Numbers 13:12

Study note

Setting — The text records a genealogical entry within Moses’s commissioning of twelve scouts, one from each Israelite tribe. This specific line identifies the representative chosen for Dan at that moment in the wilderness journey.

The words — The Hebrew phrase לְמַטֵּה דָן (le-matteh Dan) literally translates to "for the tribe of Dan." The name עַמִּיאֵל בֶּן־גְּמַלִּי ('Ammiel ben-Gemalli) follows as a direct paternal identifier meaning "Ammiel son of Gemalli."

The thread — This verse continues the structured pattern of tribal representation established in Numbers 13:4–16, where each tribe contributes one leader to the reconnaissance mission. The list concludes the enumeration of scouts before their departure in Numbers 13:17.

Why it lands — The text states that Dan’s delegation was formally recorded through a specific family line, establishing tribal accountability for the mission. Readers must recognize that the scouts operated as official representatives of their ancestral clans rather than as independent volunteers.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.