Joshua 14
Judah’s Tribal Lands
14:1 The following is a record of the territory assigned to the Israelites in the land of Canaan by Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the Israelite tribal leaders.
Chapter 13 dealt with the boundaries of the lands of the two-and-a-half tribes and the Levites. This chapter deals with the division of the land for the other nine-and-a-half tribes.
14:2 The land assignments to the nine-and-a-half tribes were made by drawing lots, as the Lord had instructed Moses.
According to Jewish tradition, the name of a tribe was drawn from one urn and simultaneously the boundary lines of a territory were drawn from another urn. According to Proverbs 16:33 every lot is decided by the Lord. This method kept tribes from becoming jealous of each other’s established boundaries. It was God, not men, who decided upon these boundaries.
14:3 Now Moses had assigned land to the two-and-a-half tribes east of the Jordan, but he assigned no land to the Levites.
These land boundaries were documented in the last chapter.
14:4 The descendants of Joseph were considered as two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim. The Levites were allotted no territory, though they were assigned cities in which to live, along with the grazing areas for their cattle and possessions.
Jacob gave Joseph the double portion of the land. Manasseh and Ephraim were the grandsons of Jacob, but Jacob made his grandsons full sons. These two tribes together received the double portion which was promised to Joseph.
14:5 The Israelites followed the Lord’s instructions to Moses and divided up the land.
Jehovah, not man, was in charge of the division of land.
14:6 The men of Judah approached Joshua in Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the Lord said about you and me to Moses, the man of God, at Kadesh Barnea.
Caleb was one of the original twelve spies whom Moses sent into the Promised Land. Only Joshua and Caleb gave good reports. Therefore, only Joshua and Caleb were to enter into the Promised Land.
Caleb was a son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite. According to Genesis 15:19, the Kenizzites were a tribe of Canaan in Abraham’s day. The Kenizzites, in part, joined the tribe of Judah before the Exodus. They entered the commonwealth of Israel as Jewish proselytes.
14:7 I was forty years old when Moses, the Lord’s servant, sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy on the land and I brought back to him an honest report.
Caleb and Joshua were old friends and fellow spies who agreed that Israel could conquer the land with God’s help.
14:8 My countrymen who accompanied me frightened the people, but I remained loyal to the Lord my God.
The other ten spies were afraid of the giants in the land.
14:9 That day Moses made this solemn promise: ‘Surely the land on which you walked will belong to you and your descendants permanently, for you remained loyal to the Lord your God.’
Moses promised Caleb that he would receive every bit of land in which he walked.
14:10 So now, look, the Lord has preserved my life, just as he promised, these past forty-five years since the Lord spoke these words to Moses, during which Israel traveled through the wilderness. Now look, I am today eighty-five years old.
Caleb was ready to receive the land promises which were made to him 45 years earlier.
14:11 Today I am still as strong as when Moses sent me out. I can fight and go about my daily activities with the same energy I had then.
Caleb was as strong at 85 as when he was 40.
14:12 Now, assign me this hill country which the Lord promised me at that time! No doubt you heard at that time that the Anakites live there in large, fortified cities. But, assuming the Lord is with me, I will conquer them, as the Lord promised.”
Caleb did not want a nice quiet retirement place. He wanted the land of the giants. These were the same giants who had terrified the Israelites 45 years earlier. He wanted to exterminate the rest of the giants in this land.
14:13 Joshua asked God to empower Caleb son of Jephunneh and assigned him Hebron.
Joshua asked God to empower Caleb the ability to accomplish this task.
14:14 So Hebron remains the assigned land of Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this very day because he remained loyal to the Lord God of Israel. 14:15 (Hebron used to be called Kiriath Arba. Arba was a famous Anakite.) Then the land was free of war.
Caleb inherited Hebron, which was a city of a famous giant named Kiriath Arba. Caleb in his old age made Hebron a land free of war. He did this by eliminating the giants from the land. God can still use old men today.