Numbers 13:5 is a simple roll-call verse. It names one of the twelve men Moses chose to scout the land of Canaan, identifying him by his tribe and his father’s name: Shaphat, from the tribe of Simeon, son of Hori. The verse answers the question of who was sent, not what they did, and it tells you that every tribe had a representative on the mission. The verse was written by Moses, or at least recorded under his authority, for the Israelite community gathered in the wilderness of Paran.
Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori.
Numbers 13:5 (WEB)
What Numbers 13:5 Means
The verse begins with “Of the tribe of Simeon,” which places Shaphat within the twelve-tribe structure of Israel. Each tribe descended from one of Jacob’s sons, and the tribal name tells you where a person’s family belonged and whose inheritance they shared. Simeon’s portion of the land would later be located within the territory of Judah, so Shaphat’s presence on the team reflects his tribe’s stake in the outcome.
The phrase “Shaphat the son of Hori” gives the man’s personal identity. Biblical genealogies name fathers to establish who a person is in the wider family of the nation, and this one is precise. The verse does not describe Shaphat’s courage, faith, or temperament. It only identifies him. What it does promise, if you read it in its place, is that God’s instructions to Moses were carried out by real, named individuals who were accountable to the community.
Numbers 13:5 does not teach a doctrine on its own, and it should not be made to carry one. It is best read as a record of fact that becomes meaningful only when you see the mission it belongs to, which the surrounding verses make clear.
The Context of Numbers 13:5
The Book of Numbers takes its English name from the censuses recorded in its opening and closing chapters. Its Hebrew title means “In the Wilderness,” and it tells the story of Israel’s journey from Mount Sinai toward the border of the promised land. Tradition attributes the book to Moses, and it was written for the generation of Israelites preparing to enter Canaan after the Exodus from Egypt.
Just before this verse, God tells Moses to send men to spy out the land, and Moses selects one leader from each tribe to do it. Numbers 13:5 is one entry in that list of twelve. Read in this setting, the verse is the record of a commission, and it prepares you for the report that follows, in which the spies disagree sharply about whether Israel can take the land. Knowing that story makes this short line feel more weighty than it first appears.
Key Phrases in Numbers 13:5
Joshua 14:6
Then the children of Judah came near to Joshua in Gilgal. Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know the thing that the LORD spoke to Moses the man of God concerning me and concerning you in Kadesh Barnea.
(WEB)
This verse comes from the later account of the land being divided, and it recalls Caleb, one of the twelve spies, speaking about the mission decades afterward. Reading it alongside Numbers 13:5 lets you see how the spy mission shaped the lives of the men named in the list, including the one who brought back a faithful report.
Numbers 14:6-9
6 Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were of those who spied out the land, tore their clothes. 7 They spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, “The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceeding good land. 8 If the LORD delights in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it to us; a land which flows with milk and honey. 9 Only don’t rebel against the LORD, neither fear the people of the land; for they are bread for us. Their defense is removed from over them, and the LORD is with us. Don’t fear them.”
(WEB)
These verses record the reports of Joshua and Caleb after the scouting trip, who urged Israel to trust God and go forward. They show what the twelve men did with the commission described in Numbers 13:5, and they help you see that the list of names leads to a real choice about faith.
A Short Prayer From Numbers 13:5
Lord, you know every person who stands in front of you by name, and you knew the men Moses sent into Canaan long before they set out. Help me to take seriously whatever role you have given me among the people I belong to. Where I feel overlooked or unnamed, remind me that you see me clearly and call me by name. Give me faithfulness in my small assignments and a trust in you that outlasts my fears. Amen.
