Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (v. t.) To keep close watch; to perceive with the eyes; to discover, as a distant object partly concealed, or not obvious to notice; to see at a glance; to discern unexpectedly; to spy; as, to espy land; to espy a man in a crowd. 2. (v. t.) To inspect narrowly; to examine and keep watch upon; to watch; to observe. 3. (v. i.) To look or search narrowly; to look about; to watch; to take notice; to spy. 4. (n.) A spy; a scout. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia ESPY es-pi': "Espy" in modern English means "to catch sight of," rather than "to explore secretly." the Revised Version (British and American) therefore retains it in Genesis 42:27, "He espied his money" (Hebrew ra'ah, "see"), while in Joshua 14:7 "espy out the land" (the King James Version) becomes "spy out the land." the Revised Version (British and American) substitutes "watch" for "espy" in Jeremiah 48:19, and "searched out" for "espied" in Ezekiel 20:6, with a gain in accuracy of rendering (compare the context).

Multi-Version Concordance Espy (2 Occurrences) Joshua 14:7 Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadeshbarnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart. (KJV) Jeremiah 48:19 O inhabitant of Aroer, stand by the way, and espy; ask him that fleeth, and her that escapeth, and say, What is done? (KJV WBS)