still for battle with the most forniidable suggest that they went iogether, that the foee. spies we.nt different ways, either eepnmtely Ver. 12.-Thls mountain. The neigh- or in pairs, and that Caleb visited Hebron, bourhood of Hebron is described by Bartlett and that Joshua beard the account of it 'Egypt to Palestine,' p. 401, as "a region for the first time from Caleb's lips, as they of hills and valleys." In one of the hollows brought their report to Moses, and that in this "hill country of Judrea" Hebron Caleb then asked and received the grant of still nestles, but at a height which (see Hebron. We may observe the minute agree- Stanley, ' Sinai and Palestine,' p. 102) is ment here in matters of detail between the '' only 400 feet lower than Helvellyn," Pentateach and the Book of Joshua. The the highest point but one in England. Pentateuch states that the spies visited The Dean remarks on the fact that Pales- Hebron. The Book of Joshua, without tine was a mountainous country, and that mentioning this, makes C»leb appeal to therefore in its history we may expect Joshua as a witness that a promise had been the characteristics of a mountain people. made to him, long before the entrance of Whereof the Lord spa.Ice In that day. There J srael into the promised land, that this par- must therefore have been a promise made ticular place should be allotted to him. to Caleb, regarding which the Pentateuch, The description of Hebron also in Nam. having to deal with matters of more general xiii. agrees in every respect with what is interest, is silent, that he should lead the stated here. Fenced. Literally, inaccessible, forlorn hope, as it were, of the children of as surrounded by walls. If so be. Rather, Israel, and that the task of subduing the perhaps. mountain fastnesses of the most powerful Ver. 14.-He wholly followed (see abo,e, tribes in Palestine should be assigned to ver. 8). him. That the .original inhabitants re- Ver. 15.-And the name of Hebron before occupied the districts round Hebron, while was Kirjath-arba. Hengstenberg, according the Israelites were otherwise engaged, we to Keil, has conclusively shown that Hebron have already seen (see note on eh. xi. 21). was the original name of the city. At the The final work was to be carried out by time of Joshua's invasion, however, it was Caleb. Houbigant, it is true, thinks that known as Kirjath (or" the city of") Arba, here the same incident is refe1Ted to as in from a giant named Arba who bad con- eh. xi. 21, 22, and that Joshua is there quered the city. Hebron· is known as credited with what was done by Caleb at his Kirjath-arba in Gen. xxiii. 2, but the way in command. But we read that that expedition which it is mentioned by Moses seems to followed close npon the be.ttle of Merom, bear out Hengstenberg's theory. The Rabbis whereas seven yee.rs elapsed before the final translated " the city of four," and assert expulsion of the Anakim by Caleb. It is that the four patria.rchs, Adam, Abraham, important to notice that the author of the Isaac, o.nd Jacob, were buried there. The Book of Joshua has access to sources of word tra.nslated " man " here is Adam. information beside the Pentateuch. This, The Vulgate follows this tradition, trans- though not sufficient to disprove, does at lating "Ada.m maximus ibi inter Enacim least seem inconsistent with the "Elohist " situs est." And our own Wiclif literally and "Jehovist" theory. For thou heardest translates the Vulgate "Adam moost greet In that day. The LXX. and Vulgate av01d there in the loond of Enachym was set." the difficulty here by referring these words Rosenmiiller renders the words translated to what goes before-i.e., the promise made 11 a great me.nu by " the greatest man." to Caleb. In that case we must render the And certainly the words have the o.rticle; second •:;:, "for," instead of "that," or e.nd this is also Th.e way in which the super- "how." Joshua can hardly have hea.rd for lative is expressed in Hebrew. It also aclds the first time that the Anaki.m were in to the force of Cn.!eb's request. He desired Hebron if, as Num. xiii. 22 appea.rs to the most important city of a wo.rlike race. assert, he, in common with the other spies, And the land had rest from war (see he.d visited the place. But it is possible, oh. xi. 23). though the narrative as it ste.nds seems to
HOMILETICS. Vars. 6-15. - Oaleb's faithfulness and its reward. The history ~f Caleb seems to have a special fascine._tion for t~1e eaored histoi:ie.n. We read of_ hrm he1·~• and in the next chapter, e.nd 1n Judg. 1. Whether this were ~luo t? his brav~11, his sincerity, hie hale and hearty old age, or (see note on ver. 6) his foreign extraction, THE BOOK OF JOSHUA, [ou. xrv. 1-1S.