Sivan 29 – Send men to spy out the land of Canaan

July 4, 2024

Sivan 29, 5784; from sunset July 4, 2024, to sunset July 5, 2024

This is the name “Mosheh” (מֺשֶׁה – Moses) as seen in the Dead Sea Scrolls, written over two thousand years ago.

Miriam has just been allowed back in the camp and the Israelites moved to the Wilderness of Paran. Today in the Bible is the date held by Jewish tradition as the day that God instructed Moses to send out the spies.

And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel; from each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a leader among them.” So Moses sent them from the Wilderness of Paran according to the command of the LORD, all of them men who were heads of the children of Israel. Now these were their names:

from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur;

from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori;

from the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh;

from the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph;

from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun;

from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu;

from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi;

from the tribe of Joseph, that is, from the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi;

from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli;

from the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael;

from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi;

from the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.

These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun, Joshua.

Then Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, “Go up this way into the South, and go up to the mountains, “and see what the land is like: whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, few or many; whether the land they dwell in is good or bad; whether the cities they inhabit are like camps or strongholds; whether the land is rich or poor; and whether there are forests there or not. Be of good courage. And bring some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes.

So they went up and spied out the land from the Wilderness of Zin as far as Rehob, near the entrance of Hamath. – Numbers 13:1-21 (NKJ)

The wilderness of Paran and Zin, located southwest of the Dead Sea (upper right).

Below is a photo of the Wilderness of Zin taken in November 2016. There is a stream in the center of the photo (you can see the ribbon of green) called the Nahal Zin. The Nahal Zin is a long stream that meanders its way all about the Wilderness of Zin clear down into the Wilderness of Paran. It is likely that the spies would have followed this stream on their way into the Land. Numbers 13:21 tells us the spies entered the Land through the Wilderness of Zin, in the south, and went up to Rehob in the north.

Wilderness of Zin. Photo credit: Today in the Bible

David Ben-Gurion, the first Prime Minister of Israel, chose to be buried here rather than in Jerusalem where other national leaders are buried. This photo was taken from the hill where his grave is located. At a young age he had a passion for returning the Jews to their homeland and became one of the main leaders of the Zionist movement. On May 14, 1948, he formally proclaimed the establishment of the State of Israel, and was the first to sign the Israeli Declaration of Independence. He led Israel during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War and united various Jewish militias into the IDF. He became known as “Israel’s founding father.”

Ben-Gurion was a visionary. He desired to see the desert bloom. Israel is about 60% wilderness area, such as this, and he was determined to see the nation utilize this vast expanse. Though great steps have been taken, the wilderness is still largely unsettled and under-utilized.

Today in the Bible has chosen the Wilderness of Zin as the cover photo for our home page.

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