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Spies in the Promised Land Trivia Quiz

The story of the spies in the Promised Land can be found in the Book of Numbers, chapters XIII to XV, and corresponds to the Torah portion called "Shelach Lecha" in Jewish tradition. The quiz is based on the Soncino translation.

A multiple-choice quiz by janetgool. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
janetgool

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
327,289

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
465

Last 3 plays: Guest 104 (10/10), Guest 174 (1/10), calmdecember (4/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. At the beginning of chapter XIII, the Lord instructs Moses to send a number of men to spy out the land of Canaan. How are these men to be chosen? Hint

They will be selected by lottery.

The twelve strongest men will be sent.

One from each of the twelve tribes will be sent.

The twelve wisest men will be sent.

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Question 2 of 10

2. In the Soncino edition of the Bible, how does the Lord describe the spies in Numbers XIII? Hint

As faithful servants

As warriors

As princes

As pioneers

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Question 3 of 10

3. Moses gives his final instructions to the spies before they set out. Which of the following does he NOT tell them to examine? Hint

Whether the people in the land are strong or weak.

Whether the people dwell in camps or strongholds.

Whether the land is fat or thin.

Whether there are wild animals or domestic animals.

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Question 4 of 10

4. How does Moses complete his instructions to the spies? Hint

Take care of your souls.

Return before the Sabbath day.

Heed carefully to my instructions and do not waver.

Be of strong courage, and bring back the fruit of the land.

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Question 5 of 10

5. The spies return after forty days with a cluster of grapes. How do they transport the fruit? Hint

Tied to a pole and carried by two men.

On the back of a camel.

On an ox cart.

On their shoulders.

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Question 6 of 10

6. The spies give a positive report of the land itself. How do they describe it? Hint

It is a land flowing with milk and honey.

It is a land of rushing rivers and green valleys.

It is a goodly and blessed land.

It is the Garden of Eden we thought we had lost.

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Question 7 of 10

7. Despite their positive report of the land, ten of the spies have a negative report about one aspect of the land. What is their complaint? Hint

The people that dwell in the land are fierce.

We were blinded by sandstorms and the heat is like an oven.

Wild animals threaten anyone who walks there.

The trees grow so thick that we could not see the sun.

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Question 8 of 10

8. Two of the spies oppose those who speak badly of the land. What are their names? Hint

Shammua and Shaphat

Joshua and Caleb

Igal and Palti

Gaddiel and Gadi

9. The Lord becomes angry with the rebellious attitude of the Hebrews, and tells Moses that He will smite them with pestilence and destroy them. What argument does Moses use to change the Lord's decision? Hint

The Egyptians will say that the Lord could not bring His people into the land.

I will instruct them and they will beg Your forgiveness.

The people are weary of wandering - they will change when they enter the land.

These are Your people for better or worse.

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Question 10 of 10

10. What is the result of the rebelliousness of the children of Israel? Hint

They must wander in the desert for another forty years.

All of the people over twenty die immediately.

They all die of the plague.

The Lord relents and they enter the Promised Land a week later.

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Most Recent Scores

Dec 06 2024 : Guest 104: 10/10
Nov 09 2024 : Guest 174: 1/10
Nov 04 2024 : calmdecember: 4/10
Oct 27 2024 : Guest 69: 5/10
Oct 26 2024 : Guest 108: 8/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. At the beginning of chapter XIII, the Lord instructs Moses to send a number of men to spy out the land of Canaan. How are these men to be chosen?

Answer: One from each of the twelve tribes will be sent.

The verse reads "Send thou men, that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel; of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man..." By sending a man from each tribe, Moses assures that all of the people are represented.

2. In the Soncino edition of the Bible, how does the Lord describe the spies in Numbers XIII?

Answer: As princes

The end of Numbers XIII:2 states "...every one a prince among them". The Hebrew word, "Nasi", is translated in the Soncino edition as "prince", and in some Christian translations as "leader". Regardless, it is clear that the twelve spies were not ordinary men, but the best of each tribe. In modern Israeli Hebrew, the word "Nasi" means "president".

3. Moses gives his final instructions to the spies before they set out. Which of the following does he NOT tell them to examine?

Answer: Whether there are wild animals or domestic animals.

Moses' instructions to the spies begin with verse seventeen of the chapter. "And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them: 'Get you up here into the South, and go up into the mountains; and see the land, what it is; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they are strong or weak, whether they are few or many, and what land is that they dwell in, whether it is good or bad...'"

4. How does Moses complete his instructions to the spies?

Answer: Be of strong courage, and bring back the fruit of the land.

The spies set out at the time of the "first-ripe grapes". Moses instructs them to bring some of this fruit back with them, "as a tangible confirmation of their testimony", according to the Soncino commentators.

5. The spies return after forty days with a cluster of grapes. How do they transport the fruit?

Answer: Tied to a pole and carried by two men.

The cluster of grapes was so very large that two grown men were required to carry it (Numbers XIII:23). The image of two biblical figures in robes and sandals, carrying a cluster of grapes on a pole between them, is the symbol of the Israeli Ministry of Tourism.

6. The spies give a positive report of the land itself. How do they describe it?

Answer: It is a land flowing with milk and honey.

The initial report of the spies is glowing. "(they) showed them the fruit of the land. And they told him (Moses), 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 XIII:27)
In modern Israel one can find businesses from restaurants to travel agents that call themselves "Milk and Honey".

7. Despite their positive report of the land, ten of the spies have a negative report about one aspect of the land. What is their complaint?

Answer: The people that dwell in the land are fierce.

"Howbeit the people that dwell in the land are fierce, and the cities are fortified, and very great; and moreover we saw the children of Anak there". Despite the initial, positive report of the spies, they soon begin to describe the land as a fearsome place. "And they spread an evil report of the land which they had spied out unto the children of Israel..." (Numbers XIII:32)

8. Two of the spies oppose those who speak badly of the land. What are their names?

Answer: Joshua and Caleb

Caleb is of the tribe of Judah, while Joshua is of the tribe of Ephraim. They are appalled by the "evil report" given by the other ten spies, and "rent their cloths". "And they spoke unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: 'The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceeding good land. If the Lord delight in us, then He will bring us into this land, and give it unto us - a land which floweth with milk and honey'". (Numbers XIV:7-8)

Answer: The Egyptians will say that the Lord could not bring His people into the land.

After the children of Israel begin to complain, and even suggest finding someone to replace Moses and return them to Egypt, the Lord says "How long will this people despise Me: and how long will they not believe in Me, for all the signs which I have wrought among them". (Numbers XIV:14) The Lord tells Moses that he will smite them all.

But Moses, like Abraham before him, argues with the Lord. He tells the Lord that if He kills all of the children of Israel, then the Egyptians will say "Because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land which He swore unto them, therefore He hath slain them in the wilderness". (Numbers XIV:16)

10. What is the result of the rebelliousness of the children of Israel?

Answer: They must wander in the desert for another forty years.

The Lord decides that the generation that has murmured against Him will not be allowed to enter the Promised Land. Instead, the Hebrew children must wander in the wilderness for another forty years, until all those over the age of twenty die. A new generation, uncorrupted by life as slaves in Egypt, will conquer and settle the Promised Land.

The only exceptions are Joshua and Caleb, since they opposed the "evil report" of the other spies. Joshua, of course, succeeded Moses as leader. The ten other spies died of plague immediately.

Source: Author janetgool

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor CellarDoor before going online.
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