Caleb's Claim and Inheritance of Hebron
Joshua 14:6-15
Jos.14.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויגשו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- אל: NEG
- יהושע: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בגלגל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אליו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- כלב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יפנה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הקנזי: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- ידעת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- הדבר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- משה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- האלהים: NOUN,m,sg,def
- על: PREP
- אדותי: NOUN,f,sg,abs,poss:1,sg
- ועל: CONJ+PREP
- אדותיך: NOUN,f,sg,abs,poss:2,sg
- בקדש: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ברנע: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Numbers 13:30 (verbal): Caleb’s initial confident report at Kadesh‑barnea (“Let us go up at once”) and his faith in taking the land — same person and setting referenced in Joshua 14:6.
- Numbers 14:6-9 (quotation): Caleb (with Joshua) pleads with the assembly not to rebel after the spies’ discouraging report — the same episode at Kadesh‑barnea to which Joshua 14:6 alludes.
- Numbers 14:24 (verbal): YHWH’s declaration that Caleb ‘has a different spirit’ and will be given the land because he wholly followed the LORD — the promise Caleb invokes in Joshua 14:6.
- Deuteronomy 1:36 (allusion): Moses repeats God’s promise that Caleb will possess the land because he followed the LORD — a restatement of the assurance Caleb refers to in Joshua 14:6.
- Judges 1:12-15 (structural): Narrative account of Caleb’s receiving Hebron (and giving his daughter Achsah to Othniel) — the fulfillment of the promise and the outcome of the claim Caleb makes in Joshua 14:6.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then the men of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know the thing that the LORD spoke to Moses the man of God concerning me and concerning you at Kadesh‑barnea.
- Then the men of Judah came to Joshua at Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, "You know the thing that the LORD spoke to Moses, the man of God, concerning you and me at Kadesh‑barnea."
Jos.14.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ארבעים: NUM,m,pl
- שנה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אנכי: PRON,1,sg
- בשלח: PREP+VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- משה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- עבד: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אתי: PRON,1,sg
- מקדש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ברנע: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לרגל: PREP
- את: PRT,acc
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ואשב: VERB,qal,perf,1,m,sg
- אתו: PRON,3,m,sg,acc
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כאשר: CONJ
- עם: PREP
- לבבי: NOUN,m,sg,suff
Parallels
- Numbers 13:30 (verbal): Caleb's affirmative report after being sent from Kadesh‑barnea — he urges immediate advance, paralleling Joshua 14:7's claim that he brought back a wholehearted report.
- Numbers 14:24 (quotation): God's declaration that Caleb 'has a different spirit' and follows Me fully — the promise that rewards Caleb's faithful report is the basis for his claim in Josh 14:7.
- Deuteronomy 1:36 (allusion): Moses' restatement that Caleb followed the LORD wholeheartedly and therefore would see the land — an independent affirmation of the same motive and promise Caleb cites in Joshua 14:7.
- Joshua 14:10-12 (structural): Caleb's later testimony and petition for Hebron — he again recalls being sent at forty and links his earlier report/faith to the subsequent fulfillment of God's promise.
Alternative generated candidates
- I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh‑barnea to spy out the land, and I brought him back a report according to the bent of my heart.
- I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh‑barnea to spy out the land, and I brought back a report according to my conviction.
Jos.14.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואחי: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs,1s
- אשר: PRON,rel
- עלו: PREP+3ms_suff
- עמי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+1s
- המסיו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- לב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ואנכי: PRON,1,sg
- מלאתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- אחרי: PREP
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלהי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
Parallels
- Numbers 14:24 (verbal): God's assessment of Caleb: 'because he has a different spirit in him and has followed me fully'—language and content parallel Joshua 14:8's claim that Caleb 'followed the LORD' wholly.
- Deuteronomy 1:36 (verbal): Moses' reprise of the judgment on the spies and commendation of Caleb: Deuteronomy uses near-identical phrasing that Caleb 'wholly followed the LORD,' echoing Joshua 14:8.
- Numbers 13:31–33 (thematic): The ten spies' fearful report that 'made the people melt' (causing panic and discouragement) corresponds to Joshua 14:8's charge that those who went up with Caleb made the people's hearts melt.
- Hebrews 3:16–19 (thematic): The NT reflection on the wilderness generation's unbelief and inability to enter God's rest parallels the consequence of the people's fear and 'melting' of heart described in Joshua 14:8—an exhortation about faithfulness versus failing through unbelief.
Alternative generated candidates
- But my companions who went up with me made the heart of the people melt; yet I wholly followed the LORD my God.
- But my companions who went up with me made the heart of the people melt; yet I wholly followed the LORD my God.
Jos.14.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וישבע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- משה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ביום: PREP
- ההוא: DEM,ms,sg
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- אם: CONJ
- לא: PART_NEG
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- דרכה: NOUN,f,sg,abs+SUFF,3,f,sg
- רגלך: NOUN,f,sg,abs+SUFF,2,m,sg
- בה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- תהיה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,f,sg
- לנחלה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ולבניך: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,pl,con,poss:2,m,sg
- עד: PREP
- עולם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- מלאת: ADJ,f,pl,abs
- אחרי: PREP
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלהי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
Parallels
- Numbers 14:24 (verbal): God names Caleb as having a different/spirit and promises him the land because he followed the LORD fully—same rationale and promise echoed in Josh 14:9.
- Deuteronomy 1:36 (verbal): Moses recalls that the LORD swore Caleb would enter the land because he had followed the LORD wholeheartedly; language and promise parallel Josh 14:9.
- Numbers 13:30 (thematic): Caleb's confident call to 'go up at once' and trust in God's help contrasts the other spies and explains his fitness to receive the inheritance mentioned in Josh 14:9.
- Joshua 21:43-45 (structural): Cumulation of the book's theme: the LORD gives Israel the land and fulfills his promises—contextual fulfillment of Moses' oath and Caleb's allotment affirmed in Josh 14:9.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land upon which your foot has trodden shall be your inheritance and the inheritance of your children forever, because you have wholly followed the LORD my God.’"
- And Moses swore that day, saying, 'Surely the land on which your foot has trodden shall be your inheritance and the inheritance of your children forever, because you have wholly followed the LORD my God.'"
Jos.14.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ועתה: CONJ
- הנה: PART
- החיה: VERB,hiph,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אותי: PRON,1,sg,acc
- כאשר: CONJ
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- זה: PRON,dem,m,sg
- ארבעים: NUM,m,pl
- וחמש: CONJ+NUM,card,pl,abs
- שנה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מאז: ADV
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- הדבר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- משה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- הלך: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- במדבר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ועתה: CONJ
- הנה: PART
- אנכי: PRON,1,sg
- היום: NOUN,m,sg,def
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חמש: NUM,card,f,sg
- ושמונים: NUM,card,pl,m
- שנה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Numbers 14:24 (allusion): God's promise that Caleb would be spared and receive the land because he had a different spirit—background promise that Joshua 14:10 says has been fulfilled after the years in the wilderness.
- Deuteronomy 1:36 (thematic): Moses' reiteration that Caleb would enter the land because he followed the LORD wholeheartedly; echoes the reason Caleb gives for still claiming the land in Joshua 14:10.
- Numbers 13:30 (verbal): Caleb's original report and declaration of confidence ('let us go up at once...')—the episode to which Joshua 14:10 refers when noting the time since God spoke about Caleb.
- Joshua 14:7 (structural): Caleb's earlier autobiographical remark that he was forty years old when sent to spy; when combined with 45 years since God's word (Joshua 14:10) it explains his stated age of eighty-five.
Alternative generated candidates
- Now behold, the LORD has kept me alive, just as he spoke—these forty‑five years since the LORD spoke this to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness—and now behold, I am eighty‑five years old today.
- And now, behold, the LORD has kept me alive, just as he said—these forty‑five years since the LORD spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness—and now behold, I am this day eighty‑five years old.
Jos.14.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- עודני: PART
- היום: NOUN,m,sg,def
- חזק: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- כאשר: CONJ
- ביום: PREP
- שלח: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אותי: PRON,1,sg,acc
- משה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ככחי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,1,sg
- אז: ADV
- וככחי: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,1,sg
- עתה: ADV
- למלחמה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ולצאת: CONJ+PREP+VERB,qal,inf
- ולבוא: CONJ+VERB,qal,inf
Parallels
- Joshua 14:10 (structural): Immediate context: Caleb states the LORD has kept him alive for 45 years and affirms his present strength — the previous verse frames the same claim about enduring vigor for warfare.
- Numbers 13:30 (verbal): Caleb's earlier report: 'Let us go up at once... for we are well able to overcome it' — a direct expression of confidence in strength to take the land, echoed in Joshua 14:11.
- Numbers 14:24 (thematic): God's promise regarding Caleb because he 'had another spirit' and followed God fully; provides the theological basis for Caleb's continued strength and right to the inheritance.
- Deuteronomy 1:36 (structural): Deuteronomy highlights Caleb's unique exemption from the unbelieving generation and his receiving of the land — parallels Joshua's emphasis on Caleb's preserved strength and claim to Hebron.
- Judges 1:20 (thematic): Record of Hebron being given to Caleb 'because he wholly followed the LORD' — connects Caleb's faithful service and the fulfillment of his vigor and conquest described in Joshua 14:11–14.
Alternative generated candidates
- I am still as strong this day as I was on the day Moses sent me; my strength is as my strength was then, both to go out and to come in.
- I am still as strong today as on the day Moses sent me; my strength is as it was then for war, to go out and to come in.
Jos.14.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ועתה: CONJ
- תנה: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- ההר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- אשר: PRON,rel
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ביום: PREP
- ההוא: DEM,ms,sg
- כי: CONJ
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- שמעת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- ביום: PREP
- ההוא: DEM,ms,sg
- כי: CONJ
- ענקים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- שם: ADV
- וערים: CONJ+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- גדלות: ADJ,f,pl,abs
- בצרות: ADJ,ptc,pass,f,pl
- אולי: ADV
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אותי: PRON,1,sg,acc
- והורשתים: CONJ+VERB,qal,fut,1,sg
- כאשר: CONJ
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Numbers 13:28-33 (verbal): The spies report the presence of the Anakim and 'cities great and fenced up to heaven,' language directly echoed in Caleb's petition and assessment of the hill's inhabitants.
- Deuteronomy 1:28 (verbal): Israel’s earlier report of giants and fortified cities parallels Caleb’s reference to Anakim and heavily defended towns as the reason for asking God’s help.
- Deuteronomy 9:2 (thematic): Speaks of the peoples as great and tall (including the Anakim), reinforcing the motif of formidable opponents that Caleb acknowledges yet trusts God to overcome.
- Joshua 14:6-9 (structural): Caleb’s preceding speech recounts Moses’ promise and his enduring strength and faith—the immediate context behind his request 'give me this mountain' in 14:12.
- Joshua 15:13-14 (structural): Narrates the fulfillment of Caleb’s petition: he receives Hebron (the mountain) and succeeds in driving out its inhabitants, including the Anakim mentioned in 14:12.
Alternative generated candidates
- Now therefore give me this hill country of which the LORD spoke on that day; for you heard on that day that there are Anakim there and great fortified cities; perhaps the LORD will be with me, and I shall drive them out as the LORD has said.”
- Now therefore give me this hill country of which the LORD spoke on that day; for you heard on that day how the Anakim were there and that the cities were great and fortified. Perhaps the LORD will be with me, and I shall dispossess them, as the LORD has said.
Jos.14.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויברכהו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- יהושע: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויתן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- חברון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לכלב: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יפנה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לנחלה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Numbers 14:24 (verbal): God's promise that Caleb would have the land because he had a different spirit and followed the Lord fully — the source of Joshua's later grant of Hebron.
- Deuteronomy 1:36 (verbal): Moses repeats the divine assurance that Caleb (and Joshua) alone of the original spies would see and enter the promised land, prefiguring the inheritance given in Joshua 14:13.
- Joshua 14:6-12 (structural): Caleb's personal plea and reminder of the promise he received at Kadesh, which immediately precedes and explains Joshua's blessing and the grant of Hebron in v.13.
- Joshua 15:13-14 (thematic): Narrative account of Caleb's conquest of Hebron (and the driving out of the Anakim), showing the fulfillment and settlement of the inheritance Joshua granted.
- 1 Chronicles 4:15 (allusion): Genealogical reference to Caleb's descendants (Caleb son of Jephunneh), attesting to his established inheritance and family within Israel's tribal records.
Alternative generated candidates
- So Joshua blessed him and gave Hebron to Caleb son of Jephunneh for an inheritance.
- So Joshua blessed him and gave Hebron to Caleb son of Jephunneh for an inheritance.
Jos.14.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- על: PREP
- כן: ADV
- היתה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- חברון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לכלב: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יפנה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הקנזי: NOUN,m,sg,def
- לנחלה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- עד: PREP
- היום: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- יען: CONJ
- אשר: PRON,rel
- מלא: ADJ,m,sg
- אחרי: PREP
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלהי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Numbers 14:24 (verbal): God's promise that 'my servant Caleb... wholly followed me' — the explicit reason given for Caleb's inheritance parallels Joshua 14:14's wording and rationale.
- Deuteronomy 1:36 (verbal): Repeats the divine decision that Caleb (and Joshua) would enter the land because Caleb 'was wholehearted' in following the LORD, echoing the motive for Hebron as his inheritance.
- Joshua 14:6-12 (structural): Caleb's personal plea and testimony recounting his faithfulness and request for Hebron provide the immediate narrative context and rationale for verse 14's conclusion.
- Joshua 15:13-14 (thematic): Describes the allotment and Caleb's conquest of Hebron (driving out the Anakim), showing the concrete fulfillment of the inheritance mentioned in Joshua 14:14.
Alternative generated candidates
- Therefore Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholly followed the LORD the God of Israel.
- Therefore Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholly followed the LORD God of Israel.
Jos.14.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ושם: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חברון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לפנים: PREP
- קרית: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- ארבע: NUM,card,f
- האדם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הגדול: ADJ,m,sg,def
- בענקים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- והארץ: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- שקטה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- ממלחמה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Numbers 13:22 (verbal): The spies go up into Hebron and report seeing the Anakim there (Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai), directly linking Hebron with the Anakim mentioned in Josh 14:15.
- Joshua 15:13-14 (verbal): Repeats the identification of Kiriath-arba as Hebron and recounts Caleb’s driving out of the sons of Anak—language and content parallel Josh 14:15.
- Genesis 23:2 (allusion): In the patriarchal narrative Kiriath-arba is named (’that is Hebron’), showing the ancient identification of the place referred to in Josh 14:15.
- Judges 1:10-15 (thematic): The account of Judah (and Caleb) taking Hebron and the cities around it, including references to its earlier occupation, parallels the conquest/rest motif and Hebron’s significance in Josh 14:15.
Alternative generated candidates
- Formerly Hebron was called Kiriath‑arba (Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim), and the land had rest from war.
- Formerly Hebron was called Kiriath‑arba; Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim. And the land had rest from war.
Then the men of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal. Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know the word that the LORD spoke to Moses the man of God concerning me and concerning you at Kadesh‑Barnea.”
“I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh‑Barnea to spy out the land; and I brought back a report that reflected my wholehearted conviction. But my companions who went up with me made the people’s hearts melt; I, however, followed the LORD my God fully. And Moses swore on that day, ‘Surely the land on which your foot has trod shall be your inheritance and the inheritance of your children forever, because you have wholly followed the LORD my God.’”
“And now behold, the LORD has kept me alive, just as he promised—these forty‑five years since the LORD spoke this word to Moses, while Israel journeyed in the wilderness—and now I am this day eighty‑five years old.
I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me; my strength now is as it was then, for war—to go out and to come in.”
“Now therefore give me this hill country of which the LORD spoke on that day; for you heard on that day how the Anakim were there and how the cities were great and fortified. Perhaps the LORD will be with me, and I shall drive them out as the LORD has said.” So Joshua blessed him and gave Hebron to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his inheritance.
Therefore Hebron has been the inheritance of Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he fully followed the LORD, the God of Israel.
Previously Hebron was called Kiriath‑arba; Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim. And the land had rest from war.”