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. read more
Ver. 15. And the name of Hebron before was, &c.— Perhaps the words, a great man, might be rendered a strong man; the original word גדול gadol signifying greatness of size and strength, as well as greatness of authority and power. See Genesis 24:35. Arba was the father of Anak; ch. Jos 15:13 Joshua 21:11. He built or fortified Kir-jath, or made it the city of his residence, after the manner of princes, and perhaps was there buried. Hence its name. See Num 13:33 and particularly Genesis... read more
13, 14. Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb Hebron for an inheritance—Joshua, who was fully cognizant of all the circumstances, not only admitted the claim, but in a public and earnest manner prayed for the divine blessing to succor the efforts of Caleb in driving out the idolatrous occupiers. read more
15. Kirjath-arba—that is, the city of Arba, a warrior among the native race remarkable for strength and stature. the land had rest from war—Most of the kings having been slain and the natives dispirited, there was no general or systematic attempt to resist the progress and settlement of the Israelites. read more
C. The land west of the Jordan chs. 14-19The account of the Israelites’ settlement west of the Jordan received more attention by the writer since it was the primary area where Israel settled. read more
2. Caleb’s inheritance 14:6-15Before the casting of lots began, Caleb came to Joshua with his fellow tribesmen from Judah to request the inheritance that Moses had promised him (Joshua 14:9; Deuteronomy 1:36; cf. Numbers 14:26-38). Moses had promised Caleb land in Canaan but had not specified its location. The reason for this special blessing was Caleb’s faithfulness to God when he served as one of the 12 spies. Joshua also received a personal allotment later (Joshua 19:49-50)."Caleb represents... read more
The Portion of Caleb1-5. Introductory Section.1. Eleazar the priest] The mention of the priest in association with the leader, to whom he is here given precedence, is one of the characteristics of the Priestly narrative.4. The children of Joseph were two tribes, etc.] This reckoning, with the subtraction of Levi, makes a total of twelve still. Practically, however, Simeon became absorbed in Judah, and each half-tribe of Manasseh came to count as a complete tribe.6-15. The inheritance of Caleb:... read more
Territories of the Western TribesChs. 14-19 inclusive describe the allotment of territories to the Western Tribes. There are two assignments. The first, embracing Judah and Joseph, is described as taking place at Gilgal (Joshua 14:6) under the auspices of Eleazar and Joshua and the ’heads of the fathers’ (Joshua 14:1). Judah (15), Ephraim (16), and Manasseh (17) each occupy a single chapter The second assignment, to the seven remaining tribes, takes place apparently at a later date (Joshua... read more
(14) The Kenezite.—This epithet seems to be connected with Kenaz (Joshua 15:17). read more
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Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Joshua 14:13
"And Joshua blessed him; and gave Hebron unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance. Therefore Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh unto this day; because that he wholly followed Jehovah, the God of Israel. Now the name of Hebron beforetime was Kiriath-arba; which Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim. And the land had rest from war.""And Joshua blessed him ..." (Joshua 14:13). These words show the endorsement by Joshua of all that Caleb had claimed,... read more