The Skeptics Annotated Bible (141 page)

16 These are the names of the men which Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Oshea the son of Nun Jehoshua.

17 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:

(13.17)
“Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan.”

18 And
see the land, what it is; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many;

(13.18)
“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;

(13.19)
“And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad.”

20 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.

21 So they went up, and searched the land from the wilderness of Zin unto Rehob, as men come to Hamath.

22 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.)

23 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.

(13.23)
“They … cut down … a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff.”
A single cluster of grapes was so heavy that it took two men to carry it. I guess that’s what you’d expect, though, since they were in the land of giants. (See verses 32-33.)

24 The place was called the brook Eshcol, because of the cluster of grapes which the children of Israel cut down from thence.

25
And they returned from searching of the land after forty days.

(13.25)
“And they returned from searching of the land after forty days.”

26 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.

27 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.

(13.27)
“The land … floweth with milk and honey.”

28
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.

(13.28)
“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.”

29 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.

30 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.

(13.30)
“Caleb … said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.”

31
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.

(13.31)
“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.”

32 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.

(13.32)
“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.”

33 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.

(13.33)
“We saw the giants … and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.”
This statement may have been figurative, hyperbole, typical biblical exaggeration, or an actual description of the sons of Anak, in which case they must have been about 100 meters tall. These are the same giants (the Nephilium) that resulted when the “sons of God” mated with “the daughters of men in Gen 6.4 Of course, these superhuman god-men should have been destroyed in the flood. So what are they doing still alive?
31 Did everyone die in the flood?

(14.1-4) When the people heard the spies’ reports (see last chapter), they believed the giant story and were a bit discouraged. So they decided to elect a leader and go back to Egypt.

14
And
all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.

(14.1)
“All the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.”

2
And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!

3 And
wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?

(14.3)
“Wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?”

4
And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.

(14.4)
“And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.”

(14.5-6) When Moses, Aaron, Joshua, and Caleb hear about this, they do what any Bible character would do: they rent their clothes and fall on their faces.

5 Then
Moses and Aaron fell on their faces
before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.

(14.5)
“Moses and Aaron fell on their faces.”

6 And
Joshua
the son of Nun,
and Caleb
the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land,
rent their clothes:

(14.6)
“Joshua … and Caleb … rent their clothes.”

(14.7-9) Then they get up and try to talk the people out of it.