Joshua 14

1 Now these [specific, designated] are the portions that the Israelites [descendants of Jacob] inherited [received as a gift, took possession of] in the land [territory, region] of Canaan [the promised land], as distributed [divided, allotted] by Eleazar [God has helped] the priest [spiritual leader], Joshua [God is salvation] son of Nun [father of Joshua], and the heads [chiefs, leaders] of the families [clans, tribes] of the tribes [divisions, groups] of Israel [God’s chosen people]. word study 2 Their inheritance [portion, allotted land] was assigned [divided, given out] by lot [casting of stones, chance decision] for the nine and a half [partial, divided] tribes, as the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] had commanded [given orders, instructed] through Moses [the Israelite leader, lawgiver]. word study 3 For Moses [the Israelite leader] had given the inheritance [a gift of land, a legacy] east of the Jordan [beyond the river, on the other side] to the other two [a pair, a duo] and a half tribes. But he granted no [none, not any] inheritance [a possession, a heritage] among them to the Levites [the priestly tribe, descendants of Levi]. word study 4 The descendants [sons, offspring] of Joseph became two [dual, double] tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim [doubly fruitful]. And no [none, not any] portion [inheritance, share] of the land [earth, territory] was given [granted, allotted] to the Levites [priestly tribe], except for [save, with the exception of] cities [towns, settlements] in which to live [dwell, reside], along with pasturelands [suburbs, outskirts] for their flocks [livestock, herds] and herds [cattle, possessions]. word study 5 So the Israelites [children of Israel, descendants of Jacob] did as the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] had commanded [given orders to, appointed] Moses, and they divided [apportioned, allocated] the land [territory, region, the promised inheritance]. word study 6 Then the sons [descendants, people] of Judah [praise, a tribe of Israel] approached [drew near, came to] Joshua [God is salvation, a leader] at Gilgal [a place of rolling, a region in Palestine], and Caleb [faithful, devoted, a man from the tribe of Judah] son of Jephunneh [whom God has freed, a Kenizzite] the Kenizzite [a descendant of Kenaz] said to him, “You know [are aware, have knowledge of] what the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God] said [spoke, communicated] to Moses [a leader] the man of God [a prophet, a servant of God] at Kadesh-barnea [a city in the southern desert, a place of spiritual significance] about [concerning, regarding] you and me [us, as individuals]. word study 7 I was forty [a significant period of time, often associated with testing or preparation] years old when Moses [the servant and leader of the Israelites] the servant [one who serves and obeys] of the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God] sent me from Kadesh-barnea [a city in the southern desert of Judah, an important stop for the Israelites] to spy out [to explore and gather information about] the land [the promised territory, Canaan], and I brought back to him an honest [true, faithful, and trustworthy] report [an account of what I saw and experienced]. word study 8 Although my brothers [close relatives, fellow Israelites] who went with me made the hearts [seat of emotions, will, and intellect] of the people [a nation, community] melt with fear [become discouraged, lose courage], I remained loyal [wholly followed, completely devoted] to the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God] my God [Elohim, the supreme deity]. word study 9 On that day Moses [the Israelite leader] swore [made a solemn promise, took an oath] to me, saying, ‘Surely the land [the promised territory, the earthly inheritance] on which you have set foot [walked, trodden] will be an inheritance [a permanent possession, a gift] to you and your children [descendants, posterity] forever [always, eternally], because you have wholly followed [been faithful to, obeyed] the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God] my God [Elohim, the one true God].’ word study 10 Now [at this present time, as the LORD promised] behold, as the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant-keeping God] promised, He has kept me alive [preserved my life, sustained me] these forty-five years [a period of testing and waiting] since He spoke [communicated, uttered] this word to Moses, while Israel [the chosen people, descendants of Jacob] wandered [roamed, traveled] in the wilderness [a desert, uncharted territory]. So here I am today [in this present moment], eighty-five years old [advanced in age, mature], word study 11 still [yet, as before] as strong [powerful, vigorous] today as I was the day [at the time, in the past] Moses [the Israelite leader] sent me out [dispatched, commissioned]. As my strength [power, might] was then [at that time, previously], so it is now [at this time, currently] for war [battle, conflict], for going out [to depart, to march], and for coming in [to enter, to return]. word study 12 Now [at this moment, in this present time] therefore give me this hill country [mountain, high land] that the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] promised me on that day, for you yourself heard then [in that day, at that time] that the Anakim [descendants of Anak, a tribe of giant people] were there, with great [large, impressive] and fortified [strongly protected, walled] cities. Perhaps [if it may be, peradventure] with the LORD’s [Yehovah’s] help I will drive them out, as the LORD [Yehovah] has spoken [promised, commanded].” word study 13 Then Joshua [the leader, God’s servant] blessed [praised, honored] Caleb [a faithful follower] son [descendant, offspring] of Jephunneh and gave [granted, bestowed] him Hebron [a city of refuge, a place of rest] as his inheritance [a gift, a possession, a legacy]. word study 14 Therefore Hebron [a city in Palestine, a place of alliance] belongs to Caleb [a faithful follower, completely devoted] son of Jephunneh [a descendant of Kenaz] the Kenizzite [a member of the Kenaz family, a tribe in Canaan] as an inheritance [a gift, a possession] to this day [until now, in the present time], because he wholly [completely, fully] followed [obeyed, trusted] the LORD [Yehovah, the one true God], the God [Elohim, the supreme Creator] of Israel [the chosen people, the descendants of Jacob]. word study 15 (Hebron [formerly known as Kiriath-arba] used to be called Kiriath-arba [the city of Arba], after Arba [a great leader], the greatest man [of great importance] among the Anakim [a tribe of giant people].) Then the land [the earth, territory] had rest [was at peace, quiet] from war [battle, conflict]. word study