to them and to all the congregation:
  • Brought back word (דָּבָר, davar): This Hebrew term is multifaceted, meaning "word," "matter," "thing," "report," or "message." Here, it signifies the comprehensive communication of their findings—not just observations, but their interpretation and judgment, which would prove highly consequential. It was an official declaration.
  • Repetition of "to them and to all the congregation" emphasizes the widespread and public nature of their report. Every individual Israelite heard what was said, highlighting personal and collective accountability for the ensuing actions.
• and showed them the fruit of the land (וַיַּרְאוּ אֹתָם אֶת־פְּרִי הָאָרֶץ, va-yar'u otam et-peri ha'aretz):
  • Showed (וַיַּרְאוּ, va-yar'u): Emphasizes visual, undeniable evidence. This was not just a verbal description but a tangible display of the land's bounty, confirming God's promise of a "land flowing with milk and honey."
  • The fruit (פְּרִי, peri) of the land (הָאָרֶץ, ha'aretz): Specifically refers to the large cluster of grapes, pomegranates, and figs they carried from Eshcol (Num 13:23). This visual confirmation initially validated God's promise that the land was indeed good and productive. The sheer size of the cluster required two men to carry, powerfully testifying to the land's extraordinary richness, meant to build faith.

Numbers 13 26 Bonus section

• The forty-day period of exploration by the spies often symbolizes a time of testing or discernment in biblical narratives. It represents the comprehensive nature of their survey of the land, fulfilling Moses' specific instructions to determine its quality and the strength of its inhabitants.
• The fact that they brought back actual fruit was an act of both confirmation and temptation. While it physically demonstrated the land's richness and desirability, proving God's promise about a land of milk and honey true, it ironically also provided the context for their fearful interpretation, leading to the infamous "bad report" where they exaggerated the difficulties and power of the inhabitants.
• The public nature of the report at Kadesh underscores the principle of corporate responsibility in Israel. The leaders' words, and the people's reaction to them, carried immense weight and led to collective consequences that impacted an entire generation.

Numbers 13 26 Commentary

Numbers 13:26 serves as the climactic return point for the twelve spies, setting the stage for the dramatic shift from anticipation to a crisis of faith for the entire Israelite community. The scene is one of highly anticipated, formal reporting, delivered directly to the top leadership—Moses, representing God's authority and civil governance, and Aaron, embodying the religious sanctity—as well as the full congregation, indicating the communal significance of their findings. The location, Kadesh-barnea in the wilderness of Paran, emphasizes their arrival at the very threshold of the Promised Land, poised for entry. The spies' dual presentation of both a verbal "word" (their interpreted report) and the tangible "fruit" of the land highlights a crucial tension: while the fruit undeniably demonstrated the land's incredible bounty and confirmed God's positive description, their subsequent "word" introduced doubt and fear, ultimately leading to collective rebellion and the judgment of forty years of wilderness wandering. This verse thus captures the immediate aftermath of exploration and the critical moment when fact met human perception, tragically swaying the people from trust in God's power and promise.