Joshua 14:13-15

Caleb's Inheritance Joshua 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 Caleb's inheritance? Joshua 14:13

Caleb's inheritance was within the borders of the tribe of Judah (Joshua 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 Judges 1:8-15. Caleb evidently gave the city itself to the Levites (Joshua 21:11) and kept the surrounding territory for his own possession.

13.

Where is Hebron? Joshua 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 (Genesis 23:2), and Mamre (Genesis 13:18; Genesis 35:27). The modern name is El-Khulil. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had all lived here (Genesis 13:18; Genesis 35:27). Joshua had fought against the city (Joshua 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 ?Joshua 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 (Joshua 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? Joshua 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 (Genesis 35:27). It is significant to note that at this time the land was at rest from war.