Hebrew Bible Study
Hebrew Bible Study

Commentary for Numbers 14:38

וִיהוֹשֻׁ֣עַ בִּן־נ֔וּן וְכָלֵ֖ב בֶּן־יְפֻנֶּ֑ה חָיוּ֙ מִן־הָאֲנָשִׁ֣ים הָהֵ֔ם הַֽהֹלְכִ֖ים לָת֥וּר אֶת־הָאָֽרֶץ׃

But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, remained alive of those men that went to spy out the land.

Rashi on Numbers

ויהושע וכלב ... חיו וגו׳ AND JOSHUA AND CALEB LIVED [FROM THOSE MEN] etc. — What is the force of חיו מן האנשים ההם (does it not state later on, Numbers 26:65, ‘‘And there was not left a man of them save Caleb the son of Yephuneh and Joshua the son of Nun)"? But the phrase teaches that they received the portion of the spies in the Land and thus remained alive, so to speak, in their stead (i.e. the text does not intend to state that they alone of all those men remained alive, but that they lived “from” the other men, i.e. from their portion in the Land) (Bava Batra 118b).
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy

Or HaChaim on Numbers

ויהושע בן נון, And Joshua son of Nun, etc. Why was there a need to write this verse seeing the Torah had already written that the men who issued the slanderous report died? Besides, what is the meaning of the words מן האנשים, "from amongst the men, etc.?"
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy

Siftei Chakhamim

What does the Torah teach by saying “lived.” Rashi is answering the question: In another verse (Bamidbar 26:65) the Torah writes “no man from among them was left, aside from Caleiv son of Yefuneh and Yehoshua…”
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy

Or HaChaim on Numbers

Available for Premium members only

Or HaChaim on Numbers

Available for Premium members only
Previous VerseFull ChapterNext Verse