At Yahweh's command, Moses sent twelve men, every one a leader, from the wilderness of Paran to spy out the land of Canaan. He told them to go up into the hill country and see the land: whether the people were strong or weak, few or many, whether the cities were camps or strongholds, and whether the land was fat or lean. Be courageous, he added, and bring some of the fruit of the land. It was the season of the first ripe grapes.
They traveled from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob, and they came to Hebron. At the valley of Eshcol they cut a branch with one cluster of grapes and carried it on a staff between two men. After forty days they returned with the fruit and reported: Surely it flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large.
Caleb stilled the people before Moses and said, Let's go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. But the others insisted they could not, and they brought up an evil report of the land. They claimed they had seen the Nephilim and said, We were in our own sight as grasshoppers. Both groups saw the same land and the same people. The difference was faith. Hebrews 3:19 explains that they could not enter because of unbelief. Caleb believed God's promise, and that made him bold.