Numbers 13:4

Study note

Setting — Moses records the first of twelve tribal representatives sent from the Wilderness of Paran following the Lord’s command. The text functions as an official roster introducing the scouts by tribal affiliation and lineage.

The words — שְׁמוֹתָם (shemotam) translates literally as “their names,” and בֶן (ben) means “son of,” establishing the verse’s enumerative and genealogical structure.

The thread — This pattern of listing tribal leaders by name appears in Numbers 1:5 and recurs in Numbers 34:17-29 for land allocation. Joshua 13-19 later traces the inheritance claims back to these same tribal heads.

Why it lands — The text requires readers to note that Israel’s missions were organized by tribal identity and recorded with precise lineage. It demands attention to how official biblical records use names to anchor authority and accountability.

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.