THEN THE LAND HAD REST FROM WAR

Passage: Joshua 14:6-15

Key verse: 15b

NIV

Allotment for Caleb

6 Now the people of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal,(A) and Caleb son of Jephunneh(B) the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the Lord said to Moses the man of God(C) at Kadesh Barnea(D) about you and me.(E) 7 I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea(F) to explore the land.(G) And I brought him back a report according to my convictions,(H) 8 but my fellow Israelites who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt in fear.(I) I, however, followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly.(J) 9 So on that day Moses swore to me, ‘The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance(K) and that of your children(L) forever, because you have followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly.’[a]

10 “Now then, just as the Lord promised,(M) he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved(N) about in the wilderness. So here I am today, eighty-five years old!(O) 11 I am still as strong(P) today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous(Q) to go out to battle now as I was then. 12 Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day.(R) You yourself heard then that the Anakites(S) were there and their cities were large and fortified,(T) but, the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as he said.”

13 Then Joshua blessed(U) Caleb son of Jephunneh(V) and gave him Hebron(W) as his inheritance.(X) 14 So Hebron has belonged to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite ever since, because he followed the Lord, the God of Israel, wholeheartedly.(Y) 15 (Hebron used to be called Kiriath Arba(Z) after Arba,(AA) who was the greatest man among the Anakites.)

Then the land had rest(AB) from war.

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Footnotes
  1. Joshua 14:9 Deut. 1:36
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

Caleb's Request and Inheritance

6 Then the people of Judah came to Joshua at Gilgal. And Caleb the son of Jephunneh the (A)Kenizzite said to him, “You know (B)what the Lord said to Moses the man of God in Kadesh-barnea concerning you and me. 7 I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord (C)sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought him word again as it was in my heart. 8 But (D)my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt; yet I wholly followed the Lord my God. 9 And Moses swore on that day, saying, (E)‘Surely the land (F)on which your foot has trodden shall be an inheritance for you and your children forever, because you have wholly followed the Lord my God.’ 10 And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, (G)just as he said, these (H)forty-five years since the time that the Lord spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. And now, behold, I am this day (I)eighty-five years old. 11 (J)I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war and (K)for going and coming. 12 So now give me this hill country of which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day how the (L)Anakim were there, with great fortified cities. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall drive them out just as the Lord said.”

13 Then Joshua (M)blessed him, and he gave (N)Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance. 14 Therefore Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, (O)because he wholly followed the Lord, the God of Israel. 15 (P)Now the name of Hebron formerly was Kiriath-arba.[a] (Arba[b] was the greatest man among the Anakim.) (Q)And the land had rest from war.

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Footnotes
  1. Joshua 14:15 Kiriath-arba means the city of Arba
  2. Joshua 14:15 Hebrew He
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

Caleb came to Joshua and reminded him that Moses promised to give him an inheritance. Caleb told Joshua what Moses had said 45 years before, that the land that Caleb put his foot on would be his and his descendants’ inheritance. This was promised to Caleb because Caleb followed the Lord his God wholeheartedly, while all the other people had melted in fear because of the Annakites in the land.

When Caleb followed God wholeheartedly, the promise of God came to fruition. The hill country, which the Israelites had once feared they would not be able to enter, was conquered. As promised by God through Moses, Caleb was claiming the right to receive that land. Then Joshua blessed Caleb, son of Jephunneh, and gave him Hebron as his inheritance.

When we follow the Lord our God wholeheartedly, God is pleased. God wants to fulfill his mission and vision through those who follow God wholeheartedly. When they had conquered the land, the land had rest from war.

Prayer: Lord, help us to follow you wholeheartedly and inherit your promised land.

One Word: Then the land had rest from war.