Deuteronomy 1:22
New International Version
Then all of you came to me and said, “Let us send men ahead to spy out the land for us and bring back a report about the route we are to take and the towns we will come to.”

New Living Translation
“But you all came to me and said, ‘First, let’s send out scouts to explore the land for us. They will advise us on the best route to take and which towns we should enter.’

English Standard Version
Then all of you came near me and said, ‘Let us send men before us, that they may explore the land for us and bring us word again of the way by which we must go up and the cities into which we shall come.’

Berean Standard Bible
Then all of you approached me and said, “Let us send men ahead of us to search out the land and bring us word of what route to follow and which cities to enter.”

King James Bible
And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come.

New King James Version
“And every one of you came near to me and said, ‘Let us send men before us, and let them search out the land for us, and bring back word to us of the way by which we should go up, and of the cities into which we shall come.’

New American Standard Bible
“Then all of you approached me and said, ‘Let us send men ahead of us, so that they may spy out the land for us, and bring back to us word of the way by which we should go up, and the cities which we should enter.’

NASB 1995
“Then all of you approached me and said, ‘Let us send men before us, that they may search out the land for us, and bring back to us word of the way by which we should go up and the cities which we shall enter.’

NASB 1977
“Then all of you approached me and said, ‘Let us send men before us, that they may search out the land for us, and bring back to us word of the way by which we should go up, and the cities which we shall enter.’

Legacy Standard Bible
“Then all of you came near to me and said, ‘Let us send men before us, that they may search out the land for us and bring back to us word of the way by which we should go up and the cities which we shall enter.’

Amplified Bible
“Then all of you approached me and said, ‘Let us send men [into the land] before us, so that they may explore and search the area for us, and bring back to us word regarding the way we should go, and the cities we should enter.’

Christian Standard Bible
“Then all of you approached me and said, ‘Let’s send men ahead of us, so that they may explore the land for us and bring us back a report about the route we should go up and the cities we will come to.’

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then all of you approached me and said, ‘Let’s send men ahead of us, so that they may explore the land for us and bring us back a report about the route we should go up and the cities we will come to.’

American Standard Version
And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, Let us send men before us, that they may search the land for us, and bring us word again of the way by which we must go up, and the cities unto which we shall come.

Contemporary English Version
Then all of you came to me and said, "Before we go into the land, let's send some men to explore it. When they come back, they can tell us about the towns we will find and what roads we should take to get there."

English Revised Version
And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, Let us send men before us, that they may search the land for us, and bring us word again of the way by which we must go up, and the cities unto which we shall come.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
All of you came to me and said, "Let's send men ahead of us to gather information about the land for us. Have them report to us about the route we should take and the cities we'll come to."

Good News Translation
"But you came to me and said, 'Let's send men ahead of us to spy out the land, so that they can tell us the best route to take and what kind of cities are there.'

International Standard Version
"Then all of you approached me and said: 'Let's send out men in advance of us so they can survey the land and bring back a report to us on how we'll go up to their cities.'

Majority Standard Bible
Then all of you approached me and said, ?Let us send men ahead of us to search out the land and bring us word of what route to follow and which cities to enter.?

NET Bible
So all of you approached me and said, "Let's send some men ahead of us to scout out the land and bring us back word as to how we should attack it and what the cities are like there."

New Heart English Bible
You came near to me everyone of you, and said, "Let us send men before us, that they may search the land for us, and bring us word again of the way by which we must go up, and the cities to which we shall come."

Webster's Bible Translation
And ye came near to me every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall explore the land for us, and bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come.

World English Bible
You came near to me, everyone of you, and said, “Let’s send men before us, that they may search the land for us, and bring back to us word of the way by which we must go up, and the cities to which we shall come.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And you come near to me, all of you, and say, Let us send men before us, and they search the land for us, and they bring us back word [concerning] the way in which we go up into it, and the cities to which we come in;

Young's Literal Translation
And ye come near unto me, all of you, and say, Let us send men before us, and they search for us the land, and they bring us back word concerning the way in which we go up into it, and the cities unto which we come in;

Smith's Literal Translation
And ye shall come near to me all of you, and ye will say, We will send men before us, and they shall search out for us the land, and shall turn us back word the way which we shall go up into it, and the cities which we shall come into them.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And you came all to me, and said: Let us send men who may view the land, and bring us word what way we shall go up, and to what cities we shall go.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And you all approached me and said: ‘Let us send men who may consider the land, and who may report as to the way by which we ought to ascend, and as to which cities we ought to travel.’

New American Bible
Then all of you approached me and said, “Let us send men ahead to spy out the land for us and report to us on the road we should follow and the cities we will come upon.”

New Revised Standard Version
All of you came to me and said, “Let us send men ahead of us to explore the land for us and bring back a report to us regarding the route by which we should go up and the cities we will come to.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Then all of you came near to me and said, Let us send men before us, and they shall spy out the land for us, and bring us word again and show us the way by which we must go up and the cities into which we shall come.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And you came near to me, all of you, and you said: ‘We will send men before us; they will spy the land for us and they will give us a statement and they will show us the way to go into it and the towns to enter.’
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said: 'Let us send men before us, that they may search the land for us, and bring us back word of the way by which we must go up, and the cities unto which we shall come.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And ye all came to me, and said, Let us send men before us, and let them go up to the land for us; and let them bring back to us a report of the way by which we shall go up, and of the cities into which we shall enter.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Twelve Spies Sent Out
21See, the LORD your God has placed the land before you. Go up and take possession of it as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has told you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.” 22Then all of you approached me and said, “Let us send men ahead of us to search out the land and bring us word of what route to follow and which cities to enter.” 23The plan seemed good to me, so I selected twelve men from among you, one from each tribe.…

Cross References
Numbers 13:1-3
And the LORD said to Moses, / “Send out for yourself men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each of their fathers’ tribes send one man who is a leader among them.” / So at the command of the LORD, Moses sent them out from the Wilderness of Paran. All the men were leaders of the Israelites,

Numbers 13:17-20
When Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, he told them, “Go up through the Negev and into the hill country. / See what the land is like and whether its people are strong or weak, few or many. / Is the land where they live good or bad? Are the cities where they dwell open camps or fortifications? ...

Numbers 13:25-33
After forty days the men returned from spying out the land, / and they went back to Moses, Aaron, and the whole congregation of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran at Kadesh. They brought back a report for the whole congregation and showed them the fruit of the land. / And they gave this account to Moses: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and indeed, it is flowing with milk and honey. Here is some of its fruit! ...

Numbers 14:1-4
Then the whole congregation lifted up their voices and cried out, and that night the people wept. / All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had died in this wilderness! / Why is the LORD bringing us into this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and children will become plunder. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?” ...

Joshua 2:1-24
Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim, saying, “Go, inspect the land, especially Jericho.” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there. / And it was reported to the king of Jericho: “Behold, some men of Israel have come here tonight to spy out the land.” / So the king of Jericho sent to Rahab and said, “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, for they have come to spy out the whole land.” ...

Joshua 14:7-8
I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought back to him an honest report. / Although my brothers who went with me made the hearts of the people melt with fear, I remained loyal to the LORD my God.

Hebrews 3:16-19
For who were the ones who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? / And with whom was God angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? / And to whom did He swear that they would never enter His rest? Was it not to those who disobeyed? ...

Hebrews 4:1-2
Therefore, while the promise of entering His rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be deemed to have fallen short of it. / For we also received the good news just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, since they did not share the faith of those who comprehended it.

Psalm 106:24-25
They despised the pleasant land; they did not believe His promise. / They grumbled in their tents and did not listen to the voice of the LORD.

Nehemiah 9:16-17
But they and our fathers became arrogant and stiff-necked and did not obey Your commandments. / They refused to listen and failed to remember the wonders You performed among them. They stiffened their necks and appointed a leader to return them to their bondage in Egypt. But You are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in loving devotion, and You did not forsake them.

Acts 7:39
But our fathers refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt.

1 Corinthians 10:5-10
Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the wilderness. / These things took place as examples to keep us from craving evil things as they did. / Do not be idolaters, as some of them were. As it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.” ...

Exodus 3:8
I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

Exodus 23:20-23
Behold, I am sending an angel before you to protect you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. / Pay attention to him and listen to his voice; do not defy him, for he will not forgive rebellion, since My Name is in him. / But if you will listen carefully to his voice and do everything I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes. ...

Deuteronomy 9:23
And when the LORD sent you out from Kadesh-barnea, He said, “Go up and possess the land that I have given you.” But you rebelled against the command of the LORD your God. You neither believed Him nor obeyed Him.


Treasury of Scripture

And you came near to me every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come.

Numbers 13:1-20
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, …

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Deuteronomy 1
1. Moses' speech in the end of the fortieth year
6. briefly rehearsing the history of God's sending them from Horeb
14. of giving them officers
19. of sending the spies to search the land
34. of his anger for their incredulity
41. and disobedience














Then all of you approached me
This phrase marks a significant moment in the narrative of Deuteronomy, where Moses recounts the history of Israel's journey. The Hebrew root for "approached" is "qarab," which implies drawing near with intent or purpose. This action signifies the collective decision of the Israelites to seek guidance, reflecting a communal desire for direction and assurance. Historically, this moment underscores the unity and shared concerns of the people as they stand on the brink of entering the Promised Land.

and said
The act of speaking here is crucial, as it represents the people's initiative to communicate their thoughts and desires. In the Hebrew context, "amar" (to say) often conveys not just speech but the expression of one's heart and mind. This highlights the importance of dialogue between the leaders and the community, a principle that resonates throughout the biblical narrative.

Let us send men ahead of us
This request demonstrates a strategic and cautious approach by the Israelites. The phrase "send men" indicates a desire for reconnaissance, a common military and exploratory tactic in ancient times. The historical context reveals a people who, despite their faith, sought practical measures to ensure their success. This reflects a balance between divine trust and human responsibility.

to explore the land for us
The exploration of the land is a pivotal task, as it involves assessing the land's resources, inhabitants, and fortifications. The Hebrew word "tur" for "explore" suggests a thorough and careful examination. This action is not merely about gathering information but also about preparing mentally and spiritually for the challenges ahead. It underscores the importance of preparation and wisdom in fulfilling God's promises.

and bring us back a report
The expectation of a report indicates the value placed on informed decision-making. The Hebrew term "dabar" for "report" implies a word or matter of significance. This reflects the biblical principle that knowledge and truth are foundational to faith and action. The report would serve as a guide for the community, influencing their readiness and morale.

about the route we should take
The concern for the route highlights the practical aspects of the journey. The Hebrew word "derek" for "route" signifies a path or way, often used metaphorically in Scripture to denote one's life journey or moral conduct. This request shows the Israelites' desire for divine guidance in their physical and spiritual journey, emphasizing the need for God's direction in all aspects of life.

and the cities we will come to
The mention of cities points to the anticipation of encountering established civilizations. The Hebrew "ir" for "cities" often denotes places of strength and refuge but also potential opposition. This reflects the reality of the challenges the Israelites would face in claiming the land. It serves as a reminder of the need for courage and faith in overcoming obstacles, trusting in God's promise of victory.

(22) And ye came near . . . and said, We will send.--A new aspect is here given to the sending of the twelve spies. In Numbers 13:1 the incident is introduced thus: "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Send thou men." We learn here that the proposal in the first instance came from the people. Moses would naturally refer it to Jehovah; and, when approved, the scheme was carried out.

They shall search us out the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come.--We read in Deuteronomy 1:33 that the Lord "went in the way before them to search out a place" for them to encamp in. But here the spies and Israel proposed to take the guidance of their march into their own hands. It is noticeable that in the campaigns of Joshua, not one step was taken without Divine direction. Thus the sending of the twelve spies, in the light in which the people intended it, was an act of unbelief. "In this thing (Deuteronomy 1:32) ye did not believe the Lord your God." (See also Note on Joshua 2:1.)



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Then all of you
כֻּלְּכֶם֒ (kul·lə·ḵem)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

approached
וַתִּקְרְב֣וּן (wat·tiq·rə·ḇūn)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - second person masculine plural | Paragogic nun
Strong's 7126: To come near, approach

me and said,
וַתֹּאמְר֗וּ (wat·tō·mə·rū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“Let us send
נִשְׁלְחָ֤ה (niš·lə·ḥāh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect Cohortative - first person common plural
Strong's 7971: To send away, for, out

men
אֲנָשִׁים֙ (’ă·nā·šîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

ahead of us
לְפָנֵ֔ינוּ (lə·p̄ā·nê·nū)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common plural
Strong's 6440: The face

to search out
וְיַחְפְּרוּ־ (wə·yaḥ·pə·rū-)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 2658: To pry into, to delve, to explore

the land
הָאָ֑רֶץ (hā·’ā·reṣ)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

and bring us
וְיָשִׁ֤בוּ (wə·yā·ši·ḇū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 7725: To turn back, in, to retreat, again

word
דָּבָ֔ר (dā·ḇār)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1697: A word, a matter, thing, a cause

of what route
הַדֶּ֙רֶךְ֙ (had·de·reḵ)
Article | Noun - common singular
Strong's 1870: A road, a course of life, mode of action

to follow
נַעֲלֶה־ (na·‘ă·leh-)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common plural
Strong's 5927: To ascend, in, actively

and which cities
הֶֽעָרִ֔ים (he·‘ā·rîm)
Article | Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 5892: Excitement

to enter.”
נָבֹ֖א (nā·ḇō)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common plural
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go


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OT Law: Deuteronomy 1:22 You came near to me everyone (Deut. De Du)
Deuteronomy 1:21
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