Bible Strands
Joshua 14:13
Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as his inheritance.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Joshua transfers the land of Hebron to Caleb son of Jephunneh immediately after Caleb requests the hill country to drive out the Anakim. This action concludes the specific land allocation for Caleb following the earlier promise and Caleb’s declaration of faithfulness.
The words — The Hebrew וַֽיְבָרְכֵ֖הוּ (va-yᵉḇārᵉḵēhû) literally means "and he blessed him," and וַיִּתֵּ֧ן (va-yittên) means "and he gave." These verbs pair spiritual acknowledgment with legal transfer in a single narrative sequence.
The thread — The assignment of Hebron to Caleb is recorded in Judges 1:20, Joshua 22:6, and 1 Chronicles 6:55 as a consistent historical and priestly reference. These passages trace the same inheritance through conquest narratives, tribal dispatches, and Levitical land lists.
Why it lands — The text requires a reader to note that inheritance follows explicit promise and documented obedience rather than spontaneous allocation. It demands recognition that leadership authority executes distribution according to prior divine commitment, not personal discretion.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance.
Cross-references
- Judges 1:20 Just as Moses had promised, Judah gave Hebron to Caleb, who drove out the descendants of the three sons of Anak.
- Joshua 22:6 So Joshua blessed them and sent them on their way, and they went to their homes.
- 1 Chronicles 6:55 They were given Hebron in the land of Judah and its surrounding pasturelands.
- Joshua 10:36 Then Joshua and all Israel with him went up from Eglon to Hebron and fought against it.
- Joshua 15:13 According to the LORD’s command to him, Joshua gave Caleb son of Jephunneh a portion among the sons of Judah—Kiriath-arba, that is, Hebron. (Arba was the forefather of Anak.)
- Joshua 21:11 They gave them Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), with its surrounding pasturelands, in the hill country of Judah. (Arba was the father of Anak.)
- Genesis 47:7 Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and presented him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.
- Genesis 47:10 Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and departed from his presence.
- 1 Samuel 1:17 “Go in peace,” Eli replied, “and may the God of Israel grant the petition you have asked of Him.”
- Song of Solomon 6:9 but my dove, my perfect one, is unique, the favorite of the mother who bore her. The maidens see her and call her blessed; the queens and concubines sing her praises.