Bible Strands
Joshua 21:12
But they had given the fields and villages around the city to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his possession.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator addresses the Israelite community during the final land distribution, clarifying that the fields and villages surrounding Hebron were reserved for Caleb rather than allocated to the Levitical tribes.
The words — The text highlights שְׂדֵה (sede), meaning "fields," and נָתְנוּ (natnu), meaning "they gave," to record the concrete transfer of agricultural land and settlements.
The thread — This reservation of Hebron’s surrounding territory reappears in Joshua 14:13 and 1 Chronicles 6:55 as a consistent record of Caleb’s inherited allotment.
Why it lands — The verse requires the reader to distinguish Caleb’s personal inheritance from the Levitical cities, establishing a clear boundary between tribal allotment and priestly provision.
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
But the fields of the city, and the villages thereof, gave they to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for his possession.
Cross-references
- Joshua 14:13 Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as his inheritance.
- 1 Chronicles 6:55 They were given Hebron in the land of Judah and its surrounding pasturelands.