ite just a few: Gaddiel means "He spoke infamous things against God in executing the secret plan of the spies"; Ammiel (who reported that "the land is so strong that not even God could go up against it") means "He cast a shadow upon God's strength"; and Nahbi means "he suppressed the truth, and faith found no room in his mouth." But of the two faithful representatives, Caleb and Hoshea, Ginzberg writes that Caleb means "he spoke what he felt in his heart and turned aside from the advice of the rest of the spies," and Hoshea, which means "full of understanding," had his name changed to Joshua by Moses, because it signifies "May God stand by thee."
According to Nachshoni, the spy incident "is that section of the Torah most commented upon, and it remains relevant to this very day." Because of the rejection of the land by the spies, their guilt is imbedded in all the slanders heaped upon the Land of Israel, even in modern times. The sin which doomed an entire generation to die even though it was on the verge of possessing the land which flowed wi
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