Joshua 15 Study Notes: Judah's Territory and Caleb's Family
Judah's allotment opens with its borders on every side, and Caleb drives the Anakim from Hebron, gives Acsah in marriage to Othniel for capturing Debir, and grants her springs. Judah's towns are then listed region by region, but Judah fails to expel the Jebusites from Jerusalem.
General
What blessing did Acsah request from Caleb (15:18-19)?
Answer: Springs of water for her dry southern land
Acsah pressed Othniel to request a field from Caleb. When she dismounted, Caleb asked what she wanted, and she asked him for a blessing: since he had given her a holding in the Negev, the dry southern region, she wanted springs of water too. Caleb gave her two sets of springs, an upper and a lower (15:18-19). Water made land in the dry south truly useful, and Caleb answered generously, giving more than one source. Judges records the same exchange (Judges 1:14-15), and Moses had described the good land God was giving as a land of springs and fountains (Deuteronomy 8:7).
- Joshua 15:18-19 (BSB)“One day Acsah came to Othniel and urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What do you desire?” “Give me a blessing,” she answered. “Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me springs of water as well.” So Caleb gave her both the upper and lower springs.”Acsah asks Caleb for a blessing of springs, and he gives her the upper and lower springs.
- Judges 1:14-15 (BSB)“One day Acsah came to Othniel and urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What do you desire?” “Give me a blessing,” she answered. “Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me springs of water as well.” So Caleb gave her both the upper and lower springs.”Judges records the same request and Caleb's gift of the springs.
- Deuteronomy 8:7 (BSB)“For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks and fountains and springs that flow through the valleys and hills;”Moses described the good land as a land of brooks, fountains, and springs.
Theological
What request did Acsah make of Caleb, and how did he answer (15:18-19)?
Answer: Springs of water for her dry southern land
Acsah pressed Othniel to seek a field from Caleb, then herself asked Caleb for a blessing: having been given Negev land, she requested springs as well, and Caleb granted springs both higher and lower (15:18-19). Water was what made an arid southern holding productive, and Caleb responded with liberality. The exchange is repeated in Judges 1:14-15, and it recalls Moses' description of the promised land as a land of springs and fountains (Deuteronomy 8:7).
- Joshua 15:18-19 (BSB)“One day Acsah came to Othniel and urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What do you desire?” “Give me a blessing,” she answered. “Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me springs of water as well.” So Caleb gave her both the upper and lower springs.”Acsah asks Caleb for a blessing of springs, and he gives her the upper and lower springs.
- Judges 1:14-15 (BSB)“One day Acsah came to Othniel and urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What do you desire?” “Give me a blessing,” she answered. “Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me springs of water as well.” So Caleb gave her both the upper and lower springs.”Judges records the same request and Caleb's gift of the springs.
- Deuteronomy 8:7 (BSB)“For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks and fountains and springs that flow through the valleys and hills;”Moses described the good land as a land of brooks, fountains, and springs.
General
Whom did Caleb drive out of Hebron (15:14)?
Answer: The giant clans descended from Anak
Caleb drove the three clans of Anak, named Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, out of Hebron (15:14). These were the very names the scouts had seen in Hebron when they explored the land (Numbers 13:22), part of the people of great size who made the scouts feel like grasshoppers (Numbers 13:33). The hope Caleb expressed in 14:12, that with the LORD's help he would drive them out, came true. Judges also records that Caleb received Hebron and expelled the Anakim living there (Judges 1:20).
- Joshua 15:14 (BSB)“And Caleb drove out from there the three sons of Anak—the descendants of Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak.”Caleb drives the three clans of Anak out of Hebron.
- Numbers 13:22 (BSB)“They went up through the Negev and came to Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, dwelled. It had been built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.”The scouts had seen Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, at Hebron.
- Numbers 13:33 (BSB)“We even saw the Nephilim there—the descendants of Anak that come from the Nephilim! We seemed like grasshoppers in our own sight, and we must have seemed the same to them!””The scouts said they felt like grasshoppers beside the descendants of Anak.
- Judges 1:20 (BSB)“Just as Moses had promised, Judah gave Hebron to Caleb, who drove out the descendants of the three sons of Anak.”Judges records that Caleb received Hebron and drove out the descendants of Anak.
Theological
Whom does 15:14 say Caleb dispossessed from Hebron?
Answer: The giant clans descended from Anak
Caleb dispossessed the three Anakite clans named for Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai from Hebron (15:14), the same names the scouts had encountered there (Numbers 13:22) and whose stature had reduced them to grasshoppers in their own eyes (Numbers 13:33). The confidence Caleb placed in the LORD's help in 14:12 is vindicated, and Judges 1:20 records the same outcome.
- Joshua 15:14 (BSB)“And Caleb drove out from there the three sons of Anak—the descendants of Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak.”Caleb drives the three clans of Anak out of Hebron.
- Numbers 13:22 (BSB)“They went up through the Negev and came to Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, dwelled. It had been built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.”The scouts had seen Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, at Hebron.
- Numbers 13:33 (BSB)“We even saw the Nephilim there—the descendants of Anak that come from the Nephilim! We seemed like grasshoppers in our own sight, and we must have seemed the same to them!””The scouts said they felt like grasshoppers beside the descendants of Anak.
- Judges 1:20 (BSB)“Just as Moses had promised, Judah gave Hebron to Caleb, who drove out the descendants of the three sons of Anak.”Judges records that Caleb received Hebron and drove out the descendants of Anak.
General
What did Caleb promise to whoever captured Kiriath-sepher, also called Debir (15:15-16)?
Answer: Marriage to Caleb's daughter Acsah
After Hebron, Caleb went up against the people of Debir, a town formerly called Kiriath-sepher. He offered his daughter Acsah as a bride for whichever man could defeat and take the town (15:15-16). Judges retells the same event in nearly the same words (Judges 1:11-12). Offering a daughter in marriage as a reward for a bold victory appears elsewhere too; Israel's soldiers said King Saul would give his daughter to whoever killed Goliath (1 Samuel 17:25).
- Joshua 15:15-16 (BSB)“From there he marched against the inhabitants of Debir (formerly known as Kiriath-sepher). And Caleb said, “To the man who strikes down Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will give my daughter Acsah in marriage.””Caleb marches on Debir and promises his daughter Acsah to the man who captures it.
- Judges 1:11-12 (BSB)“From there they marched against the inhabitants of Debir (formerly known as Kiriath-sepher). And Caleb said, “To the man who strikes down Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will give my daughter Acsah in marriage.””Judges retells Caleb's offer of Acsah for the capture of Kiriath-sepher.
- 1 Samuel 17:25 (BSB)“Now the men of Israel had been saying, “Do you see how this man keeps coming out to defy Israel? To the man who kills him the king will give great riches. And he will give him his daughter in marriage and exempt his father’s house from taxation in Israel.””Israel's soldiers said the king would give his daughter to the man who defeated Goliath.
Theological
What reward did Caleb offer for the capture of Kiriath-sepher (15:15-16)?
Answer: Marriage to Caleb's daughter Acsah
Moving from Hebron to Debir (formerly Kiriath-sepher), Caleb offered Acsah as a bride for whoever would take the town (15:15-16). The episode is repeated almost verbatim in Judges 1:11-12. Such a marriage reward for a daring feat has a later parallel in the reward Israel's soldiers said Saul would give for defeating Goliath (1 Samuel 17:25).
- Joshua 15:15-16 (BSB)“From there he marched against the inhabitants of Debir (formerly known as Kiriath-sepher). And Caleb said, “To the man who strikes down Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will give my daughter Acsah in marriage.””Caleb marches on Debir and promises his daughter Acsah to the man who captures it.
- Judges 1:11-12 (BSB)“From there they marched against the inhabitants of Debir (formerly known as Kiriath-sepher). And Caleb said, “To the man who strikes down Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will give my daughter Acsah in marriage.””Judges retells Caleb's offer of Acsah for the capture of Kiriath-sepher.
- 1 Samuel 17:25 (BSB)“Now the men of Israel had been saying, “Do you see how this man keeps coming out to defy Israel? To the man who kills him the king will give great riches. And he will give him his daughter in marriage and exempt his father’s house from taxation in Israel.””Israel's soldiers said the king would give his daughter to the man who defeated Goliath.
General
True or False: Joshua gave Caleb his portion among the people of Judah in keeping with what the LORD had commanded him.
Answer: True
This is true. Joshua gave Caleb his share within Judah as the LORD had instructed: Kiriath-arba, which is Hebron, named for Arba, the ancestor of Anak (15:13). This picks up the story from chapter 14, where Joshua blessed Caleb and gave him Hebron. The LORD had promised through Moses that Caleb and his children would receive the land he had walked on (Deuteronomy 1:36). Hebron already had a long history with God's people; Abraham had lived near there and buried Sarah there (Genesis 13:18; 23:19).
- Joshua 15:13 (BSB)“According to the LORD’s command to him, Joshua gave Caleb son of Jephunneh a portion among the sons of Judah—Kiriath-arba, that is, Hebron. (Arba was the forefather of Anak.)”At the LORD's command Joshua gives Caleb Hebron as his portion within Judah.
- Deuteronomy 1:36 (BSB)“except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land on which he has set foot, because he followed the LORD wholeheartedly.””The LORD promised Caleb and his descendants the land he had set foot on.
- Genesis 13:18 (BSB)“So Abram moved his tent and went to live near the Oaks of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar to the LORD.”Abraham had settled near Hebron and built an altar to the LORD there.
- Genesis 23:19 (BSB)“After this, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave of the field at Machpelah near Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.”Abraham buried Sarah at Machpelah near Mamre, that is, Hebron.
Theological
True or False: According to 15:13, Caleb's portion within Judah was granted by Joshua at the LORD's instruction.
Answer: True
This is true. Caleb's grant of Hebron (Kiriath-arba) within Judah is explicitly made at the LORD's command (15:13), resuming the narrative of 14:13-15. It fulfills the promise that Caleb and his seed would inherit the ground he had trodden (Deuteronomy 1:36). Hebron carried patriarchal associations: Abraham had settled by Mamre there and buried Sarah in its field (Genesis 13:18; 23:19).
- Joshua 15:13 (BSB)“According to the LORD’s command to him, Joshua gave Caleb son of Jephunneh a portion among the sons of Judah—Kiriath-arba, that is, Hebron. (Arba was the forefather of Anak.)”At the LORD's command Joshua gives Caleb Hebron as his portion within Judah.
- Deuteronomy 1:36 (BSB)“except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land on which he has set foot, because he followed the LORD wholeheartedly.””The LORD promised Caleb and his descendants the land he had set foot on.
- Genesis 13:18 (BSB)“So Abram moved his tent and went to live near the Oaks of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar to the LORD.”Abraham had settled near Hebron and built an altar to the LORD there.
- Genesis 23:19 (BSB)“After this, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave of the field at Machpelah near Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.”Abraham buried Sarah at Machpelah near Mamre, that is, Hebron.
General
What does 15:63 report about the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem?
Answer: Judah was unable to expel them, so they stayed on
The chapter ends with a failure: Judah was unable to expel the Jebusites from Jerusalem, and the text says the Jebusites still lived among them to this day (15:63). Judges reports the same about the Benjamites, since Jerusalem lay on the border between the two tribes (15:8; Judges 1:21). The Jebusites kept their fortress of Zion until King David captured it generations later (2 Samuel 5:6-7). This sits beside the book's statement that the LORD gave Israel the land He promised (21:43-45). God gave what He promised and the land lay open before Israel, but the tribes' full possession remained incomplete, and the LORD had warned through Moses that peoples left in the land would trouble Israel (Numbers 33:55).
- Joshua 15:63 (BSB)“But the descendants of Judah could not drive out the Jebusites living in Jerusalem. So to this day the Jebusites live there among the descendants of Judah.”Judah could not drive out the Jebusites of Jerusalem, who still lived among them.
- Judges 1:21 (BSB)“The Benjamites, however, failed to drive out the Jebusites living in Jerusalem. So to this day the Jebusites live there among the Benjamites.”Judges records that the Benjamites also failed to drive out the Jebusites of Jerusalem.
- 2 Samuel 5:6-7 (BSB)“Now the king and his men marched to Jerusalem against the Jebusites who inhabited the land. The Jebusites said to David: “You will never get in here. Even the blind and lame can repel you.” For they thought, “David cannot get in here.” Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion (that is, the City of David).”David later captured the Jebusite fortress of Zion.
- Numbers 33:55 (BSB)“But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land before you, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides; they will harass you in the land where you settle.”The LORD warned through Moses that inhabitants left in the land would become thorns to Israel.
Theological
What does the closing note of chapter 15 record concerning the Jebusites of Jerusalem?
Answer: Judah was unable to expel them, so they stayed on
Judah's account closes on an incomplete note: the Jebusites of Jerusalem could not be expelled and remained among Judah, the text says, to this day (15:63). Judges 1:21 says the same of Benjamin, the city lying on the shared boundary (15:8), and the Jebusite fortress of Zion was finally captured by David (2 Samuel 5:6-7). Alongside 21:43-45, the text holds together God's complete gift and Israel's partial possession; the land lay open before them, but the tribes did not fully take hold of it, with consequences the LORD had foretold through Moses (Numbers 33:55).
- Joshua 15:63 (BSB)“But the descendants of Judah could not drive out the Jebusites living in Jerusalem. So to this day the Jebusites live there among the descendants of Judah.”Judah could not drive out the Jebusites of Jerusalem, who still lived among them.
- Judges 1:21 (BSB)“The Benjamites, however, failed to drive out the Jebusites living in Jerusalem. So to this day the Jebusites live there among the Benjamites.”Judges records that the Benjamites also failed to drive out the Jebusites of Jerusalem.
- 2 Samuel 5:6-7 (BSB)“Now the king and his men marched to Jerusalem against the Jebusites who inhabited the land. The Jebusites said to David: “You will never get in here. Even the blind and lame can repel you.” For they thought, “David cannot get in here.” Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion (that is, the City of David).”David later captured the Jebusite fortress of Zion.
- Numbers 33:55 (BSB)“But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land before you, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides; they will harass you in the land where you settle.”The LORD warned through Moses that inhabitants left in the land would become thorns to Israel.
General
How does chapter 15 lay out the territory given to Judah?
Answer: By its borders, then its towns region by region
Chapter 15 first traces the edges of Judah's territory on every side, from the Salt Sea in the east to the Mediterranean in the west (15:1-12). After the account of Caleb, it lists Judah's towns group by group: the dry south called the Negev, the foothills, the hill country, and the wilderness (15:20-62). Judah's lot is the first in Canaan to be described. This was the tribe Jacob had blessed with a royal future (Genesis 49:10), and Caleb had been chosen as Judah's leader to help divide the land (Numbers 34:19). The division itself followed the LORD's command that the land be assigned by lot (Numbers 34:13).
- Joshua 15:1 (BSB)“Now the allotment for the clans of the tribe of Judah extended to the border of Edom, to the Wilderness of Zin at the extreme southern boundary:”The account of Judah's allotment begins with its southern reach toward Edom and the Wilderness of Zin.
- Joshua 15:20 (BSB)“This is the inheritance of the clans of the tribe of Judah.”The town lists are introduced as the inheritance of Judah's clans.
- Genesis 49:10 (BSB)“The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes and the allegiance of the nations is his.”Jacob had promised that the scepter would not depart from Judah.
- Numbers 34:19 (BSB)“These are their names: Caleb son of Jephunneh from the tribe of Judah;”Caleb was named as Judah's representative for dividing the land.
- Numbers 34:13 (BSB)“So Moses commanded the Israelites, “Apportion this land by lot as an inheritance. The LORD has commanded that it be given to the nine and a half tribes.”Moses commanded that the land be apportioned by lot.
Theological
In what order does chapter 15 set out the description of Judah's allotment?
Answer: By its borders, then its towns region by region
The chapter describes Judah's lot in two movements: a boundary survey on all four sides (15:1-12) and, after the Caleb narrative, a town register arranged by region, from the Negev through the lowland and hill country to the wilderness (15:20-62). Judah's portion is the first west of the Jordan to be recorded, fitting for the tribe Jacob marked out for royal rule (Genesis 49:10), whose leader Caleb served on the commission for the division (Numbers 34:19). The whole procedure fulfills the command to apportion the land by lot (Numbers 34:13).
- Joshua 15:1 (BSB)“Now the allotment for the clans of the tribe of Judah extended to the border of Edom, to the Wilderness of Zin at the extreme southern boundary:”The account of Judah's allotment begins with its southern reach toward Edom and the Wilderness of Zin.
- Joshua 15:20 (BSB)“This is the inheritance of the clans of the tribe of Judah.”The town lists are introduced as the inheritance of Judah's clans.
- Genesis 49:10 (BSB)“The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes and the allegiance of the nations is his.”Jacob had promised that the scepter would not depart from Judah.
- Numbers 34:19 (BSB)“These are their names: Caleb son of Jephunneh from the tribe of Judah;”Caleb was named as Judah's representative for dividing the land.
- Numbers 34:13 (BSB)“So Moses commanded the Israelites, “Apportion this land by lot as an inheritance. The LORD has commanded that it be given to the nine and a half tribes.”Moses commanded that the land be apportioned by lot.
General
Who captured the town and married Acsah (15:17)?
Answer: Othniel son of Kenaz
Othniel, the son of Kenaz, Caleb's brother, captured the town, and Caleb gave him Acsah as his wife (15:17). Judges repeats this account (Judges 1:13). Othniel shows up again later: when Israel called to the LORD for help, God raised him up as a deliverer, sent His Spirit upon him, and made him a judge who led Israel to victory (Judges 3:9-10).
- Joshua 15:17 (BSB)“So Othniel son of Caleb’s brother Kenaz captured the city, and Caleb gave his daughter Acsah to him in marriage.”Othniel captures the city and receives Acsah in marriage.
- Judges 1:13 (BSB)“So Othniel son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz captured the city, and Caleb gave his daughter Acsah to him in marriage.”Judges repeats that Othniel captured the city and married Acsah.
- Judges 3:9 (BSB)“But when the Israelites cried out to the LORD, He raised up Othniel son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz as a deliverer to save them.”The LORD later raised up Othniel as a deliverer for Israel.
- Judges 3:10 (BSB)“The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he became Israel’s judge and went out to war. And the LORD delivered Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram into the hand of Othniel, who prevailed against him.”The Spirit of the LORD came on Othniel, and he judged Israel and prevailed in battle.
Theological
Whom does 15:17 name as the captor of Kiriath-sepher and husband of Acsah?
Answer: Othniel son of Kenaz
The town fell to Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's brother, who received Acsah in marriage (15:17; cf. Judges 1:13). The same Othniel reappears as the deliverer God raised up in answer to Israel's plea, empowered by the divine Spirit to judge the nation and defeat its oppressor (Judges 3:9-10).
- Joshua 15:17 (BSB)“So Othniel son of Caleb’s brother Kenaz captured the city, and Caleb gave his daughter Acsah to him in marriage.”Othniel captures the city and receives Acsah in marriage.
- Judges 1:13 (BSB)“So Othniel son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz captured the city, and Caleb gave his daughter Acsah to him in marriage.”Judges repeats that Othniel captured the city and married Acsah.
- Judges 3:9 (BSB)“But when the Israelites cried out to the LORD, He raised up Othniel son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz as a deliverer to save them.”The LORD later raised up Othniel as a deliverer for Israel.
- Judges 3:10 (BSB)“The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he became Israel’s judge and went out to war. And the LORD delivered Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram into the hand of Othniel, who prevailed against him.”The Spirit of the LORD came on Othniel, and he judged Israel and prevailed in battle.