The Ancestry of Caleb

by Doy Moyer

One interesting rabbit hole is found in this little conundrum: Was Caleb of the tribe of Judah, or was he a descendant of the Edomites? Hang on because there is an important point to be made here that is more than just a question of interest.

Caleb is known for his strong faith, unlike the spies who were too afraid to go up and possess the land (Numbers 13-14). His obedience to the Lord resulted in the area of Hebron, in what became Judah, being given to him and his family (Joshua 15:13; 21:12; Deut 1:36). Ultimately, his faithfulness is the example we ought to consider “because he wholly followed the LORD, the God of Israel” (Joshua 14:14).

Yet, the following pieces of information about his family are couched within the story of Caleb. He is listed as “the son of Jephunneh” and given a portion of land “among the people of Judah” (Joshua 15:13). Numbers 13:6 lists Caleb as being “from the tribe of Judah.” That seems cut and dry until we run into the fact that his father, Jephunneh, was a Kenizzite (Numbers 32:11; Joshua 14:6). Othniel, Caleb’s brother and the first of the judges, was said to be the son of Kenaz (Joshua 15:17; Judges 1:13; 3:9).

Here’s the issue: what we know of the Kenizzites is that they were part of the Edomites, descendants of Esau, and people who would be dispossessed of the land (Genesis 15:19). A Kenizzite would be a descendant of Kenaz, a name listed as one of the chiefs of the sons of Esau (Genesis 36:15).

One possibility is that there was another man from Judah named Kenaz and unrelated to the Kenaz of Esau’s line (Othniel’s father?). Caleb later had a grandson named Kenaz (I Chronicles 4:15). This may be the simplest explanation, but is it correct? All we have to go on is that someone might be named Kenaz in the line of Judah from whom Caleb descended. Maybe. We have no particular record of it, so that is not certain.

A second, perhaps stronger, possibility is that Caleb comes from a branch of the Kenizzites who were, at some point, grafted into the family of Judah. The use of Kenizzites is only previously used of the line from Esau, and some will point out that the text does not try to hide Caleb’s Kenizzite status (although “son of Jephunneh” is used more). If this is the case, then Caleb is an example, not only of faithfulness to God generally, but specifically to the mixed people who were following Israel in the wilderness and desiring to be part of God’s covenant (see Exodus 12:38; Numbers 11:4). Caleb would be a bridge between the people of Israel and those outside of Israel who converted to follow Yahweh. This shouldn’t surprise us if we are familiar with other such examples like Rahab and Ruth, or even Uriah the Hittite. In this scenario, the answer to the original question is “both.”

Further, if Caleb’s ancestry included those from Esau, the lesson is an even stronger pointer to the nature of the Gospel message and what God would do for the faithful, whether Jew or Gentile. From the beginning, God intended to graft the nations into the tree of His people (Romans 11), and He preserved several accounts of this happening long before Jesus came into the world. Why would God accept a Caleb, a Rahab, or a Ruth? Because of their faith. Indeed, their faith often outshone the Israelites when faced with difficult decisions.

When Jesus came, He worked miracles that impacted both Jew and Gentile. He healed a centurion’s servant and a Gentile woman’s daughter (Luke 7:1-10; Mark 7:24-30). He marveled at their faith. He offered the water of life to a Samaritan woman (John 4). His message went beyond the Jews to encompass the Gentiles, and this message was foreshadowed in the lives of the faithful who themselves had some Gentile blood relatives. It’s a powerful reminder that God intends to invite all nations to His table so that He will be glorified (Revelation 4:9).

Let the faith of such people show us how to act today in a world antagonistic to God and His people.