Numbers 13:4

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Numbers 13:4 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And these were their names: Of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And these were their names: Of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur.
Numbers 13:4 — American Standard Version

Context — Numbers 13

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
4And these were their names: Of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And these [were] their names, of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur.] From (<041304>Numbers 13:4-15), there is nothing but the names of the said persons, whose sons they were, and of what tribe; and the several tribes are mentioned, not according to the order of the birth of the patriarchs, nor according to the dignity of their mothers that bore them, but, very likely, according to the order in which they were sent, two by two, to search the land; for had they gone all twelve in a body, they would have been liable to suspicion: the signification of their names is of no importance to know, and will give us no light into their characters or the reason of their choice, nor are their…”
Read attributed excerpt →

Related study paths

Sources and verification