Joshua 14

I am not sure that Caleb is high on my list of heroes. See the next chapter from last December. His resolute faith is noted, but the degree of its attractiveness is muted by the bartering of his daughter. I hope moderns, at least in the so called western world, do not desire a return to such an ownership model of human relationships. Not everything that is Biblical is desirable or even good. Distinguishing good and evil is a part of our calling.

Perhaps it is significant that Caleb seeks preferential treatment for his chosen hill from Joshua, rehearsing his claim to Joshua perhaps against the lot falling to anyone else. It was a political move not exactly according to lot, but according to obligation. Perhaps he was a strongman, a manipulator, and one who had learned by force to get his own way. Not unlike many today, some more subtly than others. I note that while the land had some rest from war, it was temporary as usual.

The Prince of Peace does not play the card of moral force, nor the card of I'm right and you're wrong, not the card of physical force. Does he have any cards? Yes: the care of others, the preference for the poor and dispossessed, and the card of unintended consequences. Where's my Tarot pack?

I do not resolve ambiguity with my reading. What is quiet from war? Who conquered whom - see the next chapter? Were they quiet because everyone was dead or dispossessed? Was the land then productive? It seems Caleb dispossessed Arba (4) and his children. Maybe they made a deal after extensive slaughter. The word is not rest (נוה, from which Noah), but quiet (שׁטק, no-one famous by that name that I am aware of). Admittedly one could mean the same as the other.

Joshua 14		Fn		Min	Max	Syll
וְאֵ֛לֶּה אֲשֶׁר־נָחֲל֥וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל בְּאֶ֣רֶץ כְּנָ֑עַן אֲשֶׁ֨ר נִֽחֲל֜וּ אוֹתָ֗ם אֶלְעָזָ֤ר הַכֹּהֵן֙ וִיהוֹשֻׁ֣עַ בִּן־נ֔וּן וְרָאשֵׁ֛י אֲב֥וֹת הַמַּטּ֖וֹת לִבְנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל	1		And these are what the children of Israel inherited in the land of Canaan, that Eleazar the priest had them inherit, (and Joshua child of Nun, and the first parents of the branches of the children of Israel).	3d	4C	19 32
בְּגוֹרַ֖ל נַחֲלָתָ֑ם כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר צִוָּ֤ה יְהוָה֙ בְּיַד־מֹשֶׁ֔ה לְתִשְׁעַ֥ת הַמַּטּ֖וֹת וַחֲצִ֥י הַמַּטֶּֽה	2		By lot their inheritance, as Yahweh commanded by the hand of Moses, for the nine branches and the half branch.	3e	4C	7 23
כִּֽי־נָתַ֨ן מֹשֶׁ֜ה נַחֲלַ֨ת שְׁנֵ֤י הַמַּטּוֹת֙ וַחֲצִ֣י הַמַּטֶּ֔ה מֵעֵ֖בֶר לַיַּרְדֵּ֑ן וְלַ֨לְוִיִּ֔ם לֹֽא־נָתַ֥ן נַחֲלָ֖ה בְּתוֹכָֽם	3		For Moses had given the inheritance of two branches and a half branch from beyond Jordan, and to the Levites he did not give an inheritance among them.	3e	4C	24 12
כִּֽי־הָי֧וּ בְנֵֽי־יוֹסֵ֛ף שְׁנֵ֥י מַטּ֖וֹת מְנַשֶּׁ֣ה וְאֶפְרָ֑יִם וְלֹֽא־נָתְנוּ֩ חֵ֨לֶק לַלְוִיִּ֜ם בָּאָ֗רֶץ כִּ֤י אִם־עָרִים֙ לָשֶׁ֔בֶת וּמִ֨גְרְשֵׁיהֶ֔ם לְמִקְנֵיהֶ֖ם וּלְקִנְיָנָֽם	4		Because the children of Joseph were two branches Manasseh and Ephraim, so they gave no share to the Levites in the land except their cities for settlement and their outlands for their livestock and for their acquisitions.	3c	4C	16 32
כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר צִוָּ֤ה יְהוָה֙ אֶת־מֹשֶׁ֔ה כֵּ֥ן עָשׂ֖וּ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַֽיַּחְלְק֖וּ אֶת־הָאָֽרֶץ	5		As Yahweh commanded Moses, so undertook the children of Israel, and they divided the land.	3e	4C	18 8
וַיִּגְּשׁ֨וּ בְנֵֽי־יְהוּדָ֤ה אֶל־יְהוֹשֻׁ֙עַ֙ בַּגִּלְגָּ֔ל וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלָ֔יו כָּלֵ֥ב בֶּן־יְפֻנֶּ֖ה הַקְּנִזִּ֑י אַתָּ֣ה יָדַ֡עְתָּ אֶֽת־הַדָּבָר֩ אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּ֨ר יְהוָ֜ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֣ה אִישׁ־הָאֱלֹהִ֗ים עַ֧ל אֹדוֹתַ֛י וְעַ֥ל אֹדוֹתֶ֖יךָ בְּקָדֵ֥שׁ בַּרְנֵֽעַ	6		And the children of Judah made overture to Joshua in Gilgal, and Caleb, child of Jepunah the Qenizite, said to him, You yourself know the thing that Yahweh spoke to Moses, the man of God, over my agency and over your agency in Qadesh-Barnea.	3c	4C	30 39
בֶּן־אַרְבָּעִ֨ים שָׁנָ֜ה אָנֹכִ֗י בִּ֠שְׁלֹחַ מֹשֶׁ֨ה עֶֽבֶד־יְהוָ֥ה אֹתִ֛י מִקָּדֵ֥שׁ בַּרְנֵ֖עַ לְרַגֵּ֣ל אֶת־הָאָ֑רֶץ וָאָשֵׁ֤ב אֹתוֹ֙ דָּבָ֔ר כַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר עִם־לְבָבִֽי	7		A child of a forty year span I was,when Moses sent me, the servant of Yahweh, from Qadesh-Barnea to survey the land, and I returned him a word as was with my heart.	3d	4C	33 14
וְאַחַי֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָל֣וּ עִמִּ֔י הִמְסִ֖יו אֶת־לֵ֣ב הָעָ֑ם וְאָנֹכִ֣י מִלֵּ֔אתִי אַחֲרֵ֖י יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהָֽי	8		And my kin who went up with me made the heart of the people dissolve, but I myself fully followed after Yahweh my God.	3e	4B	15 15
וַיִּשָּׁבַ֣ע מֹשֶׁ֗ה בַּיּ֣וֹם הַהוּא֮ לֵאמֹר֒ אִם־לֹ֗א הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ אֲשֶׁ֨ר דָּרְכָ֤ה רַגְלְךָ֙ בָּ֔הּ לְךָ֨ תִֽהְיֶ֧ה לְנַחֲלָ֛ה וּלְבָנֶ֖יךָ עַד־עוֹלָ֑ם כִּ֣י מִלֵּ֔אתָ אַחֲרֵ֖י יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהָֽי	9		And Moses swore in that day, saying, Without fail, the land on which your foot finds its way, to you will be for an inheritance, and to your children for evermore, because you fully followed after Yahweh my God.	3c	4C	40 12
וְעַתָּ֗ה הִנֵּה֩ הֶחֱיָ֨ה יְהוָ֣ה ׀ אוֹתִי֮ כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר דִּבֵּר֒ זֶה֩ אַרְבָּעִ֨ים וְחָמֵ֜שׁ שָׁנָ֗ה מֵ֠אָז דִּבֶּ֨ר יְהוָ֜ה אֶת־הַדָּבָ֤ר הַזֶּה֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־הָלַ֥ךְ יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל בַּמִּדְבָּ֑ר וְעַתָּה֙ הִנֵּ֣ה אָנֹכִ֣י הַיּ֔וֹם בֶּן־חָמֵ֥שׁ וּשְׁמוֹנִ֖ים שָׁנָֽה	10		And now behold, Yahweh has kept me alive as he spoke these forty five years, ever since Yahweh spoke this word to Moses when Israel walked in the wilderness, and now behold I am today a child of eighty five years.	3e	4C	51 18
עוֹדֶ֨נִּי הַיּ֜וֹם חָזָ֗ק כַּֽאֲשֶׁר֙ בְּי֨וֹם שְׁלֹ֤חַ אוֹתִי֙ מֹשֶׁ֔ה כְּכֹ֥חִי אָ֖ז וּכְכֹ֣חִי עָ֑תָּה לַמִּלְחָמָ֖ה וְלָצֵ֥את וְלָבֽוֹא	11		Yet I today am as resolute as in the day Moses sent me. As my power then, so my power now, to war or to go forth or to come in.	3e	4C	28 10
וְעַתָּ֗ה תְּנָה־לִּי֙ אֶת־הָהָ֣ר הַזֶּ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּ֥ר יְהוָ֖ה בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֑וּא כִּ֣י אַתָּֽה־שָׁמַעְתָּ֩ בַיּ֨וֹם הַה֜וּא כִּֽי־עֲנָקִ֣ים שָׁ֗ם וְעָרִים֙ גְּדֹל֣וֹת בְּצֻר֔וֹת אוּלַ֨י יְהוָ֤ה אוֹתִי֙ וְה֣וֹרַשְׁתִּ֔ים כַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר דִּבֶּ֥ר יְהוָֽה	12		And now give me this mount that Yahweh spoke of in that day, for yourself, you heard in that day that the Anaqim were there and great enclosed cities. Maybe Yahweh is with me, and I will dispossess them as Yahweh spoke.	3e	4C	21 40
וַֽיְבָרְכֵ֖הוּ יְהוֹשֻׁ֑עַ וַיִּתֵּ֧ן אֶת־חֶבְר֛וֹן לְכָלֵ֥ב בֶּן־יְפֻנֶּ֖ה לְנַחֲלָֽה	13		And Joshua blessed him, and he assigned Hebron to Caleb child of Jepunah as inheritance.	3c	4A	8 17
עַל־כֵּ֣ן הָיְתָֽה־חֶ֠בְרוֹן לְכָלֵ֨ב בֶּן־יְפֻנֶּ֤ה הַקְּנִזִּי֙ לְֽנַחֲלָ֔ה עַ֖ד הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה יַ֚עַן אֲשֶׁ֣ר מִלֵּ֔א אַחֲרֵ֕י יְהוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל	14		So Hebron became for Caleb child of Jepunah the Qenizite as inheritance to this day, in that fully he followed Yahweh the God of Israel.	3e	4C	25 17
וְשֵׁ֨ם חֶבְר֤וֹן לְפָנִים֙ קִרְיַ֣ת אַרְבַּ֔ע הָאָדָ֧ם הַגָּד֛וֹל בָּעֲנָקִ֖ים ה֑וּא וְהָאָ֥רֶץ שָׁקְטָ֖ה מִמִּלְחָמָֽה	15		Now the name Hebron before, was 'the town of four'. Humanity magnified among the Anaqim it was, and the land was quiet from war.	3c	4C	22 10