(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Joshua 15:13–19, “And unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh he gave a part among the children of Judah, according to the commandment of the LORD to Joshua, even the city of Arba the father of Anak, which city is Hebron. And Caleb drove thence the three sons of Anak, Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak. And he went up thence to the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of Debir before was Kirjathsepher. And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjathsepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife. And Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife. And it came to pass, as she came unto him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she lighted off her ass; and Caleb said unto her, What wouldest thou? Who answered, Give me a blessing; for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And he gave her the upper springs, and the nether springs.”
We can see, from this passage, that Caleb was not only an experienced soldier but he was also a capable general as well. We should note that Hebrew poetry is characterised by repetition or parallelism. Even though this passage is historical prose the point about Caleb and the Lord keeping His specific promise to Caleb is repeated. This is an important aspect in the process of learning the words of this book off by heart. Joshua was commanded to meditate on the book of the Law day and nigh.t (Josh 1:8–9, “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”) for future generations it was important for them to remember the Book of the Law and the next phase in the Lord’s plan for Israel as well. Even though this information was written down they would appreciate the lessons much more if they were able to recite the Lord’s activities on a daily basis as well. The fact that the Lord specifically remembered His promise to Caleb was extremely important and worth repeating. This would act as an encouragement to everyone who was faithful in following the Lord’s recommendations in this regard. (compare Psalm 1, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.”) As the general Caleb planned the operation and then sent volunteers to put his plans into action. He offered his daughter’s hand in marriage as a reward for the volunteer who led the mission. In those days marriage was more about an alliance between families than about love between two individuals at first.
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