What did the spies report about the Canaanites?
The spies returned after forty days with a horrible report, claiming the Canaanites were too powerful to defeat. They said the Canaanites were as big as grasshoppers and that there was no way Israel could drive them out. They concluded Israel could never take the land.
Les explains that one spy from each tribe went into the land for forty days and came back with a horrible report. They said, 'We can never do it. No way can we take out those Canaanites, they're as big as grasshoppers, and there's no way we can drive the Canaanites out.' They despaired, even though God had promised to drive them out with hornets and chase them, telling Israel simply to move in and take what was there. Instead, Israel wept and wailed, observing their first Tisha B'Av.