Spies

noun, plural spies.
1.
a person employed by a government to obtain secret information or intelligence about another, usually hostile, country, especially with reference to military or naval affairs.
2.
a person who keeps close and secret watch on the actions and words of another or others.
3.
a person who seeks to obtain confidential information about the activities, plans, methods, etc., of an organization or person, especially one who is employed for this purpose by a competitor:
an industrial spy.
4.
the act of spying.
verb (used without object), spied, spying.
5.
to observe secretively or furtively with hostile intent (often followed by on or upon).
6.
to act as a spy; engage in espionage.
7.
to be on the lookout; keep watch.
8.
to search for or examine something closely or carefully.
verb (used with object), spied, spying.
9.
to catch sight of suddenly; espy; descry:
to spy a rare bird overhead.
10.
to discover or find out by observation or scrutiny (often followed by out).
11.
to observe (a person, place, enemy, etc.) secretively or furtively with hostile intent.
12.
to inspect or examine or to search or look for closely or carefully.
noun (pl) spies
1.
a person employed by a state or institution to obtain secret information from rival countries, organizations, companies, etc
2.
a person who keeps secret watch on others
3.
(obsolete) a close view
verb spies, spying, spied
4.
(intransitive) usually foll by on. to keep a secret or furtive watch (on)
5.
(intransitive) to engage in espionage
6.
(transitive) to catch sight of; descry

When the Israelites reached Kadesh for the first time, and were encamped there, Moses selected twelve spies from among the chiefs of the divisions of the tribes, and sent them forth to spy the land of Canaan (Num. 13), and to bring back to him a report of its actual condition. They at once proceeded on their important errand, and went through the land as far north as the district round Lake Merom. After about six weeks’ absence they returned. Their report was very discouraging, and the people were greatly alarmed, and in a rebellious spirit proposed to elect a new leader and return to Egypt. Only two of the spies, Caleb and Joshua, showed themselves on this occasion stout-hearted and faithful. All their appeals and remonstrances were in vain. Moses announced that as a punishment for their rebellion they must now wander in the wilderness till a new generation should arise which would go up and posses the land. The spies had been forty days absent on their expedition, and for each day the Israelites were to be wanderers for a year in the desert. (See ESHCOL.) Two spies were sent by Joshua “secretly” i.e., unknown to the people (Josh. 2:1), “to view the land and Jericho” after the death of Moses, and just before the tribes under his leadership were about to cross the Jordan. They learned from Rahab (q.v.), in whose house they found a hiding-place, that terror had fallen on all the inhabitants of the land because of the great things they had heard that Jehovah had done for them (Ex. 15:14-16; comp. 23:27; Deut. 2:25; 11:25). As the result of their mission they reported: “Truly Jehovah hath delivered into our hands all the land; for even all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us.”