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| 1 And these are the countries which the children of Israel inherited in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel, distributed for inheritance to them. |
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| 2 By lot was their inheritance, as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses, for the nine tribes, and for the half tribe. |
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| 3 For Moses had given the inheritance of two tribes and an half tribe on the other side Jordan: but unto the Levites he gave none inheritance among them. |
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| 4 For the children of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim: therefore they gave no part unto the Levites in the land, save cities to dwell in, with their suburbs for their cattle and for their substance.
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| 5 As the LORD commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did, and they divided the land. |
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| 6 Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that the LORD said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadeshbarnea. |
Caleb – A descendant of Abraham through the rejected son Esau, and adopted into the tribe of Judah. His faithfulness and reward have special meaning to us who by nature are children of wrath, typified by Esau. R3091:1
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| 7 Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadeshbarnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart. |
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| 8 Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the LORD my God. |
My brethren – Note the absence of any evil speaking against those who sinned. R3091:6
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| 9 And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children's for ever, because thou hast wholly followed the LORD my God. |
Thine inheritance – Caleb did not expect, and was not promised, a heavenly inheritance. R4071:2
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| 10 And now, behold, the LORD hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the LORD spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old. |
These 45 years – Link No. 22 in the true Bible chronology. B48
From the sending of the spies to the division of the land, leaving one year from the leaving of Egypt to the sending of the spies. HG44:3
Forty-six years after the exodus. R1980:3; B48
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| 11 As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in. |
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| 12 Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said. |
Anakims – Among these entrenched enemies are traditions of men, religious customs, nominalism, sectarian pride, ambition and love of show. R3091:5
I shall be able – This well illustrates the progress of the spiritual Israelite. He looks back to the beginning of his experiences and rejoices that the Lord has kept him and has faith to see himself victor over the strongest and most entrenched enemies of the flesh. R3091:5
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| 13 And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance. |
Joshua blessed him – In order to inherit the promises we, like Caleb, must have faith in God and a corresponding obedience. R3092:4
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| 14 Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite unto this day, because that he wholly followed the LORD God of Israel. |
Wholly followed – These words have special weight in view of the fact that Caleb was only an Israelite by adoption. R3091:1
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| 15 And the name of Hebron before was Kirjatharba; which Arba was a great man among the Anakims. And the land had rest from war. |
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