Original Word: רָגַל
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: ragal
Pronunciation: rah-GAHL
Phonetic Spelling: (raw-gal')
KJV: backbite, search, slander, (e-)spy (out), teach to go, view
NASB: spies, spy, spied, slander, slandered, taught to walk
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to walk along
2. (but only in specific applications) to reconnoiter, to be a tale-bearer (i.e. slander)
3. (as denominative from H7272) to lead about

backbite, slander, espy out, teach to go, view

A primitive root; to walk along; but only in specifically, applications, to reconnoiter, to be a tale-bearer (i.e. Slander); also (as denominative from regel) to lead about -- backbite, search, slander, (e-)spy (out), teach to go, view.

see HEBREW regel

Word Origin
denominative verb from regel
Definition
to go about on foot
NASB Translation
slander (1), slandered (1), spied (3), spies (11), spy (9), taught to walk (1).

רָגַל verb denominative foot it, go about; —

Qal go about (maliciously, as slanderer; compare Arabic and slanderer, from √ √ wallk along, walk quickly), slander, Perfect3masculine singular עַללֿשֹׁנוֺ ׳לאֹרֿ Psalm 15:3, he talks no slander upon his tongue ("" דֹּבֵר אֱמֶת Psalm 15:2).

Pi`elImperfect3masculine singularוַיְרַגֵּל 2 Samuel 19:28, 3masculine plural וַיְרַגְּלוּ Deuteronomy 1:24; Joshua 7:2; Imperative masculine plural רַגְּלוּ Joshua 7:2; Infinitive construct לְרֵגֵּל Numbers 21:32 5t.; suffix לְרַגְּלָהּ 2 Samuel 10:3; Participle plural מְרַגְּלִים Genesis 42:9 11t.; —

1 slander (compare Qal), בְּעַבְדְךָ אֶל ׳וַיְר 2 Samuel 19:28.

2 go about as explorer, spy, with accusative of location Numbers 21:32; Joshua 6:25; Joshua 7:2 (twice in verse); Joshua 14:7 (all J E), Judges 18:2 ("" חָקַר), Judges 18:14; Judges 18:17; 2 Samuel 10:3 ("" חָקַר), 1 Chronicles 19:3, so also participle Genesis 42:30 (E), Joshua 6:22 (JE); participle, accusative omitted, as adjective, אֲנָשִׁים מְרַגְּלִים Joshua 2:1, compare Joshua 6:23 (both J E); as substantive, spies 1 Samuel 26:4; 2 Samuel 15:10, and so perhaps (as predicate) Genesis 42:9,11,14,16,31,34 (all E).

Tiph`el, Perfect1singular תִּרְגַּלְתִּי לְאֶפְרַיִם Hosea 11:3 I taught Ephraim to walk (si vera 1.; see Ges^{§ 55h}).

רִגֵל (treader, fuller (compare כבס), so Thes SS and others) see ׳עֵין ר, II. עַיִן

c.

Semantic Scope and Distribution

רָגַל (ragal) embraces two principal ideas: (1) covert movement for the purpose of observation—hence “to spy out, reconnoiter,” and (2) furtive verbal movement—“to slander, backbite,” the tongue becoming a clandestine agent. Twenty-six occurrences trace a spectrum from military reconnaissance to malicious whispering, while a few contexts retain the literal nuance of moving on foot.

Spying and Military Reconnaissance

From patriarchal history onward, ragal is closely tied to questions of land and covenant. When Joseph’s brothers appear in Egypt, he charges, “You are spies; you have come to see the nakedness of the land” (Genesis 42:9). The repeated accusations (42:14, 16, 30-34) set the paradigm: spying tests motives and reveals hearts.

During the wilderness years Moses “sent men to spy out Jazer” (Numbers 21:32), and in Moses’ retrospective summary the tribal representatives “went up into the hill country and came to the Valley of Eshcol and spied it out” (Deuteronomy 1:24). Joshua, faithful among the original spies, continues the practice: “Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two men as spies from Shittim” (Joshua 2:1), commissions them again at Ai (Joshua 7:2), and later recalls, “I was forty years old when Moses…sent me to spy out the land” (Joshua 14:7). The term marks each key stage of Israel’s acquisition of the inheritance.

Military reconnaissance continues in the period of the Judges—“the sons of Dan sent five men…to spy out the land” (Judges 18:2, 14)—and in the monarchy: “David sent out scouts and verified that Saul had arrived” (1 Samuel 26:4). Suspicion of espionage sparks international tension when Hanun’s counselors warn, “Has not David sent his servants to you to search the city, to spy it out, and to overthrow it?” (2 Samuel 10:3; 1 Chronicles 19:3). Even hostile Aramean kings admit the strategic value of ragal, “Go, find out where he is, that I may send men and capture him” (2 Kings 6:13).

Slander and Character Assassination

Ragal’s shift from stealthy feet to stealthy tongue underlines a moral lesson: backbiting is verbal espionage. Psalm 15 tests worshipers: “He who does not slander with his tongue” (Psalm 15:3). In Psalm 101 David resolves, “Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret, I will put to silence” (Psalm 101:5), exposing gossip as subversive reconnaissance against a brother’s reputation. Proverbs converts the image into wisdom: clandestine words erode trust just as covert scouts seek weak points in a city wall.

Walking and Familiarization

A minority of texts keep the literal idea of moving about on foot to inspect. The Danite spies “came to Laish and saw the people living in safety” (Judges 18:7); David’s scouts “walked around” the camp (implication, 1 Samuel 26:4). The physical act of pacing out territory parallels the faith-act of treading upon God’s promises (cf. Deuteronomy 11:24), though other verbs carry that theology more explicitly.

Redemptive Patterns

1. Promise versus Unbelief. The spy episode becomes the watershed of Numbers 13-14 (using another verb, but recalled with ragal in Deuteronomy 1:24). Faithful spying (Joshua, Caleb, the two men in Jericho) contrasts with unbelief, showing that methodology is secondary to the heart posture of the scouts.
2. Knowledge as Stewardship. Spies gather information to serve covenant purposes when submitted to God (Joshua 2), but information weaponizes rebellion when serving fear (Numbers 13) or pride (2 Samuel 10:3).
3. The Tongue as Spy. The slander passages project the military metaphor into ethics: gossip infiltrates community defenses, seeking points of vulnerability (Psalm 15:3; Psalm 101:5).

Ministry and Discipleship Applications

• Discernment: Pastoral leadership must “send out scouts” in prayerful evaluation of cultural terrain, without surrendering to fear.
• Guarded Speech: The same vigilance required on the battlefield applies to conversation; malicious talk is spiritual espionage against the body of Christ.
• Accountability: Like Joshua’s two spies, believers operate best under spiritual covering and clear mission, avoiding the self-directed presumption that doomed Israel at Kadesh-barnea.
• Evangelistic Bridge-building: Rahab’s reception of the spies (Joshua 2) models how God’s covert agents may find allies among the very peoples destined for judgment, foreshadowing grace that reaches Gentiles.

Christological and Prophetic Resonances

Messiah is never called a spy, yet His incarnation embodies holy reconnaissance: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14), entering enemy-occupied territory to secure an eternal inheritance. Conversely, the Gospels portray adversaries “who were watching Him, seeking to catch Him in something He might say” (cf. Luke 11:54), echoing ragal’s hostile surveillance.

Selected Texts for Study

Genesis 42:9-34; Numbers 21:32; Deuteronomy 1:24; Joshua 2:1; 6:22-25; 7:2; 14:7; Judges 18:2-14; 1 Samuel 26:4; 2 Samuel 10:3; 2 Kings 6:13; Psalms 15:3; 101:5.

Key Theological Insight

Whether through feet that covertly survey or tongues that covertly malign, ragal reminds the reader that God “knows the secrets of the heart” (Psalm 44:21). Every reconnaissance mission—geographical or verbal—ultimately falls under His omniscient scrutiny, urging the faithful toward transparent integrity and courageous trust.

הַֽמְרַגְּלִ֗ים הַֽמְרַגְּלִ֤ים המרגלים וְרַגְּל֣וּ וַֽיְרַגְּל֖וּ וַיְרַגֵּ֣ל וּלְרַגְּלָ֣הּ וּלְרַגֵּל֙ וירגל וירגלו ולרגל ולרגלה ורגלו כִּֽמְרַגְּלִ֖ים כמרגלים לְרַגֵּ֣ל לְרַגֵּ֤ל לְרַגֵּ֥ל לְרַגֵּל֮ לרגל מְרַגְּלִ֑ים מְרַגְּלִ֔ים מְרַגְּלִ֖ים מְרַגְּלִ֣ים מְרַגְּלִ֥ים מְרַגְּלִֽים׃ מְרַגְּלִים֙ מרגלים מרגלים׃ רָגַ֨ל ׀ רגל תִרְגַּ֙לְתִּי֙ תרגלתי ham·rag·gə·lîm hamraggeLim hamraggəlîm kim·rag·gə·lîm kimraggeLim kimraggəlîm lə·rag·gêl leragGel ləraggêl mə·rag·gə·lîm meraggeLim məraggəlîm rā·ḡal raGal rāḡal ṯir·gal·tî tirGalti ṯirgaltî ū·lə·rag·gə·lāh ū·lə·rag·gêl uleragGel ūləraggêl uleraggeLah ūləraggəlāh vayragGel vayraggeLu veraggeLu way·rag·gə·lū way·rag·gêl wayraggêl wayraggəlū wə·rag·gə·lū wəraggəlūInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts