Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Vadim Cherny <him AT vadimcherny.org>]

There doesn't seem to be any change of meaning. Both times, it is "to 
peer at", "look in detail".
You can peer at foreign territory or foreign customs.

Vadim Cherny

Yaakov Stein wrote:
> I noticed an interesting possible change in meaning over a mere 2
> chapters.
>  
> In Numbers 13 the word TWR is used in a neutral or positive sense.
> The 12 men were sent to "spy out" the land, to see the land and bring
> back a (positive) report.
>  
> After the spies bring back a negative report, 
> Numbers 15:39 uses the same root TWR in a distinctly derogatory sense,
> i.e. that our eyes may "lead us astray".
> (I assume that translation would have a hard time in using the same word
> here.)
>  
> History seems to have caused the word to acquire a bad connotation.
>  
> Yaakov (J) Stein
>  
>  
>
>