Deuteronomy 1:22
in Deuteronomy 1Then all of you approached me and said, “Let us send men ahead of us to search out the land and bring us word of what route to follow and which cities to enter.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, Let us send men before us, that they may search the land for us, and bring us word again of the way by which we must go up, and the cities unto which we shall come.
KJV
And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come.
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This verse in Deuteronomy 1
Commentary
5 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
The plan of sending the spies originated with the people; and, as in itself a reasonable one, it approved itself to Moses; it was submitted to God, sanctioned by Him, and carried out under special divine direction. The orator’s purpose in this chapter is to bring before the people emphatically their own responsibilites and behavior. It is therefore important to remind them, that the sending of the spies, which led immediately to their complaining and rebellion, was their own suggestion.
This site's exposition
And ye came near unto me every one of you
on Deuteronomy 1:22-23
Numbers 13:1-2 has the LORD telling Moses to send the men. Verse 22 here has the people coming to Moses and asking for them. Both accounts stand in the canon, and Barnes reads the plan as one that began with the people, was approved by Moses, and was then put to God and sanctioned, while other readers take the two passages as two moments inside one exchange. Moses adds that the saying pleased him well, which is a man telling the story against himself.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And ye came near unto me everyone of you,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
ye came . . . and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land--The proposal to despatch spies emanated from the people through unbelief; but Moses, believing them sincere, gave his cordial assent to this measure, and God on being consulted permitted them to follow the suggestion (see on Nu 13:1).
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
We will send men before us - See on Numbers 13 (note).
The words behind it
24 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַתִּקְרְב֣וּן | vatikrevun | and you drew near ! | H7126 → | 280 times |
| אֵלַי֮ | ʾelai | to me | H413 → | 5510 times |
| כֻּלְּכֶם֒ | kulekhem | all of you | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| וַתֹּאמְר֗וּ | vatomeru | and you said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| נִשְׁלְחָ֤ה | nishlechah | let us send out | H7971 → | 845 times |
| אֲנָשִׁים֙ | ʾanashim | men | H582 → | 566 times |
| לְפָנֵ֔ינוּ | lefaneinu | <to> before us | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| וְיַחְפְּרוּ־ | veyachperu- | so they may spy out | H2658 → | |
| לָ֖נוּ | lanu | for us | ||
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הָאָ֑רֶץ | haaretz | the land | H776 → | 2504 times |
| וְיָשִׁ֤בוּ | veyashivu | so they may bring back | H7725 → | 1056 times |
| אֹתָ֙נוּ֙ | ʾotanu | <obj.> us | H853 → | 10935 times |
| דָּבָ֔ר | davar | word | H1697 → | 1440 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הַדֶּ֙רֶךְ֙ | haderekh | the way | H1870 → | 707 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| נַעֲלֶה־ | naaleh- | we will go up | H5927 → | 890 times |
| בָּ֔הּ | bah | on it | ||
| וְאֵת֙ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הֶֽעָרִ֔ים | hearim | the cities | H5892 → | 1090 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֥ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| נָבֹ֖א | navo' | we will go | H935 → | 2568 times |
| אֲלֵיהֶֽן׃ | ʾaleihen | to them | H413 → | 5510 times |
וַתִּקְרְב֣וּןand you drew near !
vatikrevunH7126 →280 times
אֵלַי֮to me
ʾelaiH413 →5510 times
כֻּלְּכֶם֒all of you
kulekhemH3605 →5413 times
וַתֹּאמְר֗וּand you said
vatomeruH559 →5305 times
נִשְׁלְחָ֤הlet us send out
nishlechahH7971 →845 times
אֲנָשִׁים֙men
ʾanashimH582 →566 times
לְפָנֵ֔ינוּ<to> before us
lefaneinuH6440 →2123 times
וְיַחְפְּרוּ־so they may spy out
veyachperu-H2658 →
לָ֖נוּfor us
lanu
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הָאָ֑רֶץthe land
haaretzH776 →2504 times
וְיָשִׁ֤בוּso they may bring back
veyashivuH7725 →1056 times
אֹתָ֙נוּ֙<obj.> us
ʾotanuH853 →10935 times
דָּבָ֔רword
davarH1697 →1440 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הַדֶּ֙רֶךְ֙the way
haderekhH1870 →707 times
אֲשֶׁ֣רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
נַעֲלֶה־we will go up
naaleh-H5927 →890 times
בָּ֔הּon it
bah
וְאֵת֙and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
הֶֽעָרִ֔יםthe cities
hearimH5892 →1090 times
אֲשֶׁ֥רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
נָבֹ֖אwe will go
navo'H935 →2568 times
אֲלֵיהֶֽן׃to them
ʾaleihenH413 →5510 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Deuteronomy
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763).