Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Joshua 14:13
And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance.
13. And Joshua blessed him ] The Hebrew leader cheerfully granted the request of his old companion in the work of espial, and emphatically prayed for a successful issue to all his efforts against his gigantic foes.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 13. Joshua blessed him] As the word bless often signifies to speak good or well of or to any person, (See Clarke on Ge 2:3), here it may mean the praise bestowed on Caleb’s intrepidity and faithfulness by Joshua, as well as a prayer to God that he might have prosperity in all things; and especially that the Lord might be with him, as himself had expressed in the preceding verse.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Joshua either,
1. Prayed to God to bless and help him according to his own desire. Or,
2. Acknowledged his praiseworthy carriage in the matter of the spies, and the reasonableness of his request. Or,
3. Consented to his desire, and, as it follows, gave it to him; as Gods blessing is oft put for his actual conferring of favours upon men.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
13, 14. Joshua blessed him, and gaveunto Caleb Hebron for an inheritanceJoshua, who was fullycognizant of all the circumstances, not only admitted the claim, butin a public and earnest manner prayed for the divine blessing tosuccor the efforts of Caleb in driving out the idolatrous occupiers.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And Joshua blessed him,…. By granting him his request, congratulating him upon it, and praying for and wishing him success in his attempt to drive out the giants, and possess their country:
and gave unto Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, Hebron for an inheritance; being satisfied of the justness of his suit, of its being the will of God, and the order of Moses, that he should have this for an inheritance, which he had heard himself, had knowledge of, and well remembered: this is to be understood not of the city of Hebron itself, for that was given to the Levites, and was a city of refuge, but the country round about in the fields and villages annexed to it, as appears from Jos 21:12.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Then Joshua blessed Caleb, i.e., implored the blessing of God upon his undertaking, and gave him Hebron for an inheritance. Hebron is mentioned as the chief city, to which the surrounding country belonged; for Caleb had asked for the mountains (Jos 14:9), i.e., the mountainous country with and around Hebron, which included, for example, the fortified town of Debir also (Jos 15:15).
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
13. And Joshua blessed him, etc He prayed thus earnestly to show the delight he felt. For it was expedient by way of example to extol his valor, by which others might be incited to surmount all their fears. For it was just as if he had gained an eminence from which he could look down upon the giants. The blessing of Caleb, therefore, includes in it praise which may have the effect of an exhortation to the people. In the end of the chapter it is said, that the name of Hebron was Ciriath-Arba, (Kirjath-Arba.) Here it is to be observed, that it is not the mountain itself that is meant, but the principal city, of which there is frequent mention in Scripture. It is said to have received the surname from a giant famous for his stature. And this refutes the imagination of those expositors who insist that it was so called from having been the burial-place of four patriarchs — Adam, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
It is plain that Caleb, in making the request, had not been looking to present ease or private advantage, since he does not aspire to the place that had been given him till many years after. Wherefore it was no less the interest of the whole people than of one private family, that that which as yet depended on the incomprehensible grace of God, and was treasured up merely in hope, should be bestowed as a special favor. A grant which could not take effect without a wonderful manifestation of divine agency could scarcely be invidious.
A question, however, arises. Since Hebron not only became the portion of the Levites, but was one of the cities of refuge, how could the grant stand good? If we say that Caleb was contented with other towns, and resigned his right to the Levites, it is obvious that the difficulty is not solved, because Caleb is distinctly appointed owner of that city. But if we reflect that the right of dwelling in the cities was all that was granted to the Levites, there will be no inconsistency. Meanwhile, no small praise is due to the moderation of Caleb, who, in a locality made his own by extraordinary privilege, did not refuse an hospitable reception to the Levites. (143)
(143) According to the explanation here given, the Levites held Hebron only by a kind of precarious tenure, dependent on the good will of Caleb, who gave them an hospitable reception, but might have declined it. It would seem, however, from other passages, and more particularly from Jos 20:7, and Jos 21:9, that their right to Hebron was as complete and absolute as that which they possessed to any of their other cities. Moreover, as these cities were allocated by lot, or in other words, by divine arrangement, no injustice was done to Caleb, and it would have been strangely inconsistent with all that we have previously learned of his conduct and character, had he on this occasion offered any remonstrance. — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
Calebs Inheritance Jos. 14:13-15
13 And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance.
14 Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite unto this day, because that he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel.
15 And the name of Hebron before was Kirjath-arba; which Arba was a great man among the Anakims. And the land had rest from war.
12.
What is known about Calebs inheritance? Jos. 14:13
Calebs inheritance was within the borders of the tribe of Judah (Jos. 15:13-19) and centered around the ancient city of Hebron, known from earlier times by the name of Kirjath-arba, Arba being a great man among the Anakim whom the spies had encountered when they went through the land in the days of Moses. The author of the book of Judges gives a recapitulation of the giving of this land to Caleb in Jdg. 1:8-15. Caleb evidently gave the city itself to the Levites (Jos. 21:11) and kept the surrounding territory for his own possession.
13.
Where is Hebron? Jos. 14:13
Hebron was one of the important towns in the mountains of Judah. It stood between two thousand and twenty-eight hundred feet above sea level and lay between Beer-sheba and Jerusalem, being about equidistant from each other. In earlier times, it had been called Kirjath-Arba (Gen. 23:2), and Mamre (Gen. 13:18; Gen. 35:27). The modern name is El-Khulil. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had all lived here (Gen. 13:18; Gen. 35:27). Joshua had fought against the city (Jos. 10:36), but Caleb finally occupied it. It was a city with a rich heritage and Caleb must have felt himself richly blessed to be allowed to settle here.
14.
What evidence is given here for the date of the writing of ?Jos. 14:14
It was noted by the author that Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb unto this day. Such a reference would indicate the passage of some little time, but it is not sufficient evidence to warrant the assumption that the book was not written until many hundreds of years later. The fact that it is said it was the inheritance of Caleb would limit the time between the settlement and the date of writing to the lifetime of Caleb. Since the book was quite evidently written within the life span of Rahab, the harlot, who was allowed to live among the Israelites (Jos. 6:25), it is apparent that the book was written sometime within that generation.
15.
What was the meaning of the old name of Hebron? Jos. 14:15
Hebron had been known as Kirjath-Arba. This name indicated it had been the home of a man named Arba, He is described as a great man among the Anakim, who were the descendants of Anak. The word ARBA means four but it is hard to see any significance to this name for the man. Arba is the name given to the father of Anak (Gen. 35:27). It is significant to note that at this time the land was at rest from war.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
13. And Joshua blessed him Bade him God speed in his warfare, and invoked the help of Jehovah to attend him.
And gave unto Caleb Joshua could not resist an appeal from his venerable associate spy, based on facts of which he himself had been cognizant.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Ver. 13. And Joshua blessed him Granted him the boon he desired, acknowledged his right to the country of Hebron, consented to his making a conquest of it, and entreated the Lord to favour him in his undertaking.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
How lovely doth Joshua appear in this place. There was no rival-ship, no jealousy between those faithful servants of the Lord. Such should be, and such would be, the harmony amidst kindred souls, were grace to reign in the heart. See Moses ‘ conduct upon a similar occasion: Num 11:29 . But while admiring the grace in Joshua which the Lord had given him, let us look at him in yet a more interesting point of view, and see him as the type of Jesus blessing his people. Joshua blessed Caleb, and no doubt the less is blessed of the better. Dearest Jesus! do thou bless me, and then my God and Father’s promise of bringing his people to his holy mountain, will be a sanctified mercy indeed. Eph 1:3 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Jos 14:13 And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance.
Ver. 13. And Joshua blessed him. ] He approved of his petition: he did not blame him for being too hasty, nor bid him stay till himself were first served; but granted him Hebron, helped him to gain it, Jos 10:37 and wished him much joy of it. Some think that Caleb afterwards yielded up Hebron to the Levites, and the rest of the tribes did the like, as glad of their company, by whom they might learn the ways of holiness, that lead to happiness.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED TEXT): Jos 14:13-15
13So Joshua blessed him and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance. 14Therefore, Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite until this day, because he followed the LORD God of Israel fully. 15Now the name of Hebron was formerly Kiriath-arba; for Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim. Now the land had rest from war.
Jos 14:13 Hebron We learn from Jos 21:11 that this is also a Levitical city which means that the Levitical cities were not totally inhabited by Levites. Hebron was the location of the giants who terrified the Israeli spies. Caleb, at eighty-five years of age, wanted this challenge and he believed God would help him.
Jos 14:14 unto this day This is another example of an editor. It is uncertain whether this editorial addition is a contemporary or later editor.
Jos 14:15 Kiriath-arba This city is also known as the site of the oaks of Mamre (cf. Gen 13:18; Gen 35:27). Kiriath means a city of four (BDB 900). Some have associated this with a confederation of four different cities or groups, while others relate it to the four different stages of the moon. Arba is the father of Anak, one of the giants (cf. Jos 15:13; Jos 21:11).
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
blessed: Jos 22:6, Gen 47:7, Gen 47:10, 1Sa 1:17, Son 6:9
gave unto: Jos 10:36, Jos 10:37, Jos 15:13, Jos 21:11, Jos 21:12, Jdg 1:20, 1Ch 6:55, 1Ch 6:56
Reciprocal: Gen 13:18 – Hebron Gen 27:4 – that my Gen 37:14 – Hebron Num 13:22 – Hebron 1Sa 30:14 – Caleb 1Sa 30:31 – Hebron 2Ch 27:4 – the mountains
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jos 14:13. Joshua blessed him Commended his bravery, applauded and granted his request, and prayed to God to bless and help him according to his own desire. Joshua was both a prince and a prophet, and on both accounts it was proper for him to give Caleb his blessing.