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Ramban on Deuteronomy 1:25/רמב"ן על דברים א׳:כ״ה

אוַיֹּאמְרוּ טוֹבָה הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ נֹתֵן לָנוּ, מִי הֵם שֶׁאָמְרוּ טוֹבָתָהּ, יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וְכָלֵב, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על דברים א':כ"ה) מִסִּפְרֵי (דברים כה). וַאֲנִי תָּמֵהַּ, אִם כֵּן מָה הַטַּעֲנָה הַזֹּאת עֲלֵיהֶם, וְרָאוּי שֶׁיַּאֲמִינוּ לָעֲשָׂרָה יוֹתֵר מִן הַשְּׁנַיִם. אוּלַי טָעַן עֲלֵיהֶם כֵּיוָן שהקב"ה הוֹדִיעַ אֶתְכֶם שֶׁהִיא אֶרֶץ טוֹבָה וּגְדוֹלֵי הַשְּׁלוּחִים וְהַצַּדִּיקִים שֶׁבָּהֶם אַף הֵם מְעִידִין כֵּן, הָיָה לָכֶם לְהַאֲמִין כִּי הָאֲחֵרִים מִפְּנֵי מֹרֶךְ לֵב אָמְרוּ מָה שֶׁאָמְרוּ. וְהַנָּכוֹן מָה שֶׁפֵּרַשְׁתִּי שָׁם (במדבר יג לב), שֶׁכֻּלָּם הוֹדוּ לִפְנֵי מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן וְכָל הָעֵדָה וְאָמְרוּ (שם יג כז) בָּאנוּ אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר שְׁלַחְתָּנוּ וְגַם זָבַת חָלָב וּדְבַשׁ הִיא וְזֶה פִּרְיָהּ, וְהִנֵּה כֻּלָּם בְּהַסְכָּמָה אַחַת בְּטוֹבַת הָאָרֶץ, אֲבָל בְּחֹזֶק הָעַמִּים הָהֵם הֵמַסּוּ אֶת לְבָבָם, וְאַחֲרֵי כֵן בִּרְאוֹתָם כִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וְכָלֵב יְחַזְּקוּ אֶת לִבָּם לַמִּלְחָמָה, בָּאוּ שְׁאָר הַמְרַגְּלִים אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁלֹּא בִּפְנֵי מֹשֶׁה וְהוֹצִיאוּ דִּבָּה עַל הָאָרֶץ שֶׁהִיא אֶרֶץ אוֹכֶלֶת יוֹשְׁבֶיהָ, וְזֶהוּ וַתֵּרָגְנוּ בְאָהֳלֵיכֶם (דברים א':כ"ז). וְגַם הָעָם לֹא יַזְכִּירוּ בִּפְנֵי מֹשֶׁה הַדִּבָּה הַזֹּאת כִּי יַכְחִישֵׁם שֶׁלֹּא אָמְרוּ כֵן בַּתְּחִלָּה וְהוֹדוּ שֶׁהִיא טוֹבָה וְגַם זָבַת חָלָב וּדְבַשׁ, אֲבָל אָמְרוּ לְמֹשֶׁה (דברים א':כ"ח) אָנָה אֲנַחְנוּ עֹלִים אַחֵינוּ הֵמַסּוּ אֶת לְבָבֵנוּ לֵאמֹר עַם גָּדוֹל וָרָם מִמֶּנּוּ, וְעַל כֵּן יֹאמַר לָהֶם מֹשֶׁה עַתָּה אֱמֶת הוּא כְּדִבְרֵיכֶם, שֶׁהָעָם הַהוּא גָּדוֹל וָרָם, אֲבָל ה' יִלָּחֵם לָכֶם כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה עִמָּכֶם מִמִּצְרַיִם וְעַד הֵנָּה. וְזֶה טַעַם וּבַדָּבָר הַזֶּה אֵינְכֶם מַאֲמִינִם בַּה' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, שֶׁאֵין הָעַכָּבָה אֶלָּא מִמִּעוּט אֲמָנָה. הִנֵּה כָּל הַפָּרָשָׁה כִּפְשׁוּטָהּ וּמַשְׁמָעָהּ:

1AND THEY SAID: ‘GOOD IS THE LAND WHICH THE ETERNAL OUR G-D GIVETH UNTO US.’ “Who were those who spoke well of the Land? Joshua and Caleb.” This is Rashi’s language quoting the Sifre.¹⁰³ 23. But I wonder. If so, what is this complaint against them [the people]? It was proper that they should believe ten people more than two? Perhaps Moses complained against them: “Since the Holy One, blessed be He, had informed you that it is a good Land, and the leading emissaries and the most righteous among them had also testified to that effect, you should have believed that the others spoke their piece out of lack of courage.”The correct interpretation is as I have already explained there:¹⁰⁴ All the spies admitted before Moses and Aaron and the whole congregation, saying, We came unto the Land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it.¹⁰⁵, Verse 27. Thus they were all in consensus on the goodness of the Land itself, but, with reference to the strength of those nations living there, they melted the people’s hearts. Then, when [the ten spies] saw that Joshua and Caleb were encouraging the people to wage war, the spies came to the children of Israel not in the presence of Moses and they disseminated a slanderous report about the Land to the effect that it is a Land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof.¹⁰⁴ This is [what Moses meant when he stated here], and ye murmured in your tents.¹⁰⁶ clearly indicates that the murmuring was done surreptitiously. The ten wicked spies did not confront Moses with this charge. The people also did not mention this slander in the presence of Moses¹⁰⁷ for he would refute them because they [the spies themselves] did not say so at first [that the Land kills its inhabitants]; instead they admitted that it is a good Land, and surely it floweth with milk and honey.¹⁰⁵, Verse 27. Rather, they said to Moses, Whither are we going up? our brethren have made our heart to melt, saying: The people is greater and taller than we.¹⁰⁷ Therefore, Moses now said to them: “It is true as you say that that people is great and tall, but the Eternal will fight for you¹⁰⁸ according to all that He did for you¹⁰⁹ from Egypt even till now.”¹¹⁰ This, then, is the sense of the verse, Yet in this thing ye do not believe the Eternal your G-d,¹¹¹ which means that the hindrance [to your immediate entry into the Land] was only a result of insufficient faith [you had in G-d]. Thus the whole section is explained in accordance with the simple meaning of Scripture and its purport.