Joshua 14
Joshua 14 unfolds around the story of Caleb requesting Hebron as his inheritance after the Israelites conquered the land of Canaan and began the process of distributing land to each tribe. It includes both the important sequence for receiving the promised land and the testimony of a person who remained faithful for a long time.
1verseThese are the inheritances which the children of Israel took in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the tribes of the children of Israel, distributed to them,
2verseby the lot of their inheritance, as the LORD commanded by Moses, for the nine tribes, and for the half-tribe.
3verseFor Moses had given the inheritance of the two tribes and the half-tribe beyond the Jordan; but to the Levites he gave no inheritance among them.
4verseFor the children of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim. They gave no portion to the Levites in the land, except cities to dwell in, with their pasture lands for their livestock and for their property.
5verseThe children of Israel did as the LORD commanded Moses, and they divided the land.
6verseThen the children of Judah came near to Joshua in Gilgal. Caleb the 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 in Kadesh Barnea.
7verseI was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land. I brought him word again as it was in my heart.
8verseNevertheless, my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt; but I wholly followed the LORD my God.
9verseMoses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land where you walked shall be an inheritance to you and to your children forever, because you have wholly followed the LORD my God.’
10verse“Now, behold, the LORD has kept me alive, as he spoke, these forty-five years, from the time that the LORD spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. Now, behold, I am eighty-five years old, today.
11verseAs yet I am as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me. As my strength was then, even so is my strength now for war, to go out and to come in.
12verseNow therefore give me this hill country, of which the LORD spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and great and fortified cities. It may be that the LORD will be with me, and I shall drive them out, as the LORD said.”
13verseJoshua blessed him; and he gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance.
14verseTherefore Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he followed the LORD, the God of Israel wholeheartedly.
15verseNow the name of Hebron before was Kiriath Arba, after the greatest man among the Anakim. Then the land had rest from war.
The Structure and Flow of the Text
- Verses 1–5: introduce the principles and procedures for distributing the land of Canaan, with the priest Eleazar, Joshua, and the tribal leaders overseeing the distribution. The distribution is carried out according to God’s command.
- Verses 6–12: Caleb appears among the tribe of Judah and refers to the promise he received from Moses. He fulfilled his commission as a scout at Kadesh-barnea 40 years earlier, and based on the promise at that time, he requests the land of Hebron as an inheritance.
- Verses 13–15: Joshua grants Hebron as an inheritance by acknowledging Caleb’s faith and integrity, then recalls the reasons and the situation at the time to conclude the chapter.
Caleb’s Faith and the Fulfillment of the Promise
Even at the age of 85, Caleb still keeps his health and courage and relies on God’s promise. ‘God who was with me’—his trust is clearly evident, showing that the promise will surely be fulfilled even after a long time. This symbolizes God’s faithfulness and the journey of steady faith of an individual.
Meditation Points
- Let’s reflect on Caleb’s attitude of firmly trusting God’s promise and living faithfully even amid long waiting.
- Because the distribution of the land was based entirely on God’s Word, we can revisit where the standard for our lives is found.
- Let’s think about the spiritual harmony between the community and individuals, and the impact that one person’s faith can have on generations and the community.
Try Applying It to Yourself
- Check how you can put into practice in your life the kind of faith and trust in God’s promise that do not change over long years.
- What is the promise of God that I must hold onto, and consider specific ways to live out today with the kind of attitude needed to do so.
