Numbers 13 uses either a verb or an adjectival clause to describe the activity of the twelve leaders instead of the noun “meragel,” preferring to depict behavior rather than role. The verb used instead is “to scout,” “latur,” as in God’s command to Moses: “The Lord spoke to Moses saying, ‘Send men to scout the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelite people; send one man from each of their ancestral tribes, each one a chieftain among them’” (Num. 13:1–3). The verb “latur” is used precisely in the quartering fashion described above, seeking out the best quarters for the Ark, the heart and epicenter of the Israelite camp. Once the campsite was determined, finding an appropriate place to situate the Ark and its contents was primary and took place several days before the Israelites themselves journeyed. Rashi, citing a midrash, remarks that the strange way this verse is constructed gives the impression that the Ark itself was determining its own resting place, as if the Ark itself was a scout:
Sh'lach for Ruven