In preparation for the conquest of Canaan, Yehoshua dispatched two spies, Kalev and Pinchas, to scout the land. The pasuk states:
וישלח יהושע־בן־נון מן־השטים שנים־אנשים מרגלים חרש לאמר לכו ראו את־הארץ ואת־יריחו וילכו ויבאו בית־אשה זונה ושמה רחב וישכבו־שמה
Yehoshua ben Nun secretly sent two men from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, reconnoiter the region of Yericho.”
This action seems a bit shocking given Moshe's prior experience, where he sent 12 spies to Canaan, leading to disastrous consequences. Why did Yehoshua feel it appropriate to deploy spies now? And why the emphasis on Yericho?
The Malbim points out five distinctions between Yehoshua's and Moshe's spies:
Moshe's spies were sent due to the demands of the people, and their pessimistic feedback was accepted by the masses. Yehoshua, however, acted independently without being swayed by public opinion.
Moshe dispatched spies from Paran, which was far from Canaan, leading to doubts about invasion. Yehosh…
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