Topical Encyclopedia
Introduction:Caleb, a prominent figure in the Old Testament, is best known for his faithfulness and courage as one of the twelve spies sent by Moses to explore the land of Canaan. His account is primarily found in the books of Numbers, Joshua, and Judges. Caleb is a model of faith and perseverance, demonstrating unwavering trust in God's promises.
Name and Lineage:The name Caleb (כָּלֵב) is often interpreted to mean "dog" in Hebrew, symbolizing loyalty and devotion. Caleb is identified as the son of Jephunneh, a Kenizzite (
Numbers 32:12). The Kenizzites were a clan associated with the tribe of Judah, indicating Caleb's affiliation with this prominent tribe of Israel.
Role as a Spy:Caleb's most notable role occurs during the Israelites' journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. In
Numbers 13, Moses sends twelve spies, including Caleb and Joshua, to scout the land of Canaan. Upon their return, ten of the spies report that the land is inhabited by powerful giants and fortified cities, instilling fear among the Israelites. However, Caleb, along with Joshua, presents a different perspective. He confidently declares, "Let us go up at once and take possession of the land, for we can certainly conquer it!" (
Numbers 13:30). Caleb's faith in God's promise sets him apart from the other spies.
Faithfulness and Reward:Due to the negative report of the ten spies, the Israelites rebel against Moses and express a desire to return to Egypt. In response, God decrees that the current generation will not enter the Promised Land, except for Caleb and Joshua, who "followed the LORD wholeheartedly" (
Numbers 32:12). Caleb's faithfulness is rewarded with a promise that he and his descendants will inherit the land he explored.
Inheritance in Hebron:Forty-five years later, as the Israelites begin to conquer Canaan under Joshua's leadership, Caleb approaches Joshua to claim his inheritance. At the age of eighty-five, Caleb remains vigorous and ready for battle. He requests the hill country of Hebron, where the Anakim, a race of giants, reside. Caleb's request is granted, and he successfully drives out the Anakim, securing Hebron as his inheritance (
Joshua 14:6-15). This act of courage and faith further solidifies Caleb's legacy as a man of God.
Legacy and Influence:Caleb's legacy extends beyond his lifetime. His daughter, Achsah, marries Othniel, who becomes the first judge of Israel (
Judges 3:9-11). Caleb's faith and leadership continue to inspire future generations, serving as a testament to the rewards of trusting in God's promises.
Conclusion:Caleb's account is a powerful example of faith, courage, and perseverance. His unwavering trust in God, despite overwhelming odds, serves as an enduring model for believers. Through his life, Caleb demonstrates that wholehearted devotion to God leads to divine favor and fulfillment of His promises.
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary
Caleba dog; a crow; a basket
Smith's Bible Dictionary
Caleb(capable).
- According to (1 Chronicles 2:9,18,19,42,50) the son of Hezron the son of Pharez the son of Judah, and the father of Hur, and consequently grandfather of Caleb the spy. (B.C. about 1600.)
- Son of Jephunneh, one of the twelve spies sent by Moses to Canaan. (Numbers 13:6) (B.C. 1490.) He and Oshea or Joshua the son of Nun were the only two of the whole number who encouraged the people to enter in boldly to the land and take possession of it. Fortyfive years afterwards Caleb came to Joshua and claimed possession of the land of the Anakim, Kirjath-arba or Hebron, and the neighboring hill country. Josh 14. This was immediately granted to him, and the following chapter relates how he took possession of Hebron, driving out the three sons of Anak; and how he offered Achsah his daughter in marriage to whoever would take Kirjath-sepher, i.e. Debir; and how when Othniel, his younger brother, had performed the feat, he not only gave him his daughter to wife, but with her the upper and nether springs of water which she asked for. It is probable that Caleb was a foreigner by birth, --a proselyte, incorporated into the tribe of Judah.
ATS Bible Dictionary
Caleb1. Son of Jephunneh, of the tribe of Judah, who was sent, with one man from each of the other tribes, to search out the promised land,Numbers 13:1-14:45. Of all the twelve, Caleb and Joshua acted the part of true and faithful men; and they only, of all the grown men of Israel, were permitted to enter Canaan,Numbers 14:6-24,38 26:65. He was one of the princes appointed to divide the conquered territory among the tribes,Numbers 34:19. Hebron was given to him as a reward of his fidelity, according to the promise of God, De 1:36Joshua 14:1-15. Though eighty-five years old, he still retained his vigor, and soon drove out the Anakim from his inheritance. He gave a portion also with his daughter Achsah to Othniel his nephew, who had earned the reward by his valor in the capture of Debir,Joshua 15:13-19 21:12. This region was for some time called by his name,1 Samuel 30:14.
2. Son of Hor, whose children people the country about Bethlehem, etc.,1 Chronicles 2:50-55.
Easton's Bible Dictionary
A dog.
(1.) One of the three sons of Hezron of the tribe of Judah. He is also called Chelubai (1 Chronicles 2:9). His descendants are enumerated (18-20, 42-49).
(2.) A "son of Hur, the firstborn of Ephratah" (1 Chronicles 2:50). Some would read the whole passage thus: "These [i.e., the list in ver. 42-49] were the sons of Caleb. The sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephratah, were Shobal, etc." Thus Hur would be the name of the son and not the father of Caleb (ver. 19).
(3.) The son of Jephunneh (Numbers 13:6;32:12;Joshua 14:6, 14). He was one of those whom Moses sent to search the land in the second year after the Exodus. He was one of the family chiefs of the tribe of Judah. He and Joshua the son of Nun were the only two of the whole number who encouraged the people to go up and possess the land, and they alone were spared when a plague broke out in which the other ten spies perished (Numbers 13; 14). All the people that had been numbered, from twenty years old and upward, perished in the wilderness except these two. The last notice we have of Caleb is when (being then eighty-five years of age) he came to Joshua at the camp at Gilgal, after the people had gained possession of the land, and reminded him of the promise Moses had made to him, by virtue of which he claimed a certain portion of the land of Kirjath-arba as his inheritance (Joshua 14:6-15;15:13-15;21:10-12;1 Samuel 25:2, 3;30:14). He is called a "Kenezite" inJoshua 14:6,14. This may simply mean "son of Kenez" (Numbers 32:12). Some, however, read "Jephunneh, the son of Kenez," who was a descendant of Hezron, the son of Pharez, a grandson of Judah (1 Chronicles 2:5). This Caleb may possibly be identical with (2).
(4.) Caleb gave his name apparently to a part of the south country (1 Samuel 30:14) of Judah, the district between Hebron and Carmel, which had been assigned to him. When he gave up the city of Hebron to the priests as a city of refuge, he retained possession of the surrounding country (Joshua 21:11, 12; Comp.1 Samuel 25:3).
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
CALEBka'-leb (kalebh; in the light of the cognate Syriac and Arabic words, the meaning is not "dog," which is kelebh, in Hebrew, but "raging with canine madness"; Chaleb): As a person, Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, occurs in the story of the spies (Numbers 13). He represents the tribe of Judah as its prince (Numbers 13:6; compareNumbers 13:2). While the majority of the men sent out by Moses bring back evil report, Caleb and Hoshea, or Joshua, the son of Nun, are the only ones to counsel the invasion of the promised land (Numbers 13:30;Numbers 14:6). Accordingly, these two alone are permitted to survive (Numbers 14:38;Numbers 32:12). Upon the conquest and distribution of the land by Joshua, Caleb reminds the leader of the promise made by God through Moses, and so he receives Hebron as an inheritance for himself and his descendants (Joshua 14:6-15), after driving out from thence the Anakim who were in possession of the city (Joshua 15:14). In the parallel account inJudges 1:8, the dispossession of the Canaanite inhabitants of Hebron is ascribed to Judah (Judges 1:10). Both accounts agree in mentioning Othniel, a younger brother of Caleb, as the conqueror of Kiriath-sepher or Debir; as his reward he receives the hand of Achsah, Caleb's daughter. Achsah is given by her father a portion of the Southland; but, upon request, she obtains a more fruitful locality with upper and nether springs (Joshua 15:15-19Judges 1:12-15).
In1 Samuel 30:14 Caleb is undoubtedly the name of a clan which is, moreover, differentiated from Judah. Modern scholars therefore assume that Caleb was originally an independent clan which in historical times merged with Judah. As Caleb is called the son of Kenaz (Judges 1:13) or the Kenizzite (Numbers 32:12), it is further believed that the Calebites were originally associated with an Edomite clan named Kenaz (Genesis 36:11), and that they entered their future homes in the southern part of Palestine from the south. Their migration up north would then be reflected in the story of the spies.
In the genealogical tables (1 Chronicles 2), Caleb is made a descendant of Judah through his father Hezron. He is the brother of Jerahmeel, and the "father" of Hebron and of other towns in Judah. (Chelubai,1 Chronicles 9:9, is apparently identical with Caleb.)
Nabal, with whom David had an encounter, is called a Calebite, i.e. one belonging to the house of Caleb (1 Samuel 25:3).
Max. L. Margolis
Strong's Hebrew
3614. Kalibbo -- descendant ofCaleb... descendant of
Caleb. Transliteration: Kalibbo or Kalebi Phonetic Spelling:
(kaw-lib-bo') Short Definition: Calebite.
... of
Caleb NASB Word Usage Calebite (1).
...4343. Makbenah -- a descendant ofCaleb
... a descendant ofCaleb. Transliteration: Makbenah Phonetic Spelling: (mak-bay-naw')
Short Definition: Machbena.... ofCaleb NASB Word Usage Machbena (1). Machbenah....
4089. Madmannah -- a city in S. Judah, also a descendant ofCaleb
... Madmannah. 4090 . a city in S. Judah, also a descendant ofCaleb. Transliteration:
Madmannah Phonetic Spelling: (mad-man-naw') Short Definition: Madmannah....
4337. Mesha -- "deliverance," a son ofCaleb
... 4336, 4337. Mesha. 4338 . "deliverance," a son ofCaleb. Transliteration:
Mesha Phonetic Spelling: (may-shah') Short Definition: Mesha....
715. Ardon -- a son ofCaleb
... 714, 715. Ardon. 716 . a son ofCaleb. Transliteration: Ardon Phonetic
Spelling: (ar-dohn') Short Definition: Ardon. Word Origin...
2771b. Charan -- son ofCaleb
... son ofCaleb. Transliteration: Charan Short Definition: Haran. Word Origin from
the same as Charan Definition son ofCaleb NASB Word Usage Haran (2)....
3475. Yesher -- "uprightness," a son ofCaleb
... 3474, 3475. Yesher. 3476 . "uprightness," a son ofCaleb. Transliteration:
Yesher Phonetic Spelling: (yay'-sher) Short Definition: Jesher....
4162. Motsa -- a son ofCaleb, also a descendant of Saul
... 4161, 4162. Motsa. 4163 . a son ofCaleb, also a descendant of Saul.
Transliteration: Motsa Phonetic Spelling: (mo-tsaw') Short Definition: Moza....
5277. Naam -- a son ofCaleb
... 5276, 5277. Naam. 5278 . a son ofCaleb. Transliteration: Naam Phonetic
Spelling: (nah'-am) Short Definition: Naam. Word Origin...
8647. Tirchanah -- a child ofCaleb
... 8646, 8647. Tirchanah. 8648 . a child ofCaleb. Transliteration: Tirchanah
Phonetic Spelling: (teer-khan-aw') Short Definition: Tirhanah....
Library
Caleb --A Green Old Age
... THE BOOK OF JOSHUACALEB"A GREEN OLD AGE. 'AndCaleb... said unto him
(Joshua), Thou knowest the thing that the Lord said unto...
The Story of the Grapes from Canaan
... One of these was Joshua, who was the helper of Moses in caring for the people,
and another wasCaleb, who belonged to the tribe of Judah....
The Wine of Prayer
... Do you supposeCaleb could tell us how to obtain these fruits? We are specially
interested in the Wine of Prayer, suppose we go and seeCaleb today....
In the Borders of Canaan.
... very high walls. They said they saw giants there.Caleb, who was one of
the twelve, and a good and true man, said: "Let us go up...
That those who Put what is virtuous Before what is Useful are...
... That those who put what is virtuous before what is useful are acceptable to God
is shown by the example of Joshua,Caleb, and the other spies. 53....
Two Ways of Seeing
...Caleb said, "Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to
overcome it" (Num.13: 30).... ButCaleb and Joshua had no doubts....
Letter F
... George W. "Received 1822, Located 1838 * Fairbank, Ira "Received 1811 * Fairbank,
Joseph "Received 1805, Located 1809 * Fales,Caleb "Received 1833...
Letter K
... Received 1836 * Kemp, Robert E. "Received 1831 * Kemper, David "Received 1834 *
Kendall,Caleb "Received 1796, Located 1807 * Kendall,Caleb...
The Report of the Hebrew Spies
... ThenCaleb quieted the people and said, "Let us go up at once and take it, for we
are well able to conquer it." But the men who had gone up with him said, "We...
Letter L
... Died 1831 * Lakin Arad S. "Received 1837 * Lakin, Benjamin "Received 1795 * Lamay,
Thomas "Received 1824, Located 1827 * Lamb,Caleb "Received 1826...
Thesaurus
Caleb (39 Occurrences)... Some would read the whole passage thus: "These [ie, the list in ver.
42-49] were the sons of
Caleb. The sons of Hur, the firstborn
...Caleb's (6 Occurrences)
...Caleb's (6 Occurrences). Joshua 15:17 And Othniel, the son of Kenaz,Caleb's brother,
took it: so he gave him his daughter Achsah for his wife. (BBE NIV)....
Caleb-Ephrathah (1 Occurrence)
Caleb-Ephrathah. Calebephrathah,Caleb-Ephrathah. Calebite . Int.
Standard Bible EncyclopediaCALEB-EPHRATHAH. ka'-leb...
Caleb-Ephratah (1 Occurrence)
Caleb-Ephratah. Calebephratah,Caleb-Ephratah.Caleb-Ephrath .
Multi-Version ConcordanceCaleb-Ephratah (1 Occurrence)....
Caleb-Ephrath (1 Occurrence)
Caleb-Ephrath.Caleb-Ephratah,Caleb-Ephrath. Calebephrathah .
Multi-Version ConcordanceCaleb-Ephrath (1 Occurrence)....
Jephunneh (16 Occurrences)
... Nimble, or a beholder. (1.) The father ofCaleb, who was Joshua's companion
in exploring Canaan (Numbers 13:6), a Kenezite (Joshua 14:14)....
Jephun'neh (16 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Jephun'neh (16 Occurrences). Numbers 13:6 Of
the tribe of Judah,Caleb the son of Jephunneh. (See RSV)....
Achsah (5 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary Anklet,Caleb's only daughter (1 Chronicles
2:49). She was offered in marriage to the man who would lead...
Kenaz (11 Occurrences)
... (2.)Caleb's younger brother, and father of Othniel (Joshua 15:17), whose family
was of importance in Israel down to the time of David (1 Chronicles 27:15)....
Othniel (7 Occurrences)
... His wife Achsah was the daughter ofCaleb (Joshua 15:16, 17; Judges 1:13)....
He was the younger brother ofCaleb (Judges 3:8, 9-11)....
Resources
Who is Caleb in the Bible? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is the story of Joshua and Caleb in the Bible? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is a Calebite? | GotQuestions.orgBible Concordance •
Bible Dictionary •
Bible Encyclopedia •
Topical Bible •
Bible Thesuarus
