Numbers 13:26

The Spies’ Reports

13:26 They came back ¹  to Moses and Aaron and to the whole community of the Israelites in the wilderness of Paran at Kadesh. ²  They reported ³  to the whole community and showed the fruit of the land.

Numbers 20:16

20:16 So when we cried to the Lord, he heard our voice and sent a messenger, ⁴  and has brought us up out of Egypt. Now ⁵  we are here in Kadesh, a town on the edge of your country. ⁶ 

Numbers 27:14

27:14 For ⁷  in the wilderness of Zin when the community rebelled against me, you ⁸  rebelled against my command ⁹  to show me as holy ¹⁰  before their eyes over the water – the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.”

[13:26]  ¹ tn The construction literally has “and they went and they entered,” which may be smoothed out as a verbal hendiadys, the one verb modifying the other.

[13:26]  ² sn Kadesh is Ain Qadeis, about 50 miles (83 km) south of Beer Sheba. It is called Kadesh-barnea in Num 32:8.

[13:26]  ³ tn Heb “They brought back word”; the verb is the Hiphil preterite of שׁוּב (shuv).

[20:16]  ⁴ tn The word could be rendered “angel” or “messenger.” Some ambiguity may be intended in this report.

[20:16]  ⁵ tn The Hebrew text uses הִנֵּה (hinneh) to emphasize the “here and now” aspect of the report to Edom.

[20:16]  ⁶ tn Heb “your border.”

[27:14]  ⁷ tn The preposition on the relative pronoun has the force of “because of the fact that.”

[27:14]  ⁸ tn The verb is the second masculine plural form.

[27:14]  ⁹ tn Heb “mouth.”

[27:14]  ¹⁰ sn Using the basic meaning of the word קָדַשׁ (qadash, “to be separate, distinct, set apart”), we can understand better what Moses failed to do. He was supposed to have acted in a way that would have shown God to be distinct, different, holy. Instead, he gave the impression that God was capricious and hostile – very human. The leader has to be aware of what image he is conveying to the people.