Numbers 13:29

Summary

Numbers 13:29 lists the peoples inhabiting different regions of the land: Amalek in the Negev, the Hittites/Jebusites/Amorites in the hill country, and the Canaanites by the sea and along the Jordan. The verse is structured as a geographical inventory using three parallel clauses built on the same participle.

Key words

• yoshev ("dwelling", H3427) — qal participle, repeated three times (words 2, 16, 22), each time describing a people as currently residing ("the one dwelling") in a location; the participle expresses ongoing, present state rather than a completed action.
• 'Eretz ("land of", H0776G) — feminine singular noun in construct state, linking to ha-Negev ("the Negev", H5045G) to form "the land of the Negev."
• Har ("hill country", H2022H) — masculine singular noun preceded by preposition+article ba- ("in the", H9003+H9009), marking the location of the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites.
• yad ("side of", H3027P) — common gender singular noun in construct state, forming "the side of the Jordan" with ha-Yarden ("the Jordan", H3383).
• ha-K'na'ani ("the Canaanite", H3669A) — gentilic noun with definite article, subject of the third yoshev clause, paired with two locations (sea and Jordan) rather than one.

What the text says

The verse is built on three parallel statements, each using the qal participle yoshev ("dwelling", H3427) to indicate where a given people currently resides. The first clause names Amalek (H6002G) alone, located be-'eretz ha-Negev ("in the land of the Negev"), using the construct noun 'Eretz (H0776G) followed by the place name with its article. The second clause groups three peoples — ha-Chitti ("the Hittite", H2850), ha-Yevusi ("the Jebusite", H2983G), and ha-'Emori ("the Amorite", H0567) — joined by the conjunction ve- ("and", H9002) before each, sharing a single verb yoshev located ba-Har ("in the hill country", H2022H). The third clause names ha-K'na'ani ("the Canaanite", H3669A) with its own yoshev, but this time attached to two locational phrases joined by ve-: 'al ha-Yam ("at the sea", H5921A + H3220G) and 'al yad ha-Yarden ("on the side of the Jordan", H5921A + H3027P + H3383). The repeated use of the participle rather than a finite verb form gives the sentence a descriptive, almost list-like quality, presenting the peoples as settled inhabitants rather than describing a single event.

Differences between versions

The Hebrew text of this verse (Numbers 13:29) itemizes named peoples by region — Amalek, Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, Canaanites — with their respective locations. The LXX (Swete) and Vulgate texts supplied here instead speak of a "bold/strong nation" (LXX: θρασὺ τὸ ἔθνος) or "very strong inhabitants" (Vulgate: cultores fortissimos), fortified cities, and the descendants of Enac/Anak — content matching Numbers 13:28 rather than the list of peoples in 13:29. The Spanish (RV1909, SBLIBRE) and English (BSB) translations align with the Hebrew list of peoples and regions found in the word-by-word data.