John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 2. Send thou men , etc.] Which is rather a permission than a command; so Jarchi interprets it, “send men according to thy mind, I do not command thee, but if thou pleasest send;” this he observed was agreeable to Moses, and to the Israelites, and therefore granted it, or allowed them to take their own way, and which issued badly, as it always does, when men are left to their own counsel: that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel ; called the land of Canaan, though it consisted of seven nations, from the principal of them; this God had given in promise to the children of Israel, and had now brought them to the borders of it; nay, had given them orders to go up and possess it; but they were for searching it first, to know what sort of a land it was, and which was the best way of entering into it, which is here permitted them, (see Deuteronomy 1:21,22); of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man ; excepting the tribe of Levi; the reason of which was because they were to have no inheritance in the land, ( Deuteronomy 10:9 18:1,2); but then, to make up the number twelve, the two sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, are reckoned as two tribes: everyone a ruler among them ; a prince in his tribe; so were men of honour and credit, of power and authority, of prudence and probity, and who might be trusted with such an affair, and their report believed: they were not indeed princes of the highest rank, not the same that assisted in taking the numbers of the people, who were captains over their several tribes, as in ( Numbers 1:4-16 2:2-31), etc. but were inferior princes and rulers, perhaps rulers of thousands.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-20 - A memorable and melancholy history is related in this and the followin chapter, of the turning back of Israel from the borders of Canaan, an the sentencing them to wander and perish in the wilderness, for their unbelief and murmuring. It appears, De 1:22, that the motion to searc out the land came from the people. They had a better opinion of their own policy than of God's wisdom. Thus we ruin ourselves by believin the reports and representations of sense rather than Divine revelation We walk by sight not by faith. Moses gave the spies this charge, Be of good courage. It was not only a great undertaking they were put upon which required good management and resolution; but a great trust wa reposed in them, which required that they should be faithful. Courag in such circumstances can only spring from strong faith, which Cale and Joshua alone possessed.
Original Hebrew שׁלח7971 לך אנשׁים582 ויתרו8446 את853 ארץ776 כנען3667 אשׁר834 אני589 נתן5414 לבני1121 ישׂראל3478 אישׁ376 אחד259 אישׁ376 אחד259 למטה4294 אבתיו1 תשׁלחו7971 כל3605 נשׂיא׃5387
