BaMidbar 13,23: “They (the Spies) arrived at the valley of Eskol and cut from there a vine with a cluster of grapes, and they carried on a pole, by two, and (they also took) the pomegranates and the figs.”
The spies planned to dishearten the Jews by showing them the unusually large samples of fruit from Eretz Yisrael, so are the people in the land were usually large and strong.
Sotah 34a: the word במוט בשנים (on a pole, by two) is not clear. The verse already said “they carried it”, which implies more than one. Therefore, “by two” means they carried the cluster of grapes with two poles. Rabbi Yitzchak says they carried it with two sets of poles. How is this conclusion arrived at? Yehoshua and Kaleiv did not carry any of the fruit (since they understood the evil intention of bringing the fruit they refused to participate). One of the spies carried the pomegranate, and another carried a fig. Eight other spies carried the cluster of grapes.
How did the eight spies carry the cluster of grapes?
The Holy Zohar interestingly says the word בשנים “by two” refers to two distinct men who carried the cluster (and does not refer to the poles) and they were none other than Yehoshua and Keilev, the two UNITED people. The other spies where unable to carry the cluster (too heavy for them). These two were able to pick up the cluster of grapes, indicating they would enter Eretz Yisrael 39 years later.
The other spies became jealous and wished to kill these two. Keilev called out, “Fruit, fruit, are we to die for you?” The fruit suddenly became light and the spies were able to carry the cluster.
Yehoshua saw that this venture of sending spies was only fulfilled properly by two people, Keilev and himself; so too, it would be sufficient to send only two spies shortly before the Jews entered the Eretz Yisrael 39 years later.
