21:12

But: The Hebrew conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as But indicates a contrast.

they had given the fields and villages around the city to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his possession: The Hebrew sentence places the object first to emphasize it. Use the order that is natural in your language.

the fields: The phrase the fields refers to the land around the town that was good for growing crops.

villages around the city: The phrase villages around the city refers to small settlements near the town that did not have a wall around them.

had given…to Caleb: The story of how Caleb received the town of Hebron was told in 14:6–15.

as his possession: The phrase as his possession can also be translated “as his property.”

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

But the fields and villages that were around the town had already been given to Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, as his own property.
-or-
However, Caleb the son of Jephunneh had already received the fields and villages that surrounded the town as his own.

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