Midrasz do Samuela I 17:12

“The name of the man was Elimelekh, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons Maḥlon and Kilyon, Ephratites of Bethlehem in Judah. They came to the fields of Moav, and were there” (Ruth 1:2).
“The name of the man was Elimelekh” (Ruth 1:2). Rabbi Meir would expound names. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korḥa would expound names. “The name of the man was Elimelekh,” as he would say: To me [elai], the kingdom [malkhut] will come. “And the name of his wife was Naomi,” as her actions were fine [na’im], and pleasant [ne’imim]. “And the names of his two sons Maḥlon and Kilyon” – Maḥlon, for they were eradicated [nimḥu] from the world; Kilyon, for they were eliminated [kalu] from the world. “Ephratites,”⁸³An expression of greatness. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi says: He was a resident of the palace. Rabbi bar Rabbi Neḥemya says: He was a nobleman. Another matter, “Ephratites,” Rabbi Pinḥas said: The entire crown with which Ephraim was crowned by Jacob at the moment that he passed from the world. He said to him: ‘Ephraim, tribal heads, heads of the yeshiva; the most excellent and outstanding of my children will be called by your name.’ “Son of Toḥu, son of Tzuf, Ephratite” (I Samuel 1:1);⁸⁴This verse is referring to Elkana. Ephratite means from Ephraim. “Yorovam ben Nevat Ephratite” (I Kings 11:26); David, son of an Ephratite man” (I Samuel 17:12); “Maḥlon and Kilyon, Ephratites.”

(Numb. 13:2:) “Send men for yourself.”⁸The midrash here understands the verse in this more literal sense. This text is related (to Prov. 10:26), “Like vinegar to the teeth and like smoke to the eyes, so is the lazy person to those who send him.” The spies were mighty ones, in that they spoke evil speech against the land, as stated (in Jer. 9:2), “For they have bent their tongues as a bow of falsehood, [and it is not for truth that they have grown mighty in the land.]” To what is the matter comparable?⁹Numb. R. 16:4. To a wealthy man who had a vineyard. Whenever he saw that the wine was good, he would say to his tenants, “Put it in my house”; but whenever he saw that it was sour, he would say to his tenants, “Put it in your houses.” So also here. When the Holy One, blessed be He, saw that the elders were worthy, he called them in His own name, as stated (in Numb. 11:16), “Gather me seventy men [from the elders of Israel].” When He saw that the spies were going to sin, he called them by Moses' name, as stated (in Numb. 13:2), “Send men for yourself.” (Numb. 13:2:) “Send men.” This text is related (to Prov. 26:6), “The one who sends a message through a fool is cutting off [his own] feet and drinking violence.” And were the spies fools? And has it not already been stated (in Numb. 13:2) “Send men (anashim).” And in every place that anashim is used, the men are righteous. Where is this shown? For so it says (in Exod. 17:9), “Then Moses said to Joshua, ‘Choose men (anashim) for us.’”¹⁰Numb. R. 16:5. And so it says (in I Sam. 17:12), “and in the days of Saul the man (Jesse) had come to an elderly age among men (anashim).” And so it [also] says (in I Sam. 1:11), “and if you grant your handmaid the seed of men (anashim).” Now you are calling these [spies] fools (as in Prov. 26:6), “The one who sends a message through a fool?” But these were only called fools because they had uttered malicious slander against the land, as stated (in Prov. 10:18), “and the one who utters slander is a fool.” But nevertheless they had [once] been great human beings, although they had made themselves foolish. So it is on account of them that Moses says (in Deut. 32:20), “for they are a perverse generation, children with no loyalty to them.” Thus they were chosen from all of Israel at the command of the Holy One, blessed be He, and at the command of Moses, as stated (in Deut. 1:23), “Now the plan seemed good in My eyes; so I took [twelve men (anashim)] from you, one for each tribe.” From where do you say that they were righteous? See that Moses did not want to send them until he had consulted with the Holy One, blessed be He, over each and every one. When he had said [for each one], “So-and-so from such-and-such tribe,” the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “They are acceptable.” Thus it is stated (in Numb. 13:3), “So Moses sent them from the Desert of Paran at the command of the Lord.” Then after that, at the end of forty days, they changed and made all that trouble. So they caused that generation to be afflicted with that punishment, as stated (in Deut. 32:20), “for they are a perverse generation.” Because when they were chosen, [they were] righteous. It is therefore stated (in Numb. 13:2, 16), “Send men for yourself […]. And these are the names of the men (anashim).”

You find the Holy One, blessed be He, likewise said to Moses: Surely there shall not one of these men, even this evil generation, see the good land (Deut. 1:35). The word man alludes to Moses, as it is written: The man Moses was very meek (Num. 12:13). He was the man who was set apart from the other men (because he alone saw the Promised Land from afar). Similarly You said: And the man was an old man in the days of Saul, stricken in years among men (I Sam 17:12). And elsewhere it is stated: Now thou shalt see what I will do to Pharaoh (Exod. 6:1); that is, you will see the war that will be waged against Pharaoh, but you will not witness the wars against the thirty-one kings (after Israel enters the land). After Moses rebuked the people, saying: Hear now, ye rebels (Num. 20:10), the Holy One, blessed be He, informed him: Therefore ye shall not bring this assembly into the land (ibid., v. 12). Hence He acts circuitously in His doings toward the son of man (Ps. 66:5).