When the brothers meet Yosef in Egypt, the word “kenim” is used a lot, as the antonym for “spies”. Like here:
ונאמר אליו כנים אנחנו לא היינו מרגלים
How would you translate the biblical word “kenim”. Honest? Candid? Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, in his famed translation on the Torah, instead renders it the far stronger “honorable”. See the examples from here:
Genesis(42:11)
We are all the sons of the same man. We are honorable men. We would never think of being spies!’
Genesis(42:31)
We said to him, ‘We are honorable men. We have never been spies.
Genesis(42:33)
‘The man who was the lord of the land said to us, ‘I have a way of knowing if you are honorable.
Genesis(42:34)
Bring your youngest brother back to me, and then I will know that you are honorable men, and not spies
Spies are akin to thieves and murderers. Spies are dishonorable!