Holly Bible - KJV with Concise Commentaries by Z Selam - HTML preview
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Zin unto Rehob, as men come to Hamath.
22 And they ascended by the south, and came unto Hebron; where
Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)
We have here a short account of the survey which the spies made of the promised land.
1. They went quite through it, from Zin in the south, to Rehob, near Hamath, in the north, Nu 13:21. See Nu 34:3,8. It is probable that they did not go altogether in a body, lest they should be suspected and taken up, which there would be the more danger of if the Canaanites knew (and one would think they could not but know) how near the Israelites were to them; but they divided themselves into several companies, and so passed unsuspected, as way-faring men.
2. They took particular notice of Hebron (Nu 13:22), probably because near there was the field of Machpelah, where the patriarchs were buried (Ge 23:2), whose dead bodies did, as it were, keep possession of that land for their posterity. To this sepulchre they made a particular visit, and found the adjoining city in the possession of the sons of Anak, who are here named. In that place where they expected the greatest encouragements they met with the greatest discouragements. Where the bodies of their ancestors kept possession for them the giants kept possession against them. They ascended by the south, and came to Hebron, that is, "Caleb," say the Jews, "in particular," for to his being there we find express reference, Jos 14:9,12,13. But that others of the spies were there too appears by their description of the Anakim, Nu 13:33.
3. They brought a bunch of grapes with them, and some other of the fruits of the land, as a proof of the extraordinary goodness of the country. Probably they furnished themselves with these fruits when they were leaving the country and returning. The cluster of grapes was so large and so heavy that they hung it upon a bar, and carried it between two of