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Judah’s Tribal Lands

14 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.[a] The land assignments to the nine-and-a-half tribes were made by drawing lots, as the Lord had instructed Moses.[b] Now Moses had assigned land[c] to the two-and-a-half tribes east of the Jordan, but he assigned no land[d] to the Levites.[e] 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.[f] The Israelites followed the Lord’s instructions to Moses and divided up the land.[g]

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.[h] 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.[i] My countrymen[j] who accompanied[k] me frightened the people,[l] but I remained loyal to the Lord my God.[m] That day Moses made this solemn promise:[n] ‘Surely the land on which you walked[o] will belong to you and your descendants permanently,[p] for you remained loyal to the Lord your God.’ 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, while Israel traveled through the wilderness. See here, I am today eighty-five years old! 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.[q] 12 Now, assign me this hill country that the Lord promised me at that time! No doubt you heard then that the Anakites live there in large, fortified cities.[r] But assuming the Lord is with me, I will conquer[s] them, as the Lord promised.” 13 Joshua asked God to empower Caleb son of Jephunneh and assigned him Hebron.[t] 14 So Hebron remains the assigned land of Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this very day[u] because he remained loyal to the Lord God of Israel. 15 (Hebron used to be called Kiriath Arba. Arba was a famous Anakite.[v]) Then the land was free of war.

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 14:1 tn Heb “These are [the lands] which the sons of Israel received as an inheritance in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes assigned as an inheritance to the sons of Israel.”
  2. Joshua 14:2 tn Heb “By lot was their inheritance, as the Lord had commanded by Moses, to the nine tribes and the half-tribe.”
  3. Joshua 14:3 tn Or “assigned an inheritance.”
  4. Joshua 14:3 tn Or “no inheritance.”
  5. Joshua 14:3 tn The Hebrew text adds, “in their midst.”
  6. Joshua 14:4 tn Heb “and they did not assign a portion to the Levites in the land, except cities [in which] to live and their pastures for their cattle and property.”
  7. Joshua 14:5 tn Heb “Just as the Lord had commanded Moses, so the sons of Israel did, and they divided up the land.”
  8. Joshua 14:6 tn Heb “You know the word which the Lord spoke to Moses, the man of God, because of me and because of you in Kadesh Barnea.”sn On this incident at Kadesh Barnea see Num 14:30.
  9. Joshua 14:7 tn Heb “and I brought back to him a word just as [was] in my heart.”
  10. Joshua 14:8 tn Heb “brothers.”
  11. Joshua 14:8 tn Heb “went up with.”
  12. Joshua 14:8 tn Heb “made the heart[s] of the people melt.”
  13. Joshua 14:8 tn Heb “I filled up after the Lord my God,” an idiomatic statement meaning that Caleb remained loyal to the Lord.
  14. Joshua 14:9 tn Heb “swore an oath.”
  15. Joshua 14:9 tn Heb “on which your foot has walked.”
  16. Joshua 14:9 tn Heb “will belong to you for an inheritance, and to your sons forever.”
  17. Joshua 14:11 tn Heb “like my strength then, like my strength now, for battle and for going out and coming in.”
  18. Joshua 14:12 tn Heb “are there and large, fortified cities.”
  19. Joshua 14:12 tn Or “will dispossess.”
  20. Joshua 14:13 tn Heb “Joshua blessed him and gave Hebron to Caleb son of Jephunneh as an inheritance.”
  21. Joshua 14:14 tn Heb “Therefore Hebron belongs to Caleb son of Jephunneh for an inheritance to this day.”
  22. Joshua 14:15 tn Heb “And he was the great man among the Anakites.”

Division of the Land West of the Jordan

14 Now these are the areas the Israelites received as an inheritance(A) in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar(B) the priest, Joshua son of Nun and the heads of the tribal clans of Israel(C) allotted(D) to them.(E) Their inheritances were assigned by lot(F) to the nine and a half tribes,(G) as the Lord had commanded through Moses. Moses had granted the two and a half tribes their inheritance east of the Jordan(H) but had not granted the Levites an inheritance among the rest,(I) for Joseph’s descendants had become two tribes—Manasseh and Ephraim.(J) The Levites received no share of the land but only towns to live in, with pasturelands for their flocks and herds.(K) So the Israelites divided the land, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.(L)

Allotment for Caleb

Now the people of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal,(M) and Caleb son of Jephunneh(N) the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the Lord said to Moses the man of God(O) at Kadesh Barnea(P) about you and me.(Q) I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea(R) to explore the land.(S) And I brought him back a report according to my convictions,(T) but my fellow Israelites who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt in fear.(U) I, however, followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly.(V) So on that day Moses swore to me, ‘The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance(W) and that of your children(X) forever, because you have followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly.’[a]

10 “Now then, just as the Lord promised,(Y) he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved(Z) about in the wilderness. So here I am today, eighty-five years old!(AA) 11 I am still as strong(AB) today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous(AC) to go out to battle now as I was then. 12 Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day.(AD) You yourself heard then that the Anakites(AE) were there and their cities were large and fortified,(AF) but, the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as he said.”

13 Then Joshua blessed(AG) Caleb son of Jephunneh(AH) and gave him Hebron(AI) as his inheritance.(AJ) 14 So Hebron has belonged to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite ever since, because he followed the Lord, the God of Israel, wholeheartedly.(AK) 15 (Hebron used to be called Kiriath Arba(AL) after Arba,(AM) who was the greatest man among the Anakites.)

Then the land had rest(AN) from war.

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 14:9 Deut. 1:36