7 Forty H705 years H8141 old H1121 was I when Moses H4872 the servant H5650 of the LORD H3068 sent H7971 me from Kadeshbarnea H6947 to espy out H7270 the land; H776 and I brought H7725 him word H1697 again H7725 as it was in mine heart. H3824
8 Nevertheless my brethren H251 that went up H5927 with me made the heart H3820 of the people H5971 melt: H4529 but I wholly H4390 followed H310 the LORD H3068 my God. H430
9 And Moses H4872 sware H7650 on that day, H3117 saying, H559 Surely the land H776 whereon thy feet H7272 have trodden H1869 shall be thine inheritance, H5159 and thy children's H1121 for H5704 ever, H5769 because thou hast wholly H4390 followed H310 the LORD H3068 my God. H430
10 And now, behold, the LORD H3068 hath kept me alive, H2421 as he said, H1696 these forty H705 and five H2568 years, H8141 even since H227 the LORD H3068 spake H1696 this word H1697 unto Moses, H4872 while the children of Israel H3478 wandered H1980 in the wilderness: H4057 and now, lo, I am this day H3117 fourscore H8084 and five H2568 years H8141 old. H1121
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Joshua 14
Commentary on Joshua 14 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 14
Here is,
Jos 14:1-5
The historian, having in the foregoing chapter given an account of the disposal of the countries on the other side Jordan, now comes to tell us what they did with the countries in the land of Canaan. They were not conquered to be left desert, a habitation for dragons, and a court for owls, Isa. 34:13. No, the Israelites that had hitherto been closely encamped in a body, and the greatest part of them such as never knew any other way of living, must now disperse themselves to replenish these new conquests. It is said of the earth, God created it not in vain; he formed it to be inhabited, Isa. 45:18. Canaan would have been subdued in vain if it had not been inhabited. Yet every man might not go and settle where he pleased, but as there seems to have been in the days of Peleg an orderly and regular division of the habitable earth among the sons of Noah (Gen. 10:25, 32), so there was now such a division of the land of Canaan among the sons of Jacob. God had given Moses directions how this distribution should be made, and those directions are here punctually observed. See Num. 26:53, etc.
Jos 14:6-15
Before the lot was cast into the lap for the determining of the portions of the respective tribes, the particular portion of Caleb was assigned to him. He was now, except Joshua, not only the oldest man in all Israel, but was twenty years older than any of them, for all that were above twenty years old when he was forty were dead in the wilderness; it was fit therefore that this phoenix of his age should have some particular marks of honour put upon him in the dividing of the land. Now,