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.
Where can we go? Our fellow Israelites have crushed our spirits by telling us, 'The people there are bigger and taller than we are; their cities are huge with walls that reach up to the sky; and we even saw the descendants of the giants living there.'
The writer is recounting how the Israelites became terrified and discouraged when they heard reports about the powerful enemies and fortified cities they would face in the Promised Land.
📚 Historical Context
In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses is recounting the events of the Exodus to the new generation of Israelites as they prepare to enter the Promised Land. This verse echoes the spies' negative report from forty years earlier in Numbers 13-14, where they described the inhabitants of Canaan as giants, including the Anakims, and the cities as massive and well-fortified, which spread fear and doubt among the people. As a result, the Israelites rebelled against God's command, leading to their wandering in the wilderness for another generation.
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