CALEB (Hebrew "cane") — A contemporary and collaborator of JOSHUA. Of the tribe of JUDAH, he was, with Joshua, among the twelve men sent by MOSES from Kadesh to explore the land of CANAAN. He was forty years old when, during forty days of exploration, he advanced as far as Emath. Upon returning to Kadesh, he encouraged the disheartened Israelites, "contradicting the exaggerations of his companions, who reported having encountered in Canaan very robust inhabitants in impregnable cities. However, he was unable to instill the optimism of his faith in the disheartened and tumultuous people, who were therefore entirely excluded from entering the Promised Land; only Caleb was exempted, along with Joshua, from this punishment, in reward for his faith (Num. 13:2; 14:38).
At eighty-five years of age, he captured the fortified cities of Hebron and Kiriath Sepher (Josh. 15:13-19; cf. Judg. 1:10-15), contributing to the conquest and division of the land of Canaan (Num. 34:19); hence Ecclus. 46:9 praises the "vigour" of his "old age."
He was the "elder brother," more precisely the father-in-law, of the judge OTHNIEL, to whom he had given his daughter ACHSAH as a reward for the capture of Kiriath Sepher (Judg. 1:12-13; 3:9). Through his father JEPHUNNEH, Caleb was connected (Num. 32:12; Josh. 14:6, 14) to KENAZ, who, according to Gen. 36:11 and 1 Chron. 1:36, 53, is listed among the sons of ESAU/EDOM. Therefore, Caleb’s family may have been of Edomite origin, though it was soon incorporated into the tribe of JUDAH. The Caleb mentioned in 1 Chron. 2:42-55, also called Chelubai (ibid., 2:9), is usually considered an ancestor of Caleb due to differing parentage (Hesron) and lineage, as well as the mention (ibid., 2:20) of the descendant BEZALEL (q.v.), the craftsman of the tabernacle (Ex. 31:2). However, F. de Hummelozer argues for their identity, either by dismissing V. 2:20 as spurious or by supposing that Bezalel was an elderly foreigner later incorporated into Caleb’s family.