Numbers 13 32

Numbers 13:32 kjv

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.

Numbers 13:32 nkjv

And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, "The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature.

Numbers 13:32 niv

And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, "The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size.

Numbers 13:32 esv

So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, "The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height.

Numbers 13:32 nlt

So they spread this bad report about the land among the Israelites: "The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there. All the people we saw were huge.

Numbers 13 verses

Numbers 13 32 Meaning

Numbers 13:32 presents the evil report of the ten Israelite spies concerning the promised land of Canaan. Despite having earlier acknowledged its fruitfulness, these spies, gripped by fear and a lack of faith in God's power, fabricated or greatly exaggerated the dangers. They portrayed Canaan as a treacherous place that "eateth up the inhabitants thereof" and claimed its people were "men of a great stature" (giants). This malicious report was intended to instill terror and deter the Israelites from entering the land God had promised them, directly undermining divine assurance and inciting rebellion.

Numbers 13 32 Context

Numbers chapter 13 describes the sending of twelve tribal leaders to spy out the land of Canaan, fulfilling God's instruction to Moses. Moses charged them to observe the land's fertility, its inhabitants' strength, their living conditions, and the nature of their cities. After forty days, the spies returned, bringing with them a massive cluster of grapes and other fruits as evidence of the land's extraordinary abundance (Num 13:23-27). However, immediately following this positive report, ten of the spies began to qualify their findings with fearful observations. While acknowledging the land's fruitfulness, they then highlighted the formidable strength of its inhabitants and their fortified cities. Numbers 13:32 serves as the pinnacle of their fear-driven, unfaithful report, delivered after Caleb's attempt to instill confidence in the people, effectively swaying the entire Israelite community into a state of panic and rebellion against God's direct command and promise.

Numbers 13 32 Word analysis

• And they brought up an evil report: The Hebrew phrase is dibbâ râ‘â (דִּבָּה רָעָה).
  • dibbâ: More than just a negative statement; it denotes a "slander," "defamation," or "malicious report." It suggests a deliberate misrepresentation intended to harm or mislead. Its use here indicates the severe nature of the spies' sin – not merely poor judgment, but intentional calumny against God's plan and character.
  • râ‘â: Means "evil," "bad," "wicked." Combined with dibbâ, it intensifies the morally culpable nature of the report.
• of the land which they had searched:
  • "land": Refers to Canaan, the land divinely promised by covenant. The contrast between God's perfect gift and the spies' negative portrayal is stark.
  • "searched": The Hebrew verb is tûr (תּוּר), meaning "to spy out," "to explore," "to tour." They were given a mission of reconnaissance, but their interpretation of facts was skewed by fear and unbelief.
• unto the children of Israel: This emphasizes the collective audience and the devastating impact of their report on the entire congregation. The communication was public and highly influential.
• saying: Introduces the direct content of the evil report, confirming it was their personal testimony.
• The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof:
  • "eateth up": A strong hyperbole, an exaggerated claim intended to instill terror. It does not mean the land literally consumed people. Rather, it metaphorically suggests that the land's conditions (perhaps warfare, disease, famine, or inherent danger) frequently resulted in high mortality among its dwellers. This serves to underscore the perceived impossibility of conquering it. It is a psychological weapon aimed at demoralizing the Israelites, turning a perceived natural truth into a spiritual deterrent.
• and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature:
  • "men of a great stature": The Hebrew ’ănāshîm middaḥ gawōhâ (אֲנָשִׁים מִדָּה גְּבוֹהָה) refers to people of immense height or size. This likely alludes to the Anakim and other formidable, giant-like inhabitants mentioned in Numbers 13:28. The emphasis on their stature reinforces the spies' feeling of inferiority and fear, painting a picture of unconquerable foes in contrast to their own perceived weakness (Num 13:33, "we were like grasshoppers"). This was designed to trigger deep-seated anxieties and amplify their sense of helplessness against the inhabitants, without regard for God's power.

Numbers 13 32 Bonus section

The concept of dibbâ râ‘â (evil report) carries significant weight throughout Scripture, often denoting slander and calumny (e.g., Prov 10:18). Its deliberate use here underscores that the spies' sin was not merely cowardice but a malicious act against the truth and, implicitly, against God. This passage serves as a foundational theological lesson on the dangers of relying on human perception over divine promise. The phrase "land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof" might have been a common hyperbole in that culture for a region fraught with danger, where survival was precarious, regardless of whether that danger came from natural causes, disease, or constant tribal warfare. However, within the biblical narrative, it becomes a metaphor for God's intended judgment upon the Canaanites, whose iniquity had reached its full measure (Gen 15:16), making them ripe for dispossession. The spies' interpretation reversed this, suggesting the land itself was against Israel. This event stands as a prototype warning for believers of all ages about the dire consequences of hardening one's heart in unbelief when faced with challenges to faith, mirroring lessons drawn by the New Testament authors (e.g., Hebrews 3-4).

Numbers 13 32 Commentary

Numbers 13:32 encapsulates the devastating spiritual failure of the ten spies. Their "evil report" was a calculated act of defamation, driven not by objective truth but by fear and a fundamental distrust in God's covenant promises. By dramatically claiming the land "eateth up its inhabitants" and exaggerating the "great stature" of its people, they propagated a distorted reality designed to incite panic. This report bypassed God's assured presence and power, choosing to magnify perceived human obstacles instead. The consequence was Israel's profound act of rebellion, which prevented that generation from entering the promised rest, highlighting the perilous nature of unbelief and the destructive power of a faithless perspective.