Spies and scouts in the Bible

• Joseph accuses his brothers: 'You are spies!'Gen 42:9, Gen 42:14
  The verses

  Gen 42:9Joseph remembered his dreams about them and said, “You are spies! You have come to see if our land is vulnerable.”

  Gen 42:14Then Joseph declared, “Just as I said, you are spies!
• The brothers answer: 'Your servants are honest men, not spies'Gen 42:11
  The verses

  Gen 42:11We are all sons of one man. Your servants are honest men, not spies.”

The twelve spies

• Moses sends one leader from each tribe to spy out CanaanNum 13:2, Deut 1:23
  The verses

  Num 13:2“Send out for yourself men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each of their fathers’ tribes send one man who is a leader among them.”

  Deut 1:23The plan seemed good to me, so I selected twelve men from among you, one from each tribe.
• Their orders: see if the people are strong or weak, few or manyNum 13:17–18
  The verses

  Num 13:17–18When Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, he told them, “Go up through the Negev and into the hill country. See what the land is like and whether its people are strong or weak, few or many.
• They went from the Wilderness of Zin as far as RehobNum 13:21
  The verses

  Num 13:21So they went up and spied out the land from the Wilderness of Zin as far as Rehob, toward Lebo-hamath.
• At Eshcol two men carried a single cluster of grapes on a poleNum 13:23
  The verses

  Num 13:23When they came to the Valley of Eshcol, they cut down a branch with a single cluster of grapes, which they carried on a pole between two men. They also took some pomegranates and figs.
• They returned after forty daysNum 13:25
  The verses

  Num 13:25After forty days the men returned from spying out the land,
• Their report: a land flowing with milk and honey, but fortified citiesNum 13:27–28
  The verses

  Num 13:27–28And they gave this account to Moses: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and indeed, it is flowing with milk and honey. Here is some of its fruit! Nevertheless, the people living in the land are strong, and the cities are large and fortified. We even saw the descendants of Anak there.
• Caleb: 'We can certainly conquer it!' The others disagreedNum 13:30–31
  The verses

  Num 13:30–31Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “We must go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly conquer it!” But the men who had gone up with him replied, “We cannot go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are!”
• 'We seemed like grasshoppers in our own sight'Num 13:33
  The verses

  Num 13:33We even saw the Nephilim there—the descendants of Anak that come from the Nephilim! We seemed like grasshoppers in our own sight, and we must have seemed the same to them!”
• Forty days of spying became forty years in the wilderness, a year a dayNum 14:34
  The verses

  Num 14:34In keeping with the forty days you spied out the land, you shall bear your guilt forty years—a year for each day—and you will experience My alienation.
• Of the spies, only Joshua and Caleb remained aliveNum 14:36–38
  The verses

  Num 14:36–38So the men Moses had sent to spy out the land, who had returned and made the whole congregation grumble against him by bringing out a bad report about the land— those men who had brought out the bad report about the land—were struck down by a plague before the LORD. Of those men who had gone to spy out the land, only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh remained alive.

Jericho and Rahab

• Joshua secretly sends two spies from Shittim; they stay with RahabJosh 2:1
  The verses

  Josh 2:1Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim, saying, “Go, inspect the land, especially Jericho.” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.
• Rahab hides them under stalks of flax on her roofJosh 2:4–6
  The verses

  Josh 2:4–6But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. So she said, “Yes, the men did come to me, but I did not know where they had come from. At dusk, when the gate was about to close, the men went out, and I do not know which way they went. Pursue them quickly, and you may catch them!” (But Rahab had taken them up to the roof and hidden them among the stalks of flax that she had laid out there.)
• She lets them down by a rope from her house in the city wallJosh 2:15
  The verses

  Josh 2:15Then Rahab let them down by a rope through the window, since the house where she lived was built into the wall of the city.
• The sign agreed on: a scarlet cord tied in the windowJosh 2:18
  The verses

  Josh 2:18unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you have brought your father and mother and brothers and all your family into your house.
• They hide three days in the hill country, then report to JoshuaJosh 2:16, Josh 2:22–23
  The verses

  Josh 2:16“Go to the hill country,” she said, “so that your pursuers will not find you. Hide yourselves there for three days until they have returned; then go on your way.”

  Josh 2:22–23So the spies went out into the hill country and stayed there three days, until their pursuers had returned without finding them, having searched all along the road. Then the two men started back, came down from the hill country, and crossed the river. So they came to Joshua son of Nun and reported all that had happened to them.
• The two spies bring out Rahab and her whole familyJosh 6:22–23
  The verses

  Josh 6:22–23Meanwhile, Joshua told the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the house of the prostitute and bring out the woman and all who are with her, just as you promised her.” So the young spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother and brothers, and all who belonged to her. They brought out her whole family and settled them outside the camp of Israel.
• Hebrews and James remember Rahab for welcoming the spiesHeb 11:31, Jas 2:25
  The verses

  Heb 11:31By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies in peace, did not perish with those who were disobedient.

  Jas 2:25In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute justified by her actions when she welcomed the spies and sent them off on another route?

Other spies

• After spies went to Jazer, Israel captured its villagesNum 21:32
  The verses

  Num 21:32After Moses had sent spies to Jazer, Israel captured its villages and drove out the Amorites who were there.
• Spies sent to Ai report: two or three thousand men are enoughJosh 7:2–3
  The verses

  Josh 7:2–3Meanwhile, Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven to the east of Bethel, and told them, “Go up and spy out the land.” So the men went up and spied out Ai. On returning to Joshua, they reported, “There is no need to send all the people; two or three thousand men are enough to go up and attack Ai. Since the people of Ai are so few, you need not wear out all our people there.”
• Five Danites spy out Laish: a quiet people with no alliesJudg 18:2, Judg 18:7
  The verses

  Judg 18:2So the Danites sent out five men from their clans, men of valor from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and explore it. “Go and explore the land,” they told them. The men entered the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah, where they spent the night.

  Judg 18:7So the five men departed and came to Laish, where they saw that the people were living securely, like the Sidonians, tranquil and unsuspecting. There was nothing lacking in the land and no oppressive ruler. And they were far away from the Sidonians and had no alliance with anyone.
• David sends out spies to confirm that Saul has arrived1 Sam 26:4
  The verses

  1 Sam 26:4David sent out spies to verify that Saul had arrived.
• The Ammonite princes suspect David's comforters are spies2 Sam 10:3
  The verses

  2 Sam 10:3the princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun their lord, “Just because David has sent you comforters, do you really believe he is showing respect for your father? Has not David instead sent his servants to explore the city, spy it out, and overthrow it?”
• Absalom sends spies through the tribes: at the horn, say 'Absalom reigns'2 Sam 15:10
  The verses

  2 Sam 15:10Then Absalom sent spies throughout the tribes of Israel with this message: “When you hear the sound of the horn, you are to say, ‘Absalom reigns in Hebron!’”
• The priests' sons Ahimaaz and Jonathan are to carry news to David2 Sam 15:35–36
  The verses

  2 Sam 15:35–36Will not Zadok and Abiathar the priests be there with you? Report to them everything you hear from the king’s palace. Indeed, their two sons, Ahimaaz son of Zadok and Jonathan son of Abiathar, are there with them. Send them to me with everything you hear.”
• A servant girl brings them news at En-rogel; they hide in a well2 Sam 17:17–19
  The verses

  2 Sam 17:17–19Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying at En-rogel, where a servant girl would come and pass along information to them. They in turn would go and inform King David, for they dared not be seen entering the city. But a young man did see them and told Absalom. So the two left quickly and came to the house of a man in Bahurim. He had a well in his courtyard, and they climbed down into it. Then the man’s wife took a covering and spread it over the mouth of the well, scattering grain over it so nobody would know a thing.
• Spies pretending to be sincere try to catch Jesus in his wordsLuke 20:20
  The verses

  Luke 20:20So they watched Him closely and sent spies who pretended to be sincere. They were hoping to catch Him in His words in order to hand Him over to the rule and authority of the governor.
• Paul: false brothers came in to spy on our freedomGal 2:4
  The verses

  Gal 2:4This issue arose because some false brothers had come in under false pretenses to spy on our freedom in Christ Jesus, in order to enslave us.