Numbers 13:30

13:30 Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses, saying, “Let us go up ¹  and occupy it, ²  for we are well able to conquer it.” ³ 

Numbers 14:7-9

14:7 They said to the whole community of the Israelites, “The land we passed through to investigate is an exceedingly ⁴  good land. 14:8 If the Lord delights in us, then he will bring us into this land and give it to us – a land that is flowing with milk and honey. ⁵  14:9 Only do not rebel against the Lord, and do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. ⁶  Their protection ⁷  has turned aside from them, but the Lord is with us. Do not fear them!”

Joshua 2:23-24

2:23 Then the two men returned – they came down from the hills, crossed the river, ⁸  came to Joshua son of Nun, and reported to him all they had discovered. 2:24 They told Joshua, “Surely the Lord is handing over all the land to us! ⁹  All who live in the land are cringing before us!” ¹⁰ 

[13:30]  ¹ tn The construction is emphatic, using the cohortative with the infinitive absolute to strengthen it: עָלֹה נַעֲלֶה (’aloh na’aleh, “let us go up”) with the sense of certainty and immediacy.

[13:30]  ² tn The perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive brings the cohortative idea forward: “and let us possess it”; it may also be subordinated to form a purpose or result idea.

[13:30]  ³ tn Here again the confidence of Caleb is expressed with the infinitive absolute and the imperfect tense: יָכוֹל נוּכַל (yakhol nukhal), “we are fully able” to do this. The verb יָכַל (yakhal) followed by the preposition lamed means “to prevail over, to conquer.”

[14:7]  ⁴ tn The repetition of the adverb מְאֹד (mÿ’od) is used to express this: “very, very [good].”

[14:8]  ⁵ tn The subjective genitives “milk and honey” are symbols of the wealth of the land, second only to bread. Milk was a sign of such abundance (Gen 49:12; Isa 7:21,22). Because of the climate the milk would thicken quickly and become curds, eaten with bread or turned into butter. The honey mentioned here is the wild honey (see Deut 32:13; Judg 14:8-9). It signified sweetness, or the finer things of life (Ezek 3:3).

[14:9]  ⁶ sn The expression must indicate that they could destroy the enemies as easily as they could eat bread.

[14:9]  ⁷ tn Heb “their shade.” The figure compares the shade from the sun with the protection from the enemy. It is also possible that the text is alluding to their deities here.

[2:23]  ⁸ tn The words “the river,” though not in the Hebrew text, are added for clarification.

[2:24]  ⁹ tn Heb “Surely the Lord has given into our hand all the land.” The report by the spies uses the Hebrew perfect, suggesting certitude.

[2:24]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “are melting away because of us.”