Commentary on Joshua - Keil & Delitzsch - David Cox

Keil and Delitzsch <strong>Commentary</strong> on the Old Testament
name of a tribe, but of a person, and, as we may see from 1 Chron 4:15, where one of
the sons of Caleb is called Kenaz, the name was repeated in the family. The sons of
Judah who came to Joshua along with Caleb were not the Judahites generally,
therefore, or representatives of all the families of Judah, but simply members or
representatives of the father's house of Judah which took its name from Kenaz, and of
which Caleb was the head at that time. Caleb reminded Joshua of the word which the
Lord had spoken concerning them in Kadesh-barnea,
i.e., the promise of God that they should both of them enter the land of Canaan (Num
14:24,30), and then proceeded to observe (v. 7): "When I was forty years old, and
was sent by Moses as a spy to Canaan, I brought back an answer as it was in my
mind," i.e., according to the best of my convictions, without fear of man or regard to
the favour of the people.
Joshua 14:8
Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt:
but I wholly followed the LORD my God.
Whereas the other spies discouraged the people by exaggerated reports concerning
the inhabitants of Canaan, he had followed the Lord with perfect fidelity (Num 13:31-
33). He had not been made to waver in his faithfulness to the Lord and His promises
either by the evil reports which the other spies had brought of the land, or by the
murmuring and threats of the excited crowd (see Num 14:6-10). "My brethren" (v. 8)
are the rest of the spies, of course with the exception of Joshua, to whom Caleb was
speaking.
(Note: That Joshua was not included was evident from this circumstance alone, and consequently it is a
complete perversion on the part of Knobel to argue, that because the expression is a general one, i.e.,
because Joshua is not expressly excepted by name, therefore he cannot have been one of the spies, not to
mention the fact that the words "concerning me and thee," in v. 6, are sufficient to show to any one
acquainted with the account in Num 13-14, that Joshua was really one of them.) himªciyw (OT:4529) for
himªcuw (see Ges. §75, anm. 17, and Ewald , §142, a. ), from maacaah (OT:4529) = maacac (OT:4549)
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