Joshua 14
Joshua 14 is the fourteenth chapter of the Book of Joshua in the Hebrew Bible or in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. According to Jewish tradition the book was attributed to Joshua, with additions by the high priests Eleazar and Phinehas, but modern scholars view it as part of the Deuteronomistic History, which spans the books of Deuteronomy to 2 Kings, attributed to nationalistic and devotedly Yahwistic writers during the time of the reformer Judean king Josiah in 7th century BCE. This chapter records the preparation for the allotment of land and the inheritance for Caleb, a part of a section comprising Joshua 13:1–21:45 about the Israelites allotting the land of Canaan.
Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language. It is divided into 15 verses.Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis, Aleppo Codex, and Codex Leningradensis.Extant ancient manuscripts of a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint include Codex Vaticanus and Codex Alexandrinus.
Analysis
The narrative of Israelites allotting the land of Canaan comprising verses 13:1 to 21:45 of the Book of Joshua and has the following outline:Summary of the West Jordan inheritance (14:1–5)
The allocation of the land in Cisjordan was done by Joshua together with Eleazar the priest and tribal chiefs as a direct continuation of Numbers 26, which records the census taken under the leadership of Moses and Eleazar precisely for this distribution. The sacred lot was used as commanded in Numbers 26:55. The explanation for the exclusion of the Levites from land inheritance, and the dividing of the tribe of Joseph, are additional to the information in Numbers 26.Verse 1
- "Eleazar the priest": the son of Aaron, is mentioned here for the first time in the Book of Joshua, and named before Joshua, just as how it was listed in. The combination of Eleazar, Joshua and the heads of the families is mentioned again in Joshua 19:51 after the division of the land is completed. Eleazar and Joshua were the principal figures in the allotment of the land is supported by the fact that the daughters of Zelophehad approached them to claim their inheritance.
- "Heads of the fathers of the tribes": a term also used in Numbers 32:28, whereas Numbers 34:18 uses the term "prince". The ten persons, one from each of the nine tribes and the half tribe of Manasseh, which were appointed and named by God in Numbers 34:19–29 to "divide the inheritance among the children of Israel in the land of Canaan", as follows:
| Tribe | Leader |
| Judah | Caleb the son of Jephunneh |
| Simeon | Shemuel the son of Ammihud |
| Benjamin | Elidad the son of Chislon |
| Dan | Bukki the son of Jogli |
| Joseph - Manasseh | Hanniel the son of Ephod |
| Joseph - Ephraim | Kemuel the son of Shiphtan |
| Zebulun | Elizaphan the son of Parnach |
| Issachar | Paltiel the son of Azzan |
| Asher | Ahihud the son of Shelomi |
| Naphtali | Pedahel the son of Ammihud |
Caleb's inheritance (14:6–15)
Before the allotment for the tribe of Judah, a special grant of land is given to Caleb, who had dissented from the bad report of first spies, and thus for his faithfulness was promised a possession of his own. The land Caleb requested was in the area of Hebron, within the territory soon to be allotted to Caleb's tribe of Judah. In his speech of the request Caleb emphasized his vigor into old age, as also a part of the promise to him, because of his trust in YHWH, that he was not afraid of the Anakim, the gigantic people who scared Israel at first.Verse 10
A time calculation is embedded in this verse: Caleb the son of Jephunneh was 40 years old when he received the promise, and 45 years have passed since then, so he is 85 years old at this time. According to Sebachim 118b, the promise in Kadesh-barnea was given 2 years after the Exodus from Egypt, so within 40 years of wandering, 38 years have passed until the crossing into Canaan. Therefore, now seven years have passed which comprise the period of the conquest of Canaan.Verse 13
- "Hebron: this city plays an important role in the history of Israel until, beginning with the burial of Sarah, the wife of Abraham there and continuing after the conquest with David reigning as king first from this city, but in particular in this verse Hebron becomes the first place in the land of Canaan to be allotted, and this is Joshua's first act of allotment . The actual conquest of the city by Caleb is recorded in the next chapter.