וְאֵלֶּה אֲשֶׁר נָחֲלוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּאֶרֶץ כְּנָעַן אֲשֶׁר נִחֲלוּ אוֹתָם אֶלְעָזָר הַכֹּהֵן וִיהוֹשֻׁעַ בִּן נוּן וְרָאשֵׁי אֲבוֹת הַמַּטּוֹת לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

These are what the children of Israel took possession of in the land of Canaan, on the western side of the Jordan, that Elazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the patrilineal heads of the tribes of the children of Israel bequeathed to them

בְּגוֹרַל נַחֲלָתָם כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה' בְּיַד מֹשֶׁה לְתִשְׁעַת הַמַּטּוֹת וַחֲצִי הַמַּטֶּה

by lottery for their inheritance, as the Lord commanded at the hand of Moses, for the nine and a half tribes who received their inheritance through the lot.

כִּי נָתַן מֹשֶׁה נַחֲלַת שְׁנֵי הַמַּטּוֹת וַחֲצִי הַמַּטֶּה מֵעֵבֶר לַיַּרְדֵּן וְלַלְוִיִּם לֹא נָתַן נַחֲלָה בְּתוֹכָם

The verse now explains why the lot did not apply to all the tribes. For Moses had given the inheritance of the two tribes and half the tribe of Manasseh in the land of the Emorite kings that he had conquered beyond the Jordan, but he did not give an inheritance among them to the Levites. The Levites were not included in the division of inheritances to the tribes.

כִּי הָיוּ בְנֵי יוֹסֵף שְׁנֵי מַטּוֹת מְנַשֶּׁה וְאֶפְרָיִם וְלֹא נָתְנוּ חֵלֶק לַלְוִיִּם בָּאָרֶץ כִּי אִם עָרִים לָשֶׁבֶת וּמִגְרְשֵׁיהֶם לְמִקְנֵיהֶם וּלְקִנְיָנָם

In contrast to the tribe of Levi, which did not receive an inheritance, the tribe of Joseph was granted two portions: For already in the days of Moses the children of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim, and therefore they were entitled to a double inheritance, in place of the tribe of Levi, which did not receive an inheritance. The portion of Manasseh itself was split up by Moses, as previously stated. And they did not give a portion to the Levites in the land, only cities for settlement. The Levites were not given an inheritance of land at all. Instead, the other tribes allocated specific cities for the Levites from their portions, and their perimeter fields for their livestock and for their possessions. The Levites received open lands of roughly a square kilometer around each of their cities, which its residents could use for their animals and property.

כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה' אֶת מֹשֶׁה כֵּן עָשׂוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּחְלְקוּ אֶת הָאָרֶץ

In summary, as the Lord had commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did, and they divided the land. The division executed by Joshua, Moses’ attendant who faithfully carried out his commands, was performed in accordance with Moses’ instructions.

וַיִּגְּשׁוּ בְנֵי יְהוּדָה אֶל יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בַּגִּלְגָּל וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו כָּלֵב בֶּן יְפֻנֶּה הַקְּנִזִּי אַתָּה יָדַעְתָּ אֶת הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר ה' אֶל מֹשֶׁה אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים עַל אֹדוֹתַי וְעַל אֹדוֹתֶיךָ בְּקָדֵשׁ בַּרְנֵעַ

The children of Judah, who had not yet been mentioned as a distinct group, despite the fact that they were the lead tribe in regard to several matters, such as traveling in the wilderness, the inauguration of the altar, and the conquest and inheritance of the land, approached Joshua in Gilgal, and Caleb son of Yefuneh the Kenizite said to him, speaking for the entire tribe: You know the matter that the Lord spoke to Moses man of God concerning me and concerning you when we were in Kadesh Barnea. Caleb was an old friend of Joshua’s, as they were the only spies who survived after God swore that the generation that sinned would be punished. It is possible that Caleb is called a Kenizite because Kenaz was the head of the family, or because he was Caleb’s stepfather.

בֶּן אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה אָנֹכִי בִּשְׁלֹחַ מֹשֶׁה עֶבֶד ה' אֹתִי מִקָּדֵשׁ בַּרְנֵעַ לְרַגֵּל אֶת הָאָרֶץ וָאָשֵׁב אֹתוֹ דָּבָר כַּאֲשֶׁר עִם לְבָבִי

I was forty years old when Moses servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to reconnoiter the land. The people who were sent as spies were not young men but important individuals, as in addition to the espionage mission itself, they were also official representatives of their tribes. I returned word to him as it was in my heart, in accordance with my beliefs and understanding.

וְאַחַי אֲשֶׁר עָלוּ עִמִּי הִמְסִיו אֶת לֵב הָעָם וְאָנֹכִי מִלֵּאתִי אַחֲרֵי ה' אֱלֹהָי

My brethren who went up with me, the other spies, melted the heart of the people, as they frightened and dissuaded them from coming to the land of Canaan, but in my honest report I followed the will of the Lord my God wholeheartedly.

וַיִּשָּׁבַע מֹשֶׁה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא לֵאמֹר אִם לֹא הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר דָּרְכָה רַגְלְךָ בָּהּ לְךָ תִהְיֶה לְנַחֲלָה וּלְבָנֶיךָ עַד עוֹלָם כִּי מִלֵּאתָ אַחֲרֵי ה' אֱלֹהָי

Moses took an oath on that day, saying: Surely [im lo], the land on which your foot trod will be an inheritance for you and for your children forever, because you followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly. The words im lo literally mean, “if not,” which is an expression used as an oath, as though one is saying: If I do not do this, let a curse befall me.

וְעַתָּה הִנֵּה הֶחֱיָה ה' אוֹתִי כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֵּר; זֶה אַרְבָּעִים וְחָמֵשׁ שָׁנָה מֵאָז דִּבֶּר ה' אֶת הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה אֶל מֹשֶׁה אֲשֶׁר הָלַךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּמִּדְבָּר וְעַתָּה הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי הַיּוֹם בֶּן חָמֵשׁ וּשְׁמוֹנִים שָׁנָה

Now behold, the Lord has kept me alive, as He spoke, these forty-five years since the Lord spoke of this matter to Moses, the years while Israel walked in the wilderness; now, after the conquest of the main portions of Canaan, which took approximately seven years, behold, today I am eighty-five years old.

עוֹדֶנִּי הַיּוֹם חָזָק כַּאֲשֶׁר בְּיוֹם שְׁלֹחַ אוֹתִי מֹשֶׁה כְּכֹחִי אָז וּכְכֹחִי עָתָּה לַמִּלְחָמָה וְלָצֵאת וְלָבוֹא

And yet I am as strong today as I was on the day that Moses sent me. Although decades have passed since then, nevertheless, as my strength for battle was then, so is my strength now, for war, and to go out and to come in, to lead an army.

וְעַתָּה תְּנָה לִּי אֶת הָהָר הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר ה' בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא כִּי אַתָּה שָׁמַעְתָּ בַיּוֹם הַהוּא כִּי עֲנָקִים שָׁם וְעָרִים גְּדֹלוֹת בְּצֻרוֹת אוּלַי ה' אוֹתִי וְהוֹרַשְׁתִּים כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר ה'

Now, give me as an inheritance this mountain, Mount Hebron, of which the Lord spoke on that day, to give me the land on which I trod, for you heard on that day, through the report we delivered, that giants were there, and cities great and fortified. Perhaps the Lord will be with me, and I will dispossess them, as the Lord spoke. With regard to Caleb’s visit to Hebron, the verses state: “They ascended in the South, and he came until Hebron; and Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, children of the giant, were there. Hebron was built seven years before Tzo’an of Egypt.” “And the cities are fortified, very great; we also saw the children of the giant there.” “A people greater and taller than we; cities great and fortified to the heavens; and we have also seen the sons of the giants there.”

וַיְבָרְכֵהוּ יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וַיִּתֵּן אֶת חֶבְרוֹן לְכָלֵב בֶּן יְפֻנֶּה לְנַחֲלָה

Joshua blessed him. When they had set out as spies, their status was similar, but now Joshua has become the leader, and can grant Caleb his blessing and acquiescence. And he gave Hebron to Caleb son of Yefuneh as an inheritance. This was the plot of land that Caleb had requested.

עַל כֵּן הָיְתָה חֶבְרוֹן לְכָלֵב בֶּן יְפֻנֶּה הַקְּנִזִּי לְנַחֲלָה עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה יַעַן אֲשֶׁר מִלֵּא אַחֲרֵי ה' אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

Therefore, Hebron was an inheritance to this day for Caleb son of Yefuneh the Kenizite because he wholeheartedly followed the Lord, God of Israel.

וְשֵׁם חֶבְרוֹן לְפָנִים קִרְיַת אַרְבַּע הָאָדָם הַגָּדוֹל בָּעֲנָקִים הוּא והָאָרֶץ שָׁקְטָה מִמִּלְחָמָה

The chapter concludes with the following note: The name of Hebron was formerly Kiryat Arba, after the individual who was the greatest man among the giants. After the conquest of Hebron the land rested from war. This act concluded Joshua’s years of conquest before the division of the land to the tribes.