And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it.

NUMBERS 13:27KJV
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Numbers 13:27 (KJV)

What does Numbers 13:27 mean?

Numbers 13:27 reports that the men sent to scout the land of Canaan returned and told Moses that the land truly was abundant, flowing with milk and honey, and they showed him some of its fruit as proof. This verse highlights that the land God promised was indeed rich and fertile, just as had been described.

The speakers here are the Israelite spies, addressing Moses after returning from their mission to explore Canaan. They confirm the goodness of the land by mentioning its "milk and honey," a phrase that points to plenty and prosperity in ancient times. By presenting the fruit, they give physical evidence of the land’s richness, setting the stage for the people’s reaction in the verses that follow.

The Hebrew behind Numbers 13:27

  • The word for "floweth" is זָבַת (zavat), which means to flow or gush. In this context, it paints a vivid picture of abundance, suggesting the land is overflowing with good things, not just barely providing.
  • "Milk" is חָלָב (chalav) and "honey" is דְּבַשׁ (devash). These two items together were a common way in ancient Hebrew to describe a place of great natural bounty, indicating both agricultural and pastoral richness.
  • "Fruit" is פְּרִי (peri), which in this case refers to the actual produce the spies brought back, making their report tangible and credible.

Why Numbers 13:27 matters

  • This verse confirms that God’s promise about the land’s richness was accurate, giving the people a factual basis for trust.
  • The spies’ report sets up a contrast with their following fears and doubts, making their later reluctance to enter the land more striking.
  • The mention of "milk and honey" becomes a repeated phrase throughout the Bible, shaping how later generations understood the promise of Canaan.

Where else these words appear

“floweth” Hebrew H2100 · used in 41 verses

  • Exodus 3:8 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
  • Leviticus 15:19 And if a woman have an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even.
  • Deuteronomy 26:15 Look down from thy holy habitation, from heaven, and bless thy people Israel, and the land which thou hast given us, as thou swarest unto our fathers, a land that floweth with milk and honey.

“milk” Hebrew H2461 · used in 44 verses

  • Genesis 18:8 And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.
  • Deuteronomy 14:21 Ye shall not eat of any thing that dieth of itself: thou shalt give it unto the stranger that is in thy gates, that he may eat it; or thou mayest sell it unto an alien: for thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.
  • Proverbs 30:33 Surely the churning of milk bringeth forth butter, and the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood: so the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife.

“honey” Hebrew H1706 · used in 54 verses

  • Genesis 43:11 And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds:
  • Deuteronomy 31:20 For when I shall have brought them into the land which I sware unto their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey; and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat; then will they turn unto other gods, and serve them, and provoke me, and break my covenant.
  • Psalms 119:103 How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

“fruit” Hebrew H6529 · used in 107 verses

  • Genesis 1:11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
  • Nehemiah 10:37 And that we should bring the firstfruits of our dough, and our offerings, and the fruit of all manner of trees, of wine and of oil, unto the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and the tithes of our ground unto the Levites, that the same Levites might have the tithes in all the cities of our tillage.
  • Isaiah 37:31 And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward: