Abstract
Twelve scouts sent out by Moses surveyed the land. What happened next is frequently misread by people, even by Bible teachers, as being that ten scouts brought back a pessimistic report, “We can’t defeat these people”, while two of them, Joshua and Caleb, urged, “We can do it.” But this is to misread the text, and to miss a significant point in the story: for the record informs us that eleven (not ten) brought the negative report. There was only one, Caleb, who said, “With God’s help, we can take possession of the land.” However, overnight one man, Joshua, changed his mind - and that man subsequently came to play a crucial role as Israel’s leader.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.