Joshua 14:12

This mountain. He did not mean the city of Hebron alone, which had been taken before by Joshua, but he included, in his request, all the adjacent country, including the caves and strongholds to which the Anakim had retired, and where they were now abiding in considerable force. We may suppose that Caleb, in the light of the stress that the other spies had laid upon the difficulty of conquering Hebron and the surrounding area, asked for the territory of Hebron as evidence of his faith in complete victory.

Thou heardest. Probably, as suggested (see on v. 6), it was another companion and not Joshua who accompanied Caleb to Hebron. But Joshua would later have heard from the lips of Caleb the expression of his convictions.

If so be. The Hebrew word here translated “if so be” may express hope as well as fear, and need not be taken as an expression of doubt as the English makes it appear. The whole statement is the language of one who disclaims reliance on his own ability — one who realizes that the battle is not to the strong, nor the race to the swift (Eccl. 9:11). It may be that Hebron had fallen again to its former possessors after Joshua had once taken it. On the other hand, the request of Caleb, no doubt, had reference mainly to the adjacent country where the Anakim still held out in their strongholds. Caleb’s example of utter dependence upon God should teach us to make certain of the presence of God in all our undertakings. Our equipment may not be the best — we may not have had superior training, but if God be for us, who can be against us (Rom. 8:31)?