This verse poses a problem because in verse 1.10, it is stated that Judah fought against the inhabitants of Hebron and defeated them. However, as noted earlier, in this particular biblical narrative, facts do not seem to be always presented in strict chronological order. There is a dense history behind this present verse, which serves as a summary of what happened. In verse 14.6-15 the LORD, through Moses, promises Caleb that the land of the Anakim will be his. In verse 15.13-14 Caleb is then given “a portion among the people of Judah, Kiriath-arba, that is, Hebron.” It is possible to see these events as two different steps, the oral “giving” or allotting of the land, and the actual physical possession, which involved driving out the inhabitants. Caleb is part of the line of Judah, and his name, whether appearing in battle or in reference to his inheritance, refers not only to him as an individual, but also to his descendants. According to this account in Judges, it would seem that Joshua had died before Caleb actually drove out the descendants of the three sons of Anak who lived in that place.

And Hebron was given to Caleb is literally “And they gave Hebron to Caleb.” Many languages will have a similar construction, known as an impersonal passive, using an impersonal pronoun and an active verb. We could follow Revised Standard Version or use the impersonal “they” or “one.” For Hebron see verse 1.10. With the mention of Caleb, once again the verb “give” is in focus, as in verse 1.12-15.

As Moses had said: This clause modifies the previous one. Moses had promised that Caleb would inherit this city. Many languages will prefer to reverse the order of the clauses and say “As Moses had said, they gave Hebron to Caleb.” The general verb said can be rendered “promised” or “ordered.” Revised Standard Version uses an anterior past tense, had said, to show that this action happened a long time before the events recounted. To make things more explicit, we might say “Moses had said, ‘Give Hebron to Caleb.’ ”

And he drove out from it the three sons of Anak: The Hebrew waw conjunction rendered and expresses a sequence or a result. We might say “Then” or “So” here. Though most versions use the singular pronoun he, it is ambiguous, referring either to Caleb or to his clan. For drove out, see verse 1.19. From it is literally “from there.” Translators can also say “from that city.” The names of the three sons of Anak appear in verse 1.10. These Anakim were said to be giants (see Num 13.33). The three sons of Anak in this context refers to the descendants of these three men. Good News Translation gives a good model: “the three clans descended from Anak.”

Translation models for this verse are:

• They gave the town of Hebron to the family of Caleb just as Moses had told them. And that clan drove out the descendants of the three sons of Anak.

• As Moses directed, Caleb was given Hebron, and he drove the three clans descended from Anak from that town.

Quoted with permission from Zogbo, Lynell and Ogden, Graham S. A Handbook on Judges. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .