Chapter 26—Caleb and Joshua
The Lord commanded Moses to send men to search the land of
Canaan, which he would give unto the children of Israel. A ruler of
each tribe was to be selected for this purpose. They went, and after
forty days returned from their search, and came before Moses and
Aaron, and all the congregation of Israel, and showed them the fruit of
the land. All agreed that it was a good land, and they exhibited the rich
fruit which they had brought as evidence. One cluster of the grapes
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was so large that two men carried it between them on a staff. They
also brought of the figs, and the pomegranates, which grew there in
abundance. After they had spoken of the fertility of the land, all but
two spoke very discouragingly of their being able to possess it. They
said that the people were very strong that dwelt in the land, and the
cities were surrounded with great and high walls, and, more than all
this, they saw the children of the giant Anak there. They then described
how the people were situated around Canaan, and the impossibility of
their ever being able to possess it.
As the people listened to this report they gave vent to their disap-
pointment with bitter reproaches and wailing. They did not wait, and
reflect, and reason, that God, who had brought them out thus far, would
certainly give them the land. But they yielded to discouragement at
once. They limited the power of the Holy One, and trusted not in God,
who had hitherto led them. They reproached Moses, and murmuringly
said to one another, This, then, is the end of all our hopes. This is
the land that we have been traveling from Egypt to obtain. Caleb and
Joshua sought to obtain a hearing. But the people were so excited they
could not command themselves to listen to these two men. After they
were calmed a little, Caleb ventured to speak. He said to the people,
“Let us go up at once, and possess it, for we are well able to overcome
it.” But the men that went up with him said, “We be not able to go up
against the people, for they are stronger than we.” And they continued
to repeat their evil report, and declared that all the men were of great
stature. “And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come
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