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Caleb (), sometimes transliterated as Kaleb ( he, כָּלֵב, ''Kalev'', ; Tiberian vocalization: Kālēḇ; Hebrew Academy: Kalev), is a figure who appears in the
Caleb (), sometimes transliterated as Kaleb ( he, כָּלֵב, ''Kalev'', ; Tiberian vocalization: Kālēḇ; Hebrew Academy: Kalev), is a figure who appears in the Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
'' Tribe of Judah during the
According to , Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, was one of the twelve spies sent by Moses into Canaan. Their task, over a period of 40 days, was to explore the
763
482
It is not stated whether this refers to one of the Calebs mentioned in the Bible, or another person bearing the same name.
Traditional Jewish sources record a number of stories about Caleb which expand on the biblical account.
One account records that Caleb wanted to bring produce from the land, but that the other spies discouraged him from doing so in order to avoid giving the Israelites a positive impression of Canaan. They only agreed to carry in samples of produce after Caleb brandished a sword and threatened to fight over the matter. A
274
Legends of the Jews: Bible Times and Characters From the Exodus to the Death of Moses
' (Volume III). Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society of America. * * NAS Exhaustive Concordance,
Keleb
, accessed 9 June 2017
''The Jewish Encyclopedia,'' 1908Gili Kugler, Who Conquered Hebron? Apologetic and Polemical Tendencies in the Story of Caleb in Josh 14
{{Authority control Tribe of Judah Book of Numbers people
'' Tribe of Judah during the
Israelites
The Israelites (; , , ) were a group of Semitic-speaking tribes in the ancient Near East who, during the Iron Age, inhabited a part of Canaan.
The earliest recorded evidence of a people by the name of Israel appears in the Merneptah Stele o ...
' journey to the Promised Land
The Promised Land ( he, הארץ המובטחת, translit.: ''ha'aretz hamuvtakhat''; ar, أرض الميعاد, translit.: ''ard al-mi'ad; also known as "The Land of Milk and Honey"'') is the land which, according to the Tanakh (the Hebrew ...
.
A reference to him is also found in the Quran
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , ...
, although his name is not mentioned ( Al-Ma'idah: 20-26).
Name
According to '' The Jewish Encyclopedia'', "since 'Caleb' signifies dog, it has been thought that the dog was the totem of a clan". The New American Standard Exhaustive Concordance states that the name ''Kaleb'' (Caleb) is related to the word for "dog" (). The Bible was written down centuries before Hebrew diacritics were introduced, and there is no certain knowledge of how the name was pronounced when the biblical text was written. In Modern Hebrew, the name is pronounced ; the modern English pronunciation is a result of the Great Vowel Shift. An alternate Hebrew meaning offered for ''Caleb'' is "faithful, zealous, ruthless, bold, brave". This is on the basis of its being actually a compound word, a phenomenon quite common in ancient Hebrew. ''Col'' (, Kaf + Lamed) = "all" or "whole"; ''Lev'' (, Lamed + Bet) means "heart". Therefore, Caleb (or Calev as pronounced in Hebrew) would actually mean "whole-hearted" or "single-minded" or perhaps "fanatical". This might be due to the personal qualities of the Biblical Caleb, a companion of Moses andJoshua
Joshua () or Yehoshua ( ''Yəhōšuaʿ'', Tiberian: ''Yŏhōšuaʿ,'' lit. 'Yahweh is salvation') ''Yēšūaʿ''; syr, ܝܫܘܥ ܒܪ ܢܘܢ ''Yəšūʿ bar Nōn''; el, Ἰησοῦς, ar , يُوشَعُ ٱبْنُ نُونٍ '' Yūšaʿ ...
.
Biblical account
Caleb, son of Jephunneh (Book of Numbers
The book of Numbers (from Greek Ἀριθμοί, ''Arithmoi''; he, בְּמִדְבַּר, ''Bəmīḏbar'', "In the desert f) is the fourth book of the Hebrew Bible, and the fourth of five books of the Jewish Torah. The book has a long and ...
, ) is not to be confused with Caleb, great-grandson of Judah through Tamar (). This other Caleb was the son of Hezron, and his wife was Azubah ().
According to , Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, was one of the twelve spies sent by Moses into Canaan. Their task, over a period of 40 days, was to explore the Negev
The Negev or Negeb (; he, הַנֶּגֶב, hanNegév; ar, ٱلنَّقَب, an-Naqab) is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. ), in the north. At its sout ...
and surrounding area, and to make an assessment of the geographical features of the land, the strength and numbers of the population
Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction usi ...
, the agricultural potential and actual performance of the land, settlement patterns (whether their cities were like camps or strongholds), and forestry
Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. ...
conditions. Moses also asked them to be courageous and to return with samples of local produce.
In the Numbers 13 listing of the heads of each tribe, reads "Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh." Caleb's report balanced the appeal of the land and its fruits with the challenge of making a conquest.
of chapter 13 reads "And Caleb stilled the people toward Moses, and said: 'We should go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.Jewish Publication Society Version (1917) Caleb and Joshua said the people should trust God and go into the land; the other ten spies, being fearful and rebellious, argued that conquering the land was impossible and immoral.
Caleb as a Kenizzite
Caleb the spy is the son of Jephunneh. Jephunneh is called a Kenizzite (, ,). The Kenizzites are listed as one of the nations associated with the land of Canaan at the time that God made a covenant with Abraham (). However, Caleb is mentioned alongside the descendants of Judah recorded in : "And the sons of Caleb the son of Jephunneh: Iru, Elah, and Naam; and the sons of Elah: Kenaz" (). , likewise, lists Caleb as a tribal leader in Judah. Contrarily, The Kenizzites are also generally associated with Kenaz, the son of Esau, making them an Edomite clan (see ).Freedman & Myers (2000), p763
Deeds
In the aftermath of the conquest, Caleb asks Joshua to give him a mountain in property within the land of Judah, and Joshua blesses him as a sign of God's blessing and approval, giving him Hebron (). Since Hebron itself was one of the Cities of Refuge to be ruled by the Levites, it is later explained that Caleb actually was given the outskirts (). Caleb promised his daughterAchsah
Achsah (; Hebrew: עַכְסָה, also Acsah), was Caleb ben Yefune's only daughter. The meaning of her name is courageous. In Biblical Names the meaning of the name Achsah is: Adorned, bursting the veil.
She was offered in marriage to the man w ...
in marriage to whomever would conquer the land of Debir from the giants. This was eventually accomplished by Othniel Ben Kenaz, Caleb's nephew (), who became Caleb's son-in-law as well ().
1 Samuel states that Nabal
According to the 1st Book of Samuel Chapter 25, Nabal ( ''Nāḇāl'', "fool")
was a rich Calebite, described as harsh and surly. He is featured in a story in which he is threatened by David over an insult, and ultimately killed by God.
Biblica ...
, the husband of Abigail
Abigail () was an Israelite woman in the Hebrew Bible married to Nabal; she married the future King David after Nabal's death ( 1 Samuel ). Abigail was David's second wife, after Saul and Ahinoam's daughter, Michal, whom Saul later ma ...
before David
David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
, was "a Calebite" (Hebrew ''klby'').Fokkelman (1981), p482
It is not stated whether this refers to one of the Calebs mentioned in the Bible, or another person bearing the same name.
Traditional Jewish accounts
Traditional Jewish sources record a number of stories about Caleb which expand on the biblical account.
One account records that Caleb wanted to bring produce from the land, but that the other spies discouraged him from doing so in order to avoid giving the Israelites a positive impression of Canaan. They only agreed to carry in samples of produce after Caleb brandished a sword and threatened to fight over the matter. A Midrash
''Midrash'' (;"midrash"
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. he, מִדְרָשׁ; ...
refers to Caleb being devoted to the Lord and to Moses, splitting from the other scouts to tour ''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. he, מִדְרָשׁ; ...
Hebron
Hebron ( ar, الخليل or ; he, חֶבְרוֹן ) is a Palestinian. city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judaean Mountains, it lies above sea level. The second-largest city in the West Bank (after Eas ...
on his own and visit the graves of the Patriarchs. While in Canaan with the spies, Caleb's voice was so loud that he succeeded in saving the other spies by frightening giants away from them.Ginzberg (1911), p274
References
Bibliography
* * * Ginzberg, Louis (1911).Legends of the Jews: Bible Times and Characters From the Exodus to the Death of Moses
' (Volume III). Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society of America. * * NAS Exhaustive Concordance,
Keleb
, accessed 9 June 2017
External links
*''The Jewish Encyclopedia,'' 1908
{{Authority control Tribe of Judah Book of Numbers people