Lives of Scripture

Gaddi son of Susi represented the tribe of Manasseh among the twelve men Moses sent from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land of Canaan (Numbers 13:11, 17-20). For forty days the spies explored the land from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob, bringing back a report of its fruitfulness -- including a single cluster of grapes so large it had to be carried on a pole between two men -- alongside news of its fortified cities and formidable inhabitants (13:21-29). Ten of the twelve, presumably including Gaddi, urged the people not to attempt the conquest, insisting "we are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us" and spreading a report that the land "devours its inhabitants" (13:31-32). Only Caleb and Joshua dissented, urging Israel to trust God's promise. The congregation's panic and refusal to enter the land provoked the LORD's judgment: that entire generation would wander and die in the wilderness over the next forty years, one year for each day the spies had explored the land (14:26-35). Scripture specifically records that "the men who brought out the very bad report of the land, died by the plague before the LORD" (14:36-37) -- a fate Gaddi shared with nine of his fellow spies, in contrast to Joshua and Caleb, who alone of that generation survived to enter Canaan.