= Joshua 14 * Please see [[nsv:license|License]] for Copyright notice and Licensing information. * [ [[Joshua_13|Previous]] | [[Joshua_15|Next]] ] == Joshua 14 1 And these are the countries which the children of Israel inherited in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel, distributed for inheritance to them. 2 By lot was their inheritance, as the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses, for the nine tribes, and for the half tribe. 3 For Moses had given the inheritance of two tribes and an half tribe on the other side Jordan: but unto the Levites he gave none inheritance among them. 4 For the children of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim: therefore they gave no part unto the Levites in the land, save cities to dwell in, with their suburbs for their cattle and for their substance. 5 As the Lord commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did, and they divided the land. 6 Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that the Lord said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadeshbarnea. 7 Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadeshbarnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart. 8 Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the Lord my God. 9 And Moses swore on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children's for ever, because thou hast wholly followed the Lord my God. 10 And now, behold, the Lord hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the Lord spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old. 11 As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in. 12 Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the Lord spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the Lord will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the Lord said. 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 Kirjatharba; which Arba was a great man among the Anakims. And the land had rest from war. == Notes == Cross Reference == Commentary == Rashi ==== Verse 1 That were apportioned to them. They caused them to inherit [their portions]. ==== Verse 4 The descendants of Yoseif were two tribes. In place of the tribe of Levi.1Moshe and Yehoshua were commanded that the Levi’im were not to be given a portion of the land. The land was to be divided only among the other eleven tribes. The children of Menashe and Ephraim were counted as two tribes so that the land would be divided by twelve tribes. This came about through the will of Yaakov, who told Yoseif that his two sons, Ephraim and Menashe, would be considered as his own two son, Reuven and Shimon. (See Bereishis 48:7) This is mentioned here to explain how Yehoshua was to divide the land among nine and half tribes, when without Levi, there would be only eight and a half. We are told therefore that Menashe and Ephraim were counted as two tribes, thus this would compensate for the omission of Levi. ==== Verse 7 As was in my heart. But not as it was in my mouth, for the spies were united in their scheme and Caleiv was afraid to tell them that he would not say as they would.2It is difficult to resist group pressure. As long as he was with the other spies, he hid his true feelings, because he wanted them to think that he agreed with them. Otherwise, he was afraid that they would harm him. But when he returned [to Moshe] he contradicted them.3By the time Caleiv returned to Moshe, he said with all his heart, “The land through which we passed to scout it, that land is very, very good. If Adonoy desires us, He will bring us into the land and give it to us.” (Bamidbar 13:7,8). This is what is stated there, “Because he possesed in him a different spirit,”4Bamidbar 14:24. for what he said to them by mouth was not what was in his heart. ==== Verse 10 It is now forty five years. From this we learn that it took seven years to conquer the land, for it was in the second year5After they went out of Egypt. that Moshe sent the spies.6To spy out the land. After that, there remained thirty eight years during which they traveled through the wilderness, and seven years to conquer the land, which add up to forty five years. ==== Verse 15 The greatest man among the giants. The father of Achimon, Sheishai, and Talmai was Arba.7Chevron was the home of these four famous giants, the three brothers and their father. Another explanation: [It was called Kiryas-arba, the city of four]8There are other interpretations regarding what the “four” refers to. Some say it refers to the burial place of four great men and their wives: Odom and Chava, Avrohom and Soroh, Yitzchok and Rivkoh, and Yaakov and Leah. because of the father and the three sons, for they are referred to as the offspring of the “Anak,” [the giant].9See Bamidbar 13:22. And the land had respite from war. This refers back to the previous subject.10See above 11:23. The conclusion of the verse does not seem connected to the subject matter of Caleiv’s receiving Chevron as his inheritance. Rashi, therefore comments that indeed, it refers to the earlier topic discussed in the previous chapter. After the seven years of conquest, the Emorites were humbled and they no longer gathered for war against them. Therefore they began to be occupied in the division of the land [among the tribes] the Midrash Aggadah comments that the greatest man among giants refers to our father, Avrohom. Because of him, the land [of the Canaanite people,] had respite from war during the forty years [that Bnei Yisroel] lingered in the wilderness. They were so rewarded because they honored the Patriarch in Kiryas-arba, when they said to him, “You are a prince of God in our midst.”11Bereishis 23:6.