Numbers 13:3
in Numbers 13So at the consent of the LORD, Moses sent them out from the Wilderness of Paran. All the men were leaders of the Israelites,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran according to the commandment of Jehovah: all of them men who were heads of the children of Israel.
KJV
And Moses by the commandment of the Lord sent them from the wilderness of Paran: all those men were heads of the children of Israel.
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This verse in Numbers 13
Commentary
3 notes on this verseAnd Moses, by the commandment of the Lord,.... By his power, permission, and leave, as Jarchi, that there might be no delay through his means: sent them from the wilderness of Paran; from Rithmah or Kadeshbarnea, which seem to be one and the same place in that wilderness: this, as before observed, was on the twenty ninth day of Sivan: See Gill on Num 13:1, all those were heads of the children of Israel; were not mean and vulgar men, but persons of rule, who bore some office of magistracy ant government among the people in their respective tribes.
This site's exposition
Moses by the commandment of the Lord
on Numbers 13:3-4
They set out from the wilderness of Paran, and the twelve are heads of the children of Israel, men who already held rule among their people. Calvin says the names are written down in perpetual remembrance, since ten of the twelve are recorded here only to be condemned by what they say at verse 31. The list begins with Shammua of Reuben, which is birth order, though Numbers 2:3 had put Judah at the head of the camp and Numbers 7:12 had given Judah the first day.
The record, by era
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
those men were heads of the children of Israel--Not the princes who are named (Nu 10:14-16, 18-20, 22-27), but chiefs, leading men though not of the first rank.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
SEND ‘LECHA’ (THEE) 1 Literally: “for thyself,” as explained by Rashi. MEN. “As you see fit. I do not command you [to send them], but if you wish [to do so], send them.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 5 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
14 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּשְׁלַ֨ח | vaiyishlach | and he sent | H7971 → | 845 times |
| אֹתָ֥ם | ʾotam | <obj.> them | H853 → | 10935 times |
| מֹשֶׁ֛ה | mosheh | Moses | H4872 → | 765 times |
| מִמִּדְבַּ֥ר | mimidbar | from [the] wilderness of | H4057 → | 270 times |
| פָּארָ֖ן | paran | Paran | H6290 → | 11 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| פִּ֣י | pi | [the] mouth of | H6310 → | 498 times |
| יְהוָ֑ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| כֻּלָּ֣ם | kulam | all of them | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| אֲנָשִׁ֔ים | ʾanashim | [were] men | H582 → | 566 times |
| רָאשֵׁ֥י | rashei | [who were] [the] heads of | H7218 → | 599 times |
| בְנֵֽי־ | venei- | [the] people of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| הֵֽמָּה׃ | hemah | they | H1992 → | 553 times |
וַיִּשְׁלַ֨חand he sent
vaiyishlachH7971 →845 times
אֹתָ֥ם<obj.> them
ʾotamH853 →10935 times
מֹשֶׁ֛הMoses
moshehH4872 →765 times
מִמִּדְבַּ֥רfrom [the] wilderness of
mimidbarH4057 →270 times
פָּארָ֖ןParan
paranH6290 →11 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
פִּ֣י[the] mouth of
piH6310 →498 times
יְהוָ֑הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
כֻּלָּ֣םall of them
kulamH3605 →5413 times
אֲנָשִׁ֔ים[were] men
ʾanashimH582 →566 times
רָאשֵׁ֥י[who were] [the] heads of
rasheiH7218 →599 times
בְנֵֽי־[the] people of
venei-H1121 →4930 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֖לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
הֵֽמָּה׃they
hemahH1992 →553 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Deuteronomy 1:19And just as the LORD our God had commanded us, we set out from Horeb and went toward the hill country of the Amorites, through all the vast and terrifying wilderness you have seen.…
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 1:2
It is an eleven-day journey from Horeb to Kadesh-barnea by way of Mount Seir.
- Deuteronomy 8:15
He led you through the vast and terrifying wilderness with its venomous snakes and scorpions, a thirsty and waterless land. He brought you water from the rock of flint.
- Jeremiah 2:6
They did not ask, ‘Where is the LORD who brought us up from the land of Egypt, who led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and pits, a land of drought…
- Deuteronomy 32:10
He found him in a desert land, in a barren, howling wilderness; He surrounded him, He instructed him, He guarded him as the apple of His eye.
- Deuteronomy 1:2
Through
Numbers 12:16After that, the people set out from Hazeroth and camped in the Wilderness of Paran.
it leads to
- Numbers 11:35
From Kibroth-hattaavah the people moved on to Hazeroth, where they remained for some time.
- Numbers 33:18
They set out from Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah.
- Numbers 11:35
Through
Deuteronomy 9:23And when the LORD sent you out from Kadesh-barnea, He said, “Go up and possess the land that I have given you.” But you rebelled against the command of the LORD your God. You…
it leads to
- Psalms 106:24–25
They despised the pleasant land; they did not believe His promise.
- Psalms 106:24–25
Through
Deuteronomy 1:23The plan seemed good to me, so I selected twelve men from among you, one from each tribe.
it leads to
- Numbers 13:3–33
So at the consent of the LORD, Moses sent them out from the Wilderness of Paran. All the men were leaders of the Israelites,
- Numbers 13:3–33
Where this verse is studied
About Numbers
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Calvin, Commentary on the Four Last Books of Moses Arranged in the Form of a Harmony; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament.