Caleb Requests Hebron

The initial division of the land occurs while the Israelites still have their headquarters at Gilgal (verse 6). Whether Caleb had been given more specific promises than were recorded in Numbers 14:24 and Deuteronomy 1:36 (verses 9, 12), or whether he was now deciding which land he wanted, he now steps forward to claim those promises—Hebron, the burial place of Abraham, and the very land inhabited by the giants who had disturbed the other spies so much (Numbers 13:30-33). Caleb was 40 years old one year after the Exodus (Joshua 14:7). And 45 years have passed since then, making Caleb now 85 years old (verse 10). So, since the time from the Exodus to entering the Promised Land was 40 years, six years have elapsed since the entry into the Promised Land. Even though elderly, Caleb is no more afraid of the Anakim now than he was at age 40.