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Numbers 13:3-16 meaning

Numbers 13:3-16 contains a list of the names of the men sent by Moses to explore the land of Canaan. The tribe of Levi was exempted from sending a spy, and Joshua was sent instead.

Moses again obeyed the LORD’s command by sending the Israelites from the wilderness of Paran (v. 3). As stated in Numbers 12:16, the wilderness of Paran was the northern side of Sinai and just south of the land of Canaan. According to verse 26, they were at Kadesh-Barnea, which is in the wilderness of Paran just south of the border of Canaan.

This was done at the command of the Lord; it was not just Moses’ idea.

Moses did not send just anyone into Canaan. Instead, he selected men who were heads of the sons of Israel.

Specifically, these then were their names (v. 4):

From the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur.
From the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori (v. 5).
From the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh (v. 6).
From the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph (v. 7).
From the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun (v. 8).
From the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu (v. 9).
From the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi (v. 10).
From the tribe of Joseph, from the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi (v. 11).
From the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli (v. 12).
From the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael (v. 13).
From the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi (v. 14).
From the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi (v. 15).

This list of tribes contains the following:

Reuben was listed first because he was the oldest of Jacob’s sons.
Moses changed the name of Hoshea to Joshua (v. 16).
Levi was omitted because it had been set apart to serve the LORD (Numbers 1:49).
Joseph was included with the reference to the tribe of Manasseh in verse 11. This was because Manasseh was a son of Joseph.
Ephraim was also a son of Joseph, but Joseph was not mentioned in verse 8.

It is consistent in scripture that there are always twelve tribes, but which tribes are listed varies. Sometimes it is each of the original twelve sons (Genesis 35:22-26). Sometimes, as here, Ephraim and Manasseh are both counted, and Levi is left off. In Revelation, Dan is left out, and Joseph is included in place of Ephraim, but Manasseh (Joseph’s other son) is also included.

Scripture does not explain this pattern, but perhaps it is a part of the scriptural principle of wholeness consisting of many as one, and one as many. This is the case with God, who is One, and three (Deuteronomy 6:4; Genesis 1:26; Matthew 28:19). It is true of marriage, where two become one (Matthew 19:5). It is true of Israel, where twelve tribes make up one nation, and one nation twelve tribes. Perhaps the “floating” extra tribe presages the addition of the nations/Gentiles to be grafted in to the olive tree that is Israel (Genesis 12:3; Romans 11:17).

In summary, these are the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land (v. 16). In addition, Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun, Joshua. The two names are similar. Hoshea means “salvation” and Joshua means “the LORD saves.” The reason Moses changed his name is unclear. It could signal the special relationship between the two.

It has been suggested that the name-change was the way Moses ritually adopted Joshua. In the ancient world, it was customary for a superior king to “adopt” an inferior king as a reward for faithful service (for more, read our Tough Topics Explained article: Suzerain-Vassal Treaties ). God uses this custom to show His extreme pleasure with Jesus for His faithful service (Hebrews 1:5). The Bible indicates that Jesus will share this adoption with believers who are faithful (Hebrews 2:10).

There are some interesting observations that can be made relating to the changing of Joshua’s name from Hosea/Hoshea. Hoshea means “Salvation” while Yeho-Shua (Joshua) means “Yahweh is Salvation.” Joshua ben (son of) Nun is a messianic type of Jesus. The name “Jesus” is a transliteration of the Hebrew “Joshua.”

Hebrews 4:8 says, “For if Joshua [ben Nun] had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that.” This could be thought of as another day where another “Joshua” (Jesus) would give them rest. The “rest” in this Hebrews passage refers to the full possession of an inheritance.

Jewish tradition recognizes the prophetic prediction of two messiahs, or “anointed ones.” Jesus fulfills the prophetic picture of both. What was not recognized is that one person, Jesus, would satisfy each prophetic prediction, but in two different advents upon earth.

One messiah from Jewish tradition is Messiah son of Joseph, the son of Jacob. Jesus’ earthly father (by adoption) was Joseph son of Jacob. This was God’s way of telling the Jews, “Here He is!” Messiah son of Joseph fulfills the messianic predictions that depict a suffering servant.

The other messiah from Jewish tradition is Messiah Son of David. This picture satisfies the prophetic images of a Son of David who is a conquering king. Jewish tradition links Joshua and Joseph as both having a special anointing from the following verses:

of Joshua in Numbers 27:18, “So the LORD said to Moses, ‘Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him’” and
of Joseph in Genesis 41:38 “Then Pharaoh said to his servants, ‘Can we find a man like this, in whom is a divine spirit?’”

Jesus of course was also anointed, as the Spirit descended on Him in the form of a dove (Luke 3:22).

Biblical Text

³So Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran at the command of the Lord, all of them men who were heads of the sons of Israel. ⁴These then were their names: from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur; ⁵from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori; ⁶from the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh; ⁷from the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph; ⁸from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun; ⁹from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu; ¹⁰from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi; ¹¹from the tribe of Joseph, from the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi; ¹²from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli; ¹³from the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael; ¹⁴from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi; ¹⁵from the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi. ¹⁶These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land; but Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun, Joshua.

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Additional Resources

Book Theme

The book of Numbers is the fourth of the five books of Moses that comprise the Torah, which means “Law.” It gets its English name from the Greek Old Testament called the Septuagint (or LXX). The LXX named this book, “Arithmoi,” meaning “Numbers.” Its Hebrew name means “in the desert” or “in the wilderness.” Both names are appropriate. The Hebrew name is appropriate because Numbers covers the Israelites’ wanderings in the wilderness (or “desert”) from Sinai to the plains of Moab. The Greek name is also appropriate because of the many lists, and the numbers within those lists.

At the beginning of the book, the Israelites had been camped at Mount Sinai for about a year. The book of Exodus covered their escape from Egypt and their journey to Sinai. The LORD commanded Moses to organize the people in preparation to leave Sinai and go to the Promised Land. The book covers around 38 years of the Israelites’ journey from Egypt to the Promised Land, and describes many of Israel’s failures, including mutinies against Moses and outright disobedience to the word of the LORD. In Numbers, the LORD declares that the generation that left Egypt would die in the wilderness due to their disobedience. Only two, Joshua and Caleb, were allowed to enter the Promised Land, due to their faithfulness. Even Moses died without entering the Land due to disobedience.

The book of Numbers can be outlined in many ways. The most general outline involves the generation that leaves Egypt and the one after it, as seen below:
• Events Involving the Exodus Generation (Num. 1 – 25)
• Events Involving the Second Generation (Num. 26 – 36)

Another outline sees the book having three major divisions based on the major encampments of the Israelites:
• Israel at Sinai (Num. 1:1 – 10:10)
• Israel at Kadesh Barnea (Num. 10:11 – 19:22)
• Israel on the Plains of Moab (Num. 20:1 – 36:13)

Still another outline (the one followed here) is as follows:
• The Exodus Generation in the Wilderness (chaps. 1 – 25)
◦ The Israelites Prepare to Leave Mount Sinai (1:1 – 10:10)
◦ The Israelites Depart to Kadesh Barnea (10:11 – 14:45)
◦ The Israelites Journey to the Plains of Moab (15:1 – 22:1)
◦ The Israelites Are Confronted by Balaam the Prophet (22:2 – 25:18)
• The Second Generation Prepares to Enter the Promised Land (26:1 – 36:13)
◦ The Rules Concerning Inheritance (Num. 26:1 – 27:11)
◦ The Provision for Moses’ Successor (Num. 27:12 – 23)
◦ The Laws Concerning Offerings (Num. 28:1 – 29:40)
◦ The Laws Concerning Vows (Num. 30:1 –16)
◦ The LORD’s Judgment Against the Midianites (Num. 31:1 – 54)
◦ The Inheritance of the Eastern Tribes (Num. 32:1 – 42)
◦ The Review of the Journey to Canaan (Num. 33:1 – 56)
◦ The LORD’s Instructions Before Conquering Canaan (Num. 33:50 – 36:13)

There are two themes that flow from the book of Numbers. The first concerns the LORD’s infinite grace in light of the people’s many failures and transgressions. There is hardly a book in the Bible where the LORD had to exercise His grace to His people more often than this one. The book of Numbers contains a record of Israel’s failure after failure and the LORD’s gracious forgiveness after forgiveness. Even when He judged them, there was grace.

Second, and related to the first, the book stresses the importance of obedience. God chose the Israelites unconditionally; they were the LORD’s chosen people regardless of their behavior. However, He demanded obedience to show His people that their obedience results in blessing. God set forth a way of life for His people in the covenant He and the people entered into at Sinai (Exodus 19:5-8). The Ten Commandments made it clear that God would make the law, and that the pinnacle requirement of His law was for the people to respect and serve one another. The strong were to serve the weak. This was in stark contrast to the surrounding cultures, which centered around the strong exploiting the weak (Leviticus 18). God’s judgment brought discipline upon Israel in order to shepherd them toward living in harmony and service to one another.

Chapter Context

Following the rebellion of Miriam and Aaron against Moses, Numbers Chapter 13 contains the rebellion of the spies that were sent into the land of Canaan. The LORD told Moses to send the spies so they could bring back a report of what the Israelites could expect when they invaded the land of Canaan. The spies spend forty days exploring Canaan and then they report to Moses.

Ten of the spies gave Moses a report that was mainly negative. When they reported to the people, it was completely negative, telling them not to enter the land. Only Caleb (and Joshua) spoke in faith and urged Israel to not rebel but to go up and conquer the land, as God had commanded them.

Numbers Chapter 13 can be outlined as follows:

The LORD Commanded Moses to Send Spies (Numbers 13:1 – 2)
Moses Selected the Spies to go into Canaan (Numbers 13:3 – 16)
Moses Gave Instructions to Spies (Numbers 13:17 – 20)
The Spies Spied the Land (Numbers 13:21 – 25)
The Spies Returned and Gave Their Report (Numbers 13:26 – 33)

Numbers 13:3-16 meaning

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1 Corinthians 9:12b-14 meaning

Amos 4:4-5 meaning

Hebrews 9:1-7 meaning

Romans 15:25-27 meaning

Deuteronomy 3:12-17 meaning

Additional Resources

Book Theme

Chapter Context

Maps and Charts

Videos

The Bible Project - Numbers Summary

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