Whither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there.

DEUTERONOMY 1:28KJV
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Deuteronomy 1:28 (KJV)

What does Deuteronomy 1:28 mean?

Deuteronomy 1:28 describes the Israelites’ fear and discouragement after hearing a negative report from their fellow Israelites about the land they were supposed to enter. The people are worried because their “brethren” have said that the inhabitants are stronger and taller, the cities are large and heavily fortified, and even the intimidating “sons of the Anakims” live there.

In this verse, Moses is retelling to the new generation how their ancestors responded when they first approached the Promised Land. The “brethren” here refers to the spies who scouted the land and came back with a frightening report, causing the people’s courage to fail. The verse captures the moment when fear and doubt spread among the Israelites, leading them to question whether they should proceed.

The Hebrew behind Deuteronomy 1:28

  • “Discouraged” (נָמַס, namas, H4549) means to melt or dissolve. Here it describes how the people’s “heart” (לֵבָב, levav, H3824) lost courage, as if their resolve just melted away.
  • “Brethren” (אַח, ach, H251) refers specifically to the fellow Israelites who went as spies. Their words carried extra weight because they were trusted members of the community.
  • “Walled up to heaven” uses “heaven” (שָׁמַיִם, shamayim, H8064) to emphasize how impossibly high and strong the city walls seemed, not literally but as an expression of overwhelming size.
  • “Anakims” (עֲנָקִים, anakim, H6062) refers to a group of people known for their great size and reputation, making the threat feel even more real and intimidating.

Why Deuteronomy 1:28 matters

  • This verse explains why the Israelites hesitated to enter the land, showing that their fear was based on the testimony of people they trusted, not just their own imagination.
  • By recalling the discouraging report, Moses highlights how easily fear can spread and paralyze a whole community, even when God’s promise is clear.
  • The verse sets up the contrast between the people’s fear and God’s faithfulness, which is a key theme in the opening chapters of Deuteronomy.

Where else these words appear

“Anakims” Hebrew H6062 · used in 9 verses

  • Deuteronomy 2:10 The Emims dwelt therein in times past, a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims;
  • Deuteronomy 2:21 A people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims; but the LORD destroyed them before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead:
  • Joshua 11:22 There was none of the Anakims left in the land of the children of Israel: only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod, there remained.

“discouraged” Hebrew H4549 · used in 20 verses

  • Exodus 16:21 And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted.
  • 1 Samuel 15:9 But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.
  • Isaiah 10:18 And shall consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body: and they shall be as when a standardbearer fainteth.

“up” Hebrew H1219 · used in 38 verses

  • Genesis 11:6 And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.
  • 2 Kings 19:25 Hast thou not heard long ago how I have done it, and of ancient times that I have formed it? now have I brought it to pass, that thou shouldest be to lay waste fenced cities into ruinous heaps.
  • Isaiah 36:1 Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, that Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the defenced cities of Judah, and took them.