Paragraph 15:13-19

This paragraph tells about Caleb and his daughter Acsah (also spelled Aksah or Achsah in other English versions). The story of Caleb starts in Numbers 13. In Joshua 14:6-15 Caleb received land from Joshua. In this paragraph Caleb gave Acsah a gift of land when she married Othni-el.

15:13a

According to the LORD’s command to him: In this paragraph more information is given about Caleb.

Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:

Yahweh had commanded Joshua
-or-
As Yahweh had instructed Joshua

15:13b

Joshua gave Caleb son of Jephunneh a portion among the sons of Judah: The phrase a portion among the sons of Judah indicates that Joshua gave Caleb some land within the boundaries of the tribe of Judah.

Here are some other ways to translate verse 13a-b:

Yahweh had commanded Joshua to give Caleb the son of Jephunneh some land within the borders of Judah. So he gave it to him
-or-
As Yahweh instructed Joshua to do, he gave some land in Judah to Caleb, the son of Jephunneh

In some languages it may be more natural to reverse the order of 13a and 13b. For example:

Joshua gave Caleb the son of Jephunneh a piece of land within the boundaries of the tribe of Judah, as Yahweh had told him to do

15:13c

Kiriath-arba, that is, Hebron: The term Kiriath-arba refers to the town that Joshua gave to Caleb. In Hebrew the word Kiriath-arba means “town of Arba.” Some English versions translate it this way. For example:

Caleb’s share was Hebron, which at that time was known as Arba’s Town (Contemporary English Version)

Hebron: Hebron was the name of the town of Kiriath-arba at the time the book of Joshua was written.

Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:

The town Joshua gave him was Kiriath-arba, but it is now called Hebron
-or-
He gave Caleb the town of Hebron, which in former times was called Kiriath-arba

15:13d

Arba was the forefather of Anak: The Hebrew phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the forefather of Anak is more literally “the father of the Anak.” The word “father” in Hebrew is often used to mean ancestor. For example:

Arba was the ancestor of the Anak people-group (Translation for Translators)

Anak: There is an interpretation issue concerning the word Anak.

(1) The word Anak refers to a group of people, the descendants of a man called Anak. For example:

because Arba was the famous ancestor of the Anakim (Contemporary English Version)

(Contemporary English Version, New International Version)

(2) The word Anak refers to a person, the son of a man named Arba. For example:

Arba was the father of Anak (Revised Standard Version)

(Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, NET Bible, English Standard Version, God’s Word, Good News Translation, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, King James Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) which is supported by Hebrew grammars and is implied by the information in verse 14:15.

Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:

Arba was the ancestor of the Anak people
-or-
Arba was the ancestor of the people of Anak

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