🔢WEB · Numbers 13:27
What does Numbers 13:27 mean?
"They told him, and said, “We came to the land where you sent us. Surely it flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit."
— Numbers 13:27 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
That place was called the valley of Eshcol, because of the cluster which the children of Israel cut down from there.
They returned from spying out the land at the end of forty days.
They went and came to Moses, to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, to the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word to them and to all the congregation. They showed them the fruit of the land.
They told him, and said, “We came to the land where you sent us. Surely it flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.
However the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. Moreover, we saw the children of Anak there.
Amalek dwells in the land of the South. The Hittite, the Jebusite, and the Amorite dwell in the hill country. The Canaanite dwells by the sea, and along the side of the Jordan.”
Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it!”
Explanation
Numbers 13:27 records the initial report brought back by the twelve spies whom Moses sent to scout the land of Canaan. In plain language, the verse simply states that the spies returned to Moses, confirmed that they had indeed traveled through the land he had directed them to explore, and gave their first assessment: the land was remarkably fertile, just as God had promised, and they had brought back physical proof in the form of its produce.
The context is essential to understanding this moment. Moses had sent twelve men, one from each tribe of Israel, to scan the land of Canaan before Israel's approaching conquest of it, as recorded in Numbers 13:1-20. He instructed them to assess the land's quality, the strength and size of its cities, and the nature of the people living there, and to bring back samples of the produce. The spies journeyed through the land for forty days. Upon their return to the Israelite camp at Kadesh, they gathered before Moses, Aaron, and the whole community to deliver their findings. This verse marks the beginning of their report — and notably, it starts with good news. The land was exactly as God had described it to Moses back at the burning bush and afterward: a land "flowing with milk and honey" (see Exodus 3:8), a phrase depicting abundant fertility, pastureland for livestock, and rich agricultural produce. The spies had brought back a massive cluster of grapes, along with pomegranates and figs, as tangible evidence of this abundance (Numbers 13:23).
Theologically, this verse is significant because it confirms God's faithful
Compare translations
Go deeper with ScriptureCompanion AI
Ask questions about any verse, follow reading plans, write personal prayers, and track your daily habit — all grounded in verified scripture text.