Mark of Caleb's grave, Timnat Serah

Caleb, the son of Jephunneh is an important figure in the Hebrew Bible, noted for his faith in God when the Hebrew nation refuses to enter the "promised land" of Canaan. Image File history File links Caleb2. ... Image File history File links Caleb2. ... Jephunneh (יְפֻנֶּה) is a Biblical name which means for whom a way is prepared, and may refer to: Father of Caleb the spy, appears to have belonged to an Edomitish tribe called Kenezites, from Kenaz their founder. ... This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ... Hebrews (syns. ... Canaan (Canaanite: כנען, Hebrew: , Greek: Χαναάν whence Latin: Canaan; and from Hebrew, Aramaic: whence Arabic: ‎). Canaan is an ancient term for a region approximating present-day Israel(94%.) and West Bank and Gaza plus adjoining coastal lands and parts of Lebanon and Syria. ...

When the Hebrews came to the outskirts of Canaan, the land they believed had been promised them by God, after having fled slavery in Egypt, Moses (the Hebrew leader) sent twelve scouts (or spies, meraglim in Hebrew) into Canaan to report on what was there. Ten of the scouts returned to say that the land would be impossible to claim, and that giants lived there who would crush the Hebrew army. Only two, Joshua and Caleb, returned and said that God would be able to deliver Canaan into the hands of the Hebrew nation. — Slave redirects here. ... Moses with the Tablets, 1659, by Rembrandt Moses or Mosheh (Hebrew: מֹשֶׁה Standard Tiberian ; Arabic: موسى, ; Geez: ሙሴ Musse) was an early Biblical Hebrew religious leader, lawgiver, prophet, and historian. ... Joshua or Yehoshua (Hebrew: יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, Tiberian: , Israeli: Yəhoshúa) was an Israelite leader who succeeded Moses. ...

The Bible records that, because of the testimony of the ten scouts, the Hebrews chose not to enter Canaan: for this disobedience, God caused them to wander in the desert for forty years before being allowed to enter Canaan and conquer it as their home. It is said that the only adult Hebrews allowed to survive these forty years and enter Canaan were Joshua and Caleb, as a reward for their faith in God. This story is recorded in the Book of Numbers. The Book of Numbers is the fourth of the books of the Pentateuch, called in the Hebrew ba-midbar במדבר, i. ...

Wikisource has an original article from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica about:

Caleb

He is mentioned again later, being more than 80 years old, talking about his thankfulness for God's blessings. (Joshua 14:6-11) The city of Hebron and its surrounding territory was assigned to him. He then declared that the one who conquered Debir (Kiriath-Sepher) should be given his daughter Achsah as a wife. The one winning this price was his nephew Othniel, who later became the first judge after Joshua. (Joshua 15:13-19) Image File history File links Wikisource-logo. ... The original Wikisource logo. ... Encyclopædia Britannica, the 11th edition The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911) is perhaps the most famous edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. ... The mostly deserted market in the old city. ... A Biblical name, Debir may refer to: The most inner and sacred part of Solomons Temple, most commonly known as Sanctum Santorum. A Canaanite king of Eglon, slain by Joshua. ... This entry incorporates text from Eastons Bible Dictionary, 1897, with some modernisation. ...

As outlined in The Jewish Encyclopedia, Caleb exists on several levels. At the most basic level, "Caleb" signifies "dog" and may be the eponymous ancestor of the Calebite clan. At this level, his second "wife" Ephrath (I Chronicles ii. 19 and 50; iv. 4) may simply be a personification of the ancient Canaanite city of that name, awarded to the clan. An eponym is the name of a person, whether real or fictitious, which has (or is thought to have) given rise to the name of a particular place, tribe, discovery or other item. ... Ephrath or Ephratah is the Biblical name of the ancient city in the Judean Hills, south of Bethlehem, now called Efrat in the West Bank. ...

Tradition places Caleb's tomb near that of Joshua who, according to Joshua 24:30, is buried in Timnat Serah ( also known as Timnath-heres). The similarly named Palestinian village of Kifl Hares, located northwest of Ariel in the Samarian region of the West Bank, now encircles both tombs. Timnath-Heres or Timnath-Serah was the town given to Joshua in the Bible. ... The term Palestinian has other usages, for which see definitions of Palestinian. ... The city of Ariel (Hebrew: ) is an Israeli settlement located north of the Palestinian town of Salfit on the West Bank, in the Biblical region of Samaria near the ancient village of Timnat Serah. ... It has been suggested that Sebastia, Middle East be merged into this article or section. ...

External link

• The Jewish Encyclopedia, 1908