Numbers 13:29

13:29 The spies answer the question of 13:18. Many ethnic groups occupied ancient Canaan.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, whom Caleb slew afterward, Josh. 11:21, 22.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south--Their territory lay between the Dead and the Red Seas, skirting the borders of Canaan.

Hittites . . . dwell in the mountains--Their settlements were in the southern and mountainous part of Palestine (Gen 23:7).

the Canaanites dwell by the sea--The remnant of the original inhabitants, who had been dispossessed by the Philistines, were divided into two nomadic hordes--one settled eastward near the Jordan; the other westward, by the Mediterranean.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

(29) The land of the south.—Better, of the south country, or the Negeb. See Gen_36:12, and also Num_13:17 of this Num. and Note.

The mountains.—See Gen_10:15-16, and Num_13:17 of this Num. and Note.

The Canaanites.—See Gen_10:15-18; Gen_13:7, and Notes.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

29. Apparently a parenthesis by the narrator or compiler, enumerating the inhabitants who occupied respectively (1) the Negeb, (2) the central hills of Palestine and (3) the western coast-lands, and the Jordan valley. See on Num_14:25.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The Amalekites - See Num 14:25 note.

The Canaanites - i. e. those of the Phoenician race: the word is here used in its narrow sense: compare Gen 10:15-18 note.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

The south, where we are to enter the land; and they who were so eager and fierce against us that they came into the wilderness to fight with us, will without doubt oppose us when we come close by their land, and are about to settle in their neighbourhood, the rather, to revenge themselves for their former loss and shame received by us. Therefore they mention them, though they were no Canaanites.

In the mountains, i.e. in the mountainous country in the south-east part of the land; so that you cannot enter there without great difficulty, both because of the noted strength and valour of those people, and because of the advantage they have from the mountains.

By the sea; not the midland sea, which is commonly understood by that expression, but the Salt or Dead Sea, as appears,

1. Because it is that sea which is next to Jordan, as here follows.

2. Because the Canaanites dwelt principally in those parts, and not near the midland sea. So these guard the entrance on the east side, as the others do on the south.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

29. Amalekites — See Exo_17:8, note. This strong nomadic tribe occupied the Negeb, or south part of Canaan, and they encountered Israel in the battle of Rephidim, near Sinai.

Hittites — Or children of Heth. See Jos_1:4; Jos_3:10, notes. One of the points at which modern Oriental research has done much to verify the historical accuracy of the Bible narrative is in the disclosure of the prominence of the Hittite empire in the olden time. Until recently the Hittites were known to the world only in the Bible record. Now they are recognised as one of the great world-powers in their day. The fullest compendium of facts bearing on this point is The Empire of the Hittites, by the Revelation Dr. William Wright, one of the secretaries of the British and Foreign Bible Society.

Jebusites — These occupied Jerusalem and vicinity. Jos_3:10, note.

Amorites — these were the most formidable. See Jos_3:10, note.

In the mountains — These are in the north-east of Et Tih, about seventy miles long and from forty to fifty broad, extending northward to near Beer-sheba. See Deu_1:20, note.

Canaanites — The term is here used in its narrow meaning of Lowlanders. See Jos_3:10, note.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The Amalekites. These descendants of Esau (see on Gen_36:12) formed wild roving bands, which (like the Bedouins of the present day) infested rather than inhabited the whole country between Judaea and Egypt, including the Negeb. They are not numbered among the inhabitants of Canaan proper. The Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan. It is not easy to say in what sense the word "Canaanites" is used here. At one time it is the name of one tribe amongst many, all descended from Canaan, the son of Ham, which dwelt in the land of promise; at another time it is apparently synonymous with "Amorites," or rather includes both them and the allied tribes. (cf. e.g., Jud_1:9) It is possible, though far from certain, that "Canaanites" in this place may mean "Phoenicians," since Sidon was the first-born of Canaan, (Gen_10:15) and the northern portion of the maritime plain was certainly in their possession, and probably the upper part of the Ghor, or coast of Jordan. It would appear that the Philistines had not at this time made themselves masters of the plain, although they dwelt in some parts of it. (see on Exo_13:17)

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The Amalekites in the south - Where we are to enter the land, and they who were so fierce against us that they came into the wilderness to fight with us, will, without doubt, oppose us when we come close by their land, the rather, to revenge themselves for their former loss. Therefore they mention them, though they were not Canaanites. In the mountains -In the mountainous country, in the southeast part of the land, so that you cannot enter there without great difficulty, both because of the noted strength and valour of those people, and because of the advantage they have from the mountains. By the sea - Not the mid-land sea, which is commonly understood by that expression, but the salt or dead sea, as appears,

1. Because it is that sea which is next to Jordan,

2. Because the Canaanites dwelt principally in those parts, and not near the mid-land sea. So these guard the entrance on the east- side, as the others do on the south.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

עמלק יושב וגו׳ THE AMALEKITES ABIDE [IN THE LAND OF THE SOUTH] — Because they had already been “burnt” by Amalek, the spies mentioned him first in order to terrify them (cf. Midrash Tanchuma, Sh'lach 9).

ועל ידי הירדן AND BY THE יד OF THE JORDAN — יד means what it literally implies: beside the Jordan. They meant: the Canaanites live on the bank of the Jordan and therefore you will be unable to cross it.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

They also said, Amalek dwelleth in the land of the south by which they intended to allege that there was no direction from which they could enter the Land, as all [its inhabitants] are strong men, for Amalek dwells in the south, and the Canaanite in the west and in the east, and the Amorite in the mountains. Thus they reported that which they had been sent [to find out], in such a way as to discourage the people’s confidence by means of allusion [and not openly], because they were afraid of Moses and Aaron. Thus they gave an answer to all that Moses commanded them [to ascertain], except for his statement [that they were to see] whether they are few or many, to which they gave no reply at all, nor did they report back [whether it is] good. This is because they intended to tell the people afterwards by way of an evil report, it is a Land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof, [thus implying] that its people are few but very strong. Now the people understood their intention and so all the congregation which was present began to murmur, this being the sense of the expression, And Caleb stilled the people, for he silenced them and said, We should go up at once, for we are well able to overcome it, meaning: “It is true that the people are strong, but we shall be stronger than them and their fortified cities.” Therefore Caleb said lah [“it” — we are well able to overcome ‘it,’ the word ‘it’ referring to the Land, and including the people and their fortifications]. Then the spies spoke up again, explaining their words clearly, and said, We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we, meaning: “Even if the people came out unto us into the field we are not able to contest them in battle, and we surely cannot capture any of their great and fortified cities.” For the meaning of the expression to go up ‘against the people’ is similar to [what Goliath said]: choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me, which is an expression for those fighting in battle formation.

Ramban (Nachmanides) on the Tanakh — English translation: “Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.