traditions of settlement, partly in the interests of aligning such traditions with those who spoke of settlement from the east across the Jordan. It was the sin of Israel which led to the detour, and further material in Num 14 emphasizes the point. In the meantime the Judahite tradition of a reconnaissance as far as Hebron can be left as it stands. The importance of the land, and the conditions attaching to its occupation, were key issues in late preexilic Judah. Further discussion of the meaning