Map 060 · The Patriarchs & the Exodus · Numbers 13:1–2

The Twelve Spies — The Land They Saw and Refused

Forty days surveying the land God had promised — and ten men whose fear cost an entire generation the inheritance they could have entered

"And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of his fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them."

— Numbers 13:1–2 (KJV)

Map of Canaan at the Death of Moses About 1380 BC showing the full land of Canaan color-coded by peoples — Israel in pink, Nations Related to Israel in yellow, Philistines in purple, Canaanites in light yellow, Amorite Clans in blue, Hittites in green — with key cities including Dan, Hazor, Megiddo, Shechem, Jerusalem (Jebus), Bethlehem, Hebron, Gaza, Beer-Sheba, and the Wilderness of Zin and Kadesh at the southern border

"Canaan at the Death of Moses — About 1380 B.C., Division East of Jordan." This is the land the twelve spies surveyed — the full territory of Canaan with its peoples, cities, and geography. The color-coded map shows exactly who was in possession of each region and what Israel would face in the conquest.

Source: Maccoun, The Holy Land in Geography and in History (1899). Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. · Historical commentary by Michael Knighton · Christians Standing With Israel

🗺 How to Read This Illustration

① The Entry Point — From the South — The spies entered Canaan from the south — from Kadesh-Barnea in the Wilderness of Zin, visible at the bottom of this map. Find "Wilderness of Zin" and "Kedesb" (Kadesh) at the lower portion. They traveled north through the entire land, reaching Dan in the far north. The full survey route covered the entire territory shown on this map — north to south, from Beer-Sheba to Dan.

② Hebron — The Giant Problem — Find "Hebron" on the map in the southern highlands (labeled near Keilah and Gedor). Hebron was where the spies encountered the sons of Anak — the giant descendants of the Rephaim who had terrified the spies. "The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature" (Numbers 13:32). Caleb specifically later asked for Hebron as his inheritance — he was not afraid of the giants.

③ The Peoples on the Map — Look at the color-coded legend. Yellow = Canaanites (dominant throughout), blue = Amorite Clans (eastern), green = Hittites (northern), purple = Philistines (southwestern coast). These are exactly the peoples the spies reported back about — and the peoples God had promised Israel would displace. The ten fearful spies focused on the obstacles; Caleb and Joshua focused on the promise.

④ Eshcol — The Cluster of Grapes — Find "Hebron" and look just north of it for the valleys of the Hebron area. It was near Hebron that the spies cut down the famous cluster of grapes from the valley of Eshcol — so large that two men carried it on a pole between them. They also brought figs and pomegranates. The land was genuinely as abundant as God had described. The spies confirmed the land was good. Their failure was not in the reconnaissance but in their response to what they found.

What This Image Shows

✦ The full land the twelve spies surveyed

✦ Canaan's peoples — color-coded by territory

✦ Hebron — where the giants were encountered

✦ Beer-Sheba and the Wilderness of Zin — entry point

✦ The Jezreel Valley — strategic heartland

✦ The Jordan River — eastern boundary

✦ The coastal plain — Philistine territory

✦ Dan and Hazor — the northern extent surveyed

The Report That Cost a Generation

This is the land the twelve spies surveyed. Look at the full map — from Dan in the north to Beer-Sheba in the south, from the Mediterranean coast in the west to the Jordan and beyond in the east. Every city, valley, and hill range shown on this map was walked through by twelve men over forty days. They came back with a cluster of grapes too heavy for one man to carry, with figs and pomegranates, confirming everything God had promised: it was a land flowing with milk and honey. They all agreed on that part.

But then the report split. Ten spies — representing ten tribes — said the cities were fortified and great, the people were giants, and "we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight" (Numbers 13:33). Caleb of Judah and Joshua of Ephraim gave a different report: "The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land... fear them not... the LORD is with us" (Numbers 14:7–9). The congregation chose the majority report. They wept, murmured, and talked about appointing a new leader to take them back to Egypt.

Find Hebron on the map — it sits in the southern highlands, the area where the Anakim (giants) lived. Caleb later asked specifically for Hebron as his inheritance (Joshua 14:12): "Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out." At 85 years old, after forty-five years of waiting, Caleb drove out the sons of Anak from Hebron and claimed his inheritance. The man who refused to be a grasshopper at 40 was still fighting giants at 85.

The ten fearful spies died in a plague immediately after their report. The generation that had believed their report — everyone 20 years old and above who had come out of Egypt — was sentenced to die in the wilderness before the land could be entered. One year after leaving Egypt, standing at the threshold of everything God had promised, Israel turned away. Forty more years, and the children of those fearful men stood at the Jordan River and crossed in.

Key Scripture References

Numbers 13:1–16 — The twelve spies appointed by tribe

Numbers 13:21–25 — The survey route; the cluster of grapes

Numbers 13:26–33 — The two reports: faith vs. fear

Numbers 14:1–10 — Israel rebels; Caleb and Joshua nearly stoned

Numbers 14:26–38 — Forty years pronounced; ten spies die

Joshua 14:6–14 — Caleb claims Hebron at age 85

Illustration: Maccoun, The Holy Land in Geography and in History (1899). Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. · Historical commentary: © 2026 Michael Wayne Knighton | Christians Standing With Israel™ | All Rights Reserved.

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